Just For Fun

(Which really this whole blog is just for fun since no one reads it, but it allows me to exercise my inner movie nerd.)  But, so, anyway, the yearly wrap up of 2014 begins...

M.V.P.
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin, Lucy; Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Chef.
Runner Up - Tom Hardy in Locke and The Drop.

BEST ENSEMBLE
Birdman
Runner Up - The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST LIMITED ROLE
Allison Pill in Snowpiercer
Runner Up - Matt Damon in Interstellar

BEST MOVIE POSTER
Nightcrawler
Runner Up - Whiplash

BEST TRAILER
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Runner Up - Gone Girl

BEST KISS
Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Runner Up: Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike's "sugar kiss" in Gone Girl

BEST CHEMISTRY
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Runner Up - Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street

BEST DANCE SEQUENCE
Zac Efron and Seth Rogen Dance Off in Neighbors
Runner Up - Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum dance along side the car in 22 Jump Street

BEST MUSICAL SEQUENCE
The finale of Whiplash
Runner Up - Lip sync scene from The Skeleton Twins

BEST SONG
Lost Stars from Begin Again
Runner Up - Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie

BEST SCORE
Birdman
Runner Up - Under the Skin

BEST ACTION SEQUENCE
Quicksilver in slow-mo in X-Men: Days of Future Past
Runner Up - Out running a wave in Interstellar

BEST CAR CHASE
Police car chase at the end of Nightcrawler
Runner Up - Nick Fury car chase in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

BEST FIGHT SCENE
Torch / tunnel scene in Snowpiercer
Runner Up - Elevator scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

BEST IMAGE
Parachuting with red streaks in Godzilla
Runner Up - Glimpse of a fight on an ice planet from above in Interstellar

BEST SINGLE SCENE
The final ten minutes of Whiplash
Runner Up - Releasing the horses in Foxcatcher

BEST OPENING SHOT
The practicing drummer at the end of a long hallway in Whiplash

BEST ENDING
Final ten minutes of Whiplash
Runner Up - The gut punch ending of The Drop

BEST CLOSING CREDITS
Sequel mania in 22 Jump Street

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman
Runner Up - Under the Skin

BEST COSTUMES
The Grand Budapest Hotel

BREAK THROUGH PERFORMANCE
Nat Wolff in The Fault in Our Stars and Palo Alto
Runner Up - Mackenzie Foy in Interstellar

BEST COMEBACK
Michael Keaton in Birdman
Runner Up - Don Johnson in Cold in July

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Ralph Fiennes in The Grand Budapest Hotel
Runner Up - Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street

BEST VILLAIN
Sebastian Stan in Captain America : The Winter Soldier
Runner Up - Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl

BEST HERO
Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow
Runner Up - Scarlett Johansson in Lucy

BEST BAD ASS
Frank Grillo in The Purge: Anarchy
Runner Up - Chris Evans in Snowpiercer

BEST ABS
Zac Efron in Neighbors

BEST SEXPOT
Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A BAD MOVIE
James McAvoy in Filth

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MEDIOCRE MOVIE
Adam Driver in This is Where I Leave You

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman
Runner Up - The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gone Girl

BEST QUOTE
"I feel like grabbing you by your ears right now and screaming in your face, 'I'm not fucking interested'." - Nightcrawler
Runner Up - "There are no two words in the English language more harmful than 'good job'." - Whiplash

Snowpiercer

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that feels like a game changer. It feels new and fresh, revolutionary, like something you've never seen before. Think The Matrix. And even if you don't necessarily like the movie (I disliked The Matrix, personally), you still have to appreciate the ballsy attempt at making something different and unique. The newest movie attempting to change the game is Snowpiercer and it's easily the best film I've seen this year.

The setting is in the near future. A new ice age has made every living thing extinct, and the only survivors are traveling on a global rail road. It takes exactly one year to ride the entire track and the train is more than a hundred cars long. But it's not a free for all on the train. The richest one percent live like kings at the front of the train. They've got nightclubs and schools and sauna's. They've got all the food and wine they could possibly