In Front of the Silver Screen-Stranger Than Fiction

Stranger than Fiction is easily one of the most interesting films I've ever seen. It's incredibly post-modern, and deals with many interesting things. From an ethical standpoint, from a literary standpoint, and even from an odd crossroads of the two: the ethics of an author. Is it good to only write a character so you can kill them off?

The characters are all great. They're written well, and the already impressive cast all provide fantastic performances. A special note goes to Will Ferrel, who played outside his comfort zone so well that I personally feel it's his best performance ever. The arc his character goes through is fantastic, and he's one of my favorite protagonists from film. If I had to file a complaint, it would be that the baker character, who is quite important, disappears for about a half hour in the middle.

The special effects are used perfectly with the main character. The editting is similarly good, leaving in scenes of characters often enough for them to stick in my memory, before pulling them all out at once in the best moment.

This is my favorite Romantic-Comedy, maybe my favorite Romantic film, and in the running for one of my favorite films period. If you have not seen this film, you're doing yourself a disservice. Laters.

Top 13 Favorite Movies (Kinda)

    Yeah, I just saw the Chick's new video, and it gave me the idea to do the same. The movies you would call your favorites says a lot about you as a geek, so allow me the time to list them. Oh, and it says 'kinda' because I'm doing this loose, fast, and off the top of my bookshelf's movies. Let us start with a...

            Honorable Mention-Joss Whedon's The Avengers

            This is not to say I do not enjoy the movie. (And yes, I call it's Joss Whedon's The Avengers. So sue me.) I really do. The comedy is sharp, the action fantastic, and it's about as good an Avengers Movie as can be made. Sadly, I am not a big Avengers fan, so this really didn't hit my heart like most on this list did. Sorry Marvelites.

       13-The Producers (1968)

       As a fan of comedy, it's my duty to put a Mel Brooks movie on the list somewhere, and choosing which one was a bit hard. Most of my friends would have chosen Spaceballs, and while I like the movie, The Producers is far funnier to me. Gene Wilder's acting is, as always, amazing. The jokes are some of my favorites, and my sides hurt every time I watch this thing. The only downside is it starts off slow, and the opening credits are long. Besides that, a great film.

       12-Tremors

      This movie is kind of a guilty pleasure. I grew up with this franchise, and while now I am able to understand that the sequels slowly degrade in quality, I still love them. They're fun monster flicks with a really interesting creature. Plus I love all the expanded universe stuff about the graboids. I like they're not aliens or supernatural, they are just creatures with an odd life cycle.

        11-The Prestige

       I'm always surprised when people say this is the worst Christopher Nolan movie. I haven't seen his remake of Insomnia yet, but I'd still say I like The Prestige more than Memento and Batman Begins. The acting is great, the twists interesting, and it's just an interesting movie. I am sad I don't own it, and if I see it at a Wal-Mart next time I'm in one I'll buy it. (If my faith in humanity hasn't been entirely crushed by the time I've found it.)

        10-Brick

      It has come to my attention that not everybody has seen this film yet. My current quest is to rectify this. It's a old-style Noir detective movie set in modern day High School. The dialogue is great, the mystery interesting, and the cinematography is fantastic. This is the first film by director Rian Johnson, with his second film The Brothers Bloom having come out in 2008. (I also recommend that.) His third film, Looper, comes out this year and to say I am psyched is not an exaggeration.

       9-Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

         This movie is on the list for several reasons. One; I am a pretty big fan of the Professor Layton series. Two; it's a pretty good movie. Three; it is, undoubtedly in my own opinion, the best video game movie yet made. It manages to capture both the gameplay and story of the series perfectly, while delivering it's own tale not done in the games.

        8-Scott Pilgrim VS The World

     Like any nerd, I have my problems with this film. It is still, however, the best Scott Pilgrim movie that could be made. Ultimately all my problems and quibbles with the film is because it's a film and not an animated series. It still makes me laugh, jump up in excitement, and tear up a little every time. Nerd salute to you Edgar Wright.

      7-Monty Python's The Life of Brian

     I think I'll find a severed Goomba head in my bed tomorrow for this. While I feel that Holy Grail is much more quotable, I like Life of Brian more. It makes me laugh more and I think the story is better. (Besides that weird thing with the spaceship in the middle. What the hell were they smoking?) It also helps that when I first saw Holy Grail, I already knew all the best parts by heart. Not true with Life of Brian, and the surprise made it better for me.

