50 Best Movies [I've Seen] Of The Decade: No 13. Hot Fuzz

 

Click here to watch the trailer.

I have yet to watch Shaun of the Dead, so was not familiar at all with the work of and the kinda comedy Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright has to offer prior to watching Hot Fuzz. But from what I’ve heard about Shaun of the Dead, I expected Hot Fuzz to be pretty funny. And it was…it was hilarious. It is I thought at its heart a parody of buddy cop movies that were very popular in 80’s and 90s cinema. But it’s not like the run of the mill slapstick kind of comedy those Scary Movie series has to offer. No this was much better, this actually has a coherent story line…it has characters…its action packed…it pokes fun at all the right things and delivered brilliantly and its dark. Oh yes its dark. And I do so love a good dark comedy. Definitely recommended and looking forward to watching Shaun of the Dead.

Out & About: Jennifer's Body, Sorority Row and Surrogates

Out this week is Jennifer's Body. Saw this in the theaters a few months ago. Had thought it was more of a horror comedy. Not much of that actually...and it wasn't a full on horror either. Not sure where it fits actually. But it was a decent enough movie to spent an hour and a half on. And I especially liked Adam Brody's turn as an evil black eyeliner band guy...definitely different from the cute geeky guy roles he's used to playing. Next there's Sorority Row...which I expect is the usual teen slasher horror? And lastly its Surrogates, the one with Bruce Willis and his weird toupee hair.

Random Rants/Thoughts: Its Hardwicke not Hard - wiki

Mispronunciation by tv presenters or by people in the media generally irks me sometimes. Because, well...they're paid to make a good presentation and pronouncing a word or name correctly is just part of a good presentation. Not doing it well...just shows that you have not done your research and work to know how to verbally deliver a certain word. I used to watch a lot of football in the past...and you'll hear a lot of mispronunciation of names of clubs and players...not of some little known club or players...that I would at least understand...but of world renown ones...I mean seriously if these people took a minute to do their research...they would be able to pronounce whatever correctly.

Anyhow recently during the Twilight New Moon mayhem, I had watched a little news show (not a local one) which had an entertainment news segment, and for that day it had a little feature on New Moon. So the presenter mentions that the first movie, Twilight was directed by Catherine Hardwicke...pronouncing it as Hard-Wiki. That was not the only mispronunciation. The whole feature was laden with mispronunciation. I remember vaguely them calling Stephanie Meyer as Stephanie Mayor. It was terribly annoying. These were simple pretty common names in the first place...and to think that these names too, have been correctly pronounced all over the media everywhere else. Basically this particular news could have very well heard how to correctly pronounce these names but yet didn't even bother to? I guess ...in general...this particular news programme has a habit of doing this? They really do make a laughing stock of themselves don't they?

50 Best Movies [I've Seen] Of The Decade: No 12. Gladiator

Like 300, this was not a movie I was keen to watch. Muscle men in “skirts” made to fight to the death in the coliseum…yeah not something I was likely to go out and watch. But it so happens that Channel 5, one of the local channels aired it one day, and with nothing else to watch, I tuned in. Ok so I thought the coliseum looked horrible. Its so CGI-ed…in a bad way. But everything else worked for me. The story, was interesting enough. As long as it didn’t take place in the coliseum, the sets looked pretty. It had some wonderful shots. The score was just enchanting. I especially liked the music used for the field scene. And then there were the performances. Joaquin Phoenix was just loathsome as the Ceaser Commodus. But the star was of course Russell Crowe. He just let go and literally became this character Maximus…he was just soo good…I’m sure I liked the movie more because of all the great acting. So yes this movie was definitely a surprise for me.

50 Best Movies [I've Seen] Of The Decade: No 11. Garden State

Here’s the thing, for some of the movies in this list, I’ve only just watch them once. And this is just one of them. I’ve only seen it once, and that was at least 5 years ago. So really, I’ve forgotten some of it. And I can’t describe in detail which scenes moved me and so forth. That’s the truth. Yep. But this I know. I loved it the first time I saw. I loved it. I’ve heard that it was a film that spoke to my generation. And I agreed. I’ve been buying some of my favourite films on dvd recently. This is one of those that I will soon add, and I am looking forward to re-watching it again.

Out & About: (500) Days of Summer, Funny People, Whiteout...

There's a bunch of titles out this week. First up is 500 Days of Summer. I love love this movie. I simply love it. So when it was released this week, I went out to get it. But alas the blu ray was out of stock. Issit really selling like hotcakes? Then deservingly so I'd say. Next there's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, a 3D movie that was pretty well received. Then there's Funny People that I hear is not soo full of laughs. Love Happens was also released this week...Jennifer Aniston's 100th romantic comedy. I mean she used to do films like Office Space and the Good Girl. Go back to doing those kinda stuff...those were definitely better. Lastly there's Whiteout ...which I did a movie rant a few months ago...

Random Rant/Thoughts: Changed Bella and Edward running in the woods in New Moon

I'm not sure if I mentioned this on my blog before. Maybe I have. I can't remember and I'm too lazy to do a search. A few weeks (was it weeks already) my friends and I were talking about New Moon and one of them mentioned how she did not like the scene where a changed Bella and Edward were running in the woods. I agreed. I thought it was extremely cheesy, and really one that was not needed to be in the film. I may have been mistaken, but if I remember correctly, Alice did see a vision of a changed Bella, but it was never described what she actually saw. So I had always felt that it would have been better if they left it at...Alice had a vision of changed Bella. We DID not need to see what that vision was. Or if they really had to put one...give one that was better.