      6-Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

       I must preface this with the fact that I am not a Trekkie, even though both my parents are. I have seen one or two episodes of the original series, this movie, and the new one. I plan on trying Next Generation someday, but I am very ashamed of my lack of knowledge in this area, as it is my biggest weakspot as a nerd. This movie, however, is amazing. The dialogue is infinitely quotable, the situation dire, the villain brilliant, and Bones is on board. I like Bones.

       5-Star Wars Episode V

     For the record, I will state that I feel Wrath of Khan is in quality better than any Star Wars movie. However, I grew up with the Original Trilogy, and they hold a place (Somewhat diminished by the Special Editions) in my heart. I'm with Star Wars the opposite of what I am with Star Trek though. I have tasted the fruits Lucas has offered me, and while I still love the Original Trilogy and a couple EU books, I can't really call myself I fan. Still, Empire Strikes Back is awesome.

       4-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

        Okay, this is gonna get me lynched. I know the problems a lot of people have with Order, but I disagree. Did it cut out stuff I wanted in? Yeah sure. But we're dealing with a long freaking movie guys. Not only that, I respect that they got all this stuff in, yet it doesn't feel rushed. Unlike the previous film in the series, it slowed down and took it's time, which is the pace I feel suits the series best.

       3-Serenity

        Yep, my Whedon movie for the list. This film, it's killing of loved characters besides, is made of epic win. I can watch in whenever and always come out of it happy. I was surprised to meet people in real life who didn't like Whedon stuff, but once they explained their positions we came to a mutual understanding. I like it when everyone is funny and has smart dialogue. I like stuff focused more on characters than on story. And this movie is that turned up to 11. The only thing that I don't like is how they handled the Reavers, but that's a rant for another day.

        2-The Dark Knight

        I think everybody on the web has talked about what makes this movie amazing to death. There isn't really anything to say, but Ledger's acting is some of the best ever, the allegories and implications are great, and it does a great job from the perspective of a comic fan and a movie fan.

        1-The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

      If you know me, this is not a surprise. This franchise has always astounded me by hitting all my geek and nerd buttons at the same time. And the film? The best way I can describe it is that when I finish the movie, I feel full. It is long, and when it is done I am literally sated for now. It's funny, it's inventive, but mostly it's just interesting. And by me and Haruhi's philosophy, that's the most important thing. Laters.

In Front of the Silver Screen - The Amazing Spider Man

         On the comic front: Oh my Stan Lee. This is the closest I feel the Spider Man of the comics has come to being shown accurately on the screen. I'm not talking about the web shooters being artificial, him being in high school, Flash Thompson being a character, or even Gwen Stacy being the girl. I'm talking about the fact that I felt like I was watching Spider Man. I've heard some people talk about how much darker this is compared to the silly, campy older movies. That is true. But what I appreciate more is that this film captures my favorite aspect of Spider Man: the humor. This film captures the fact that when Peter is Spider Man, and he's fighting somebody, he is talking. All the gorram time. Not all his lines are great, but he just keeps throwing out zingers anyway. Plus, they actually captured other parts of the characters that isn't usually seen: Peter's loner tendencies, Flash's kindness, Gwen's intelligence. As a fan, this movie was great. (Oh, and the sequels should be called "The Friendly Neighborhood Spider Man" and "The Spectacular Spider Man" Just Saiyan."

             On the film front: Damn this is good. The drama is well done, the stakes high. The main characters are likable and relatable, and their choices make sense. It leaves many obvious and subtle threads that could be used in sequels. (Did anyone else pick up the Kingpin hint?) The actions was good. It was just a well made film.

             In summation, if you haven't already, go see it now!

Watashi wa Anime ga daisukidesu/In Front of the Silver Screen-Castle in the Sky

        Alright,it's time I admitted it, at the time of me typing this out I have seen 7 Miyazaki movies. Seriously. It's a huge shame for me, because I love the man and his films. I am working on changing this, and finished watching Castle in the Sky about a week ago. The film is, expectantly, gorgeous, but what really impressed me was how funny it is. I laughed pretty hard several times. The story (Bronydom has robbed me of the p-word now.) worked pretty well, and the characters were ranged from decent to awesome. Special mention goes to the Sky Pirate leader and the Big Bag played by none other that Mark Hamill. Mmm, I love that ham. Overall, it is super-duper-above average when it comes to animated movies, or movies in general. As a Miyazaki film I liked it more than Howl and Kiki, but less than all the other Miyazaki films I've seen. You'll see more of the great creator soon enough. Laters.

In Front of the Silver Screen-The Avengers

      Now, unlike several of my friends, I wasn't that excited about Marvel's The Avengers. I'm not that big a Marvel fan, and of the Avengers themselves I'm not a big fan of any of them. What I was excited for was Joss Whedon's The Avengers. I am a huge Whedonite, and this movie was just another example of that man's genius. This film was tense, exciting, action-packed, and hilarious. I laughed my ass of at least a dozen times sitting in that movie theater. This isn't just the best Marvel film. It is, in my opinion, tied for the best comic book or superhero film of all time. (With The Dark Knight.) Personally, I like the latter a tad more, but I say they tie in quality because in my estimation, neither movie could be made better by adding or removing a single scene or line of dialogue. That is a rare quality for a film, and to me it's as close to perfect as I've ever seen. This gets a huge recommendation from me. Laters.

     (NOTE: Seeing it in 3D is not any better than 2D. Just Saiyan.)

In Front of the Silver Screen-The Hunger Games

     Before I start, I will say that I have read all the books. (In order from favorite to least favorite Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay.) This movie was really good. I've heard some people say that it is a better adaptation of the book than any of the Harry Potter movies are. I think in that case we need to define our terms. What makes a good adaptation? Is a good adaptation one that changes as little as it can from the source material? Or is a good adaptation one that makes changes for both time and what fits best in the new medium, while keeping the spirit and feel of the original? For me, the latter is closer. In that regard this is a great adaptation of it's source material, though Prisoner of Azkaban and Half-Blood Prince are better adaptations, for me. As a movie on it's own it is still very good.

     I won't bother explaining the plot. Either go to your local theater and see it or to Barnes and Nobles and grab a copy of the book. They're both excellent and I'll tell you now that I literally recommend them both to everyone. The acting is really good here. Especially Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, who manages to get across what's going on in her head without narration. Really, for me, that's the best part of the movie. It doesn't have much dialogue, and is quite for very long stretches of time. That builds the atmosphere, which is one of the most important parts of any movie for me. The action was a bit hard to follow, which was very annoying, but the design for the Capital and the arena was almost identical to what I pictured from the books. Overall, I really good movie, and a great way to start off the year of awesome movies. Laters.

In Front of the Silver Screen-Batman Year One

((First off, I will sadly be unable to post every day or do theme months for the foreseeable future. They may come back, but right now I am working on something extra special. I'll still post when I can.))

                Early on I was hating this movie. The idea is that is has two storylines: Bruce Wayne's first year as Batman and Jim Gordan's first year in Gotham. The problem I had was pretty much exclusively in the Batman storyline. The new voice actor, Ben McKenzie, doesn't suit him very well. It isn't helped that all the early scenes with him as infuriating to me, because they're done in my least favorite form of Batman writing: dark monologues and brooding. Goddamn it Frank! It was hurting me hearing all this stupid narrating being done by Batman. Also, Catwoman is a prostitute. Wow Frank, wow. And don't say that he wanted a more realistic and gritty form of Batman, because I'll call bullshit there too. The first scene with him is him training by punching a pile of bricks into dust with no damage on his hand and roundhouse kicking a healthy tree in half. Bullshit.

               However, I really enjoyed the Gordan storyline. (With exception to the part when he cheated on his wife. Fuck you Miller.) The action was all really good, the story was on average decent. I guess I just really don't like that new voice for Batman or the all the monologues. Overall, it's just okay. It's probably my least favorite of all the DC Animated Films. I'd still recommend it to general Batman fans, and if you're at all a fan of Miller's writing, check it out. Personally I don't like it that much.

In Front of the Silver Screen-Windigo

                This is one of those 'found footage' movies. It is the story of a group of Canadian Film students in 2004, who are trying to shoot a documentary about deforestation in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. There they soon discover the legend of the Windigo is more than that...much more. So, yeah, I've put it off long enough, this is the first feature length real Slenderman movie. Yep, while the movie's characters reference him as a windigo, it's blatantly our Slender friend. So how is it?

                As a movie, pretty good. It scared me more than most of the crap Hollywood calls 'horror'. The suspense, tone, and atmosphere is pretty good, and it relies on them instead of CGI or jump scares.

               As a slender story, its average. It does better than the average vlog, but it isn't nearly as good as Marble Hornets, EverymanHYBRID, Tribe Twelve, DarkHarvest00, MLAndersen0, or CaughtNotSleeping. Why? Three reasons. The opening part before anything supernatural at all happens is way too long. The last third is really hard to follow, and it doesn't give a good enough indication of who has the camera, why anyone is doing what they're doing, or what in general is happening. And something really weird happens near the end with no warning or explanation. Overall, it's an okay movie. But it could have been much better. Hopefully Hylo will be better.