So basically the vision they had given us was a changed Bella and Edward, all in white with clothes that seemed to come for the early 1900's (funny right?) looking all smiley and happy running through this lush and green woods. And how do we know Bella's changed? She's paler than her usual self, her eyes are topaz and Edward actually looks happy instead of the usual constipated look he always have when he's around her. And so yes...like I said it was cheesy. I cringed. What's worst...I kinda have seen the same scene before. Young good looking lovers in white, early 1900s, running in some lush greenery. And oh there's the immortality part too. Yes it looked too much like a scene in Tuck Everlasting. Coincidence? Likely. Its just they could have done away with the whole thing...I definitely think it would have been better...to leave it as a guess...let us use our imagination...did Alice really have a vision, or did she cleverly disguise a make up story as a vision of the future? Or if she did see something, was it really rainbows and sunshine? Anyhow below are the stills of the scenes I was referring too.

Tuck Everlasting

New Moon

50 Best Movies [I've Seen] Of The Decade: No 10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Loved the movie. Loved the story. It’s a dysfunctional love story that is just soo…arghh…I can’t find the right word...modern. I’m tired of the usual romantic fare…so this was amazingly refreshing. The characters are incredibly interesting. They bicker, they whine, they have wit, they’re bitter, they’re awkward, and when the characters fight…the words exchange…you see how much they just hurt each other with them, there’s just this edge to them that they seem soo real…And then of course there’s the incredible performances. Jim Carrey was amazing here. Usually I can’t stand him in any of his comedic role…but this…a serious role…he was just brilliant. He really does, does a bitter, depressed guy well. And Kate Winslet does just as well. I’d never imagine her playing an unpredictable, impulsive character…but she was great. Kudos to the casting director for seeing how Kate was perfect for this. And the direction…whoa…its soo different. Now whenever I see a music video…I can pretty much tell its by Michael Gondry. His stuff are definitely creative and imaginative. I love the scenes in the movie where things in a location are being erased as the main character’s memory is being erased, and him in his own mind is running frantically to keep a memory from being erased. Sounds confusing? Just watch the movie because it really isn’t. It is truly one of the most brilliant and imaginative films made…and it has gotten on a lot of best of the decade list…including mine.

Out & About: 9, Julie & Julia and Inglorious Basterds out on DVD

Last week pretty much nothing new came out, or else nothing worthy of mention. This week we have 9, which didn't really have a successful run did it? Next there's Julie & Julia...Meryl Streep getting praise for her role in it and lastly, its Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds.

New Moon Two-Disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray

The New Moon two disc special edition dvd and blu-ray is now up for pre-order at Amazon.com. Official release date is March 20th, so its a long wait till then. Special features to look forward to are audio commentary, six-part documentary that takes you behind the scenes and music videos from Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina, and Mute Math. Check out the page here.

50 Best Movies [I've Seen] Of The Decade: No 9. The Devil's Backbone

One of the best horror movie ever, in my opinion. Though I’m rather reluctant to call it horror. Its more of a human drama with supernatural elements and it was directed and co-written by Guillermo del Toro who gave us Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s a pity that this movie is not as well known as Pan’s Labyrinth even though it’s just as good. It is at its core a ghost story set against the end of the Spanish civil war in an orphanage where the worst of human nature emerges. The storytelling is just great, it’s subtle, the scares just above a “whisper” but it all cumulates into an ending that is terribly terribly haunting and incredibly heartbreaking...especially taking into account the setting…by the end of it you’d really just want to cry and cry. And of course the movie begins and ends with one of my favourite movie lines 

What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber - Casares.

50 Best Movies [I've Seen] Of The Decade: No 8. Brick

I did a movie rant on this some 2 years ago, the first time I saw it. I think I said something along the lines of it being very interesting...And well I know that sounds like a horribly boring way to say it but it is. I saw it the second time recently, and I find myself liking it even more. It is such an interesting and clever little film. And it truly is a little film, if I'm not mistaken it was made under a million dollars...amazing what they were able to make out of it. It has a strong story...pretty original too, setting a film noir against a high school background. Then there's the dialogue...which is undoubted soo smart-ass and slick...you'll probably miss all the little stuff the first round...a second viewing definitely helps one to understand everything that's going on...its definitely one of those movies where you just discover new stuff everytime. Good performances all around. From Meagan Good who was soo good as the evil drama vixen Kara and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the main character Brendan...one off I'd say the best brooding, highly cynical antisocial hero ever...if there ever was any other character like him. Its just a brilliant little movie. And it really isn't a big well known movie...hopefully more people will get to see it and see just how good it is.

Out & About: Pandorum, Paranormal Activity

First up there's Dance Flick...just another one of those bad spoof flicks. People still pay to see these movies? Then there's Pandorum a horror flick set in space. And another horror flick was also released the past week, you may heard of it? A little movie called Paranormal Activity...which I saw in the theaters. I mean seriously wasn't this and Pandorum released in theaters like some two months ago? Wow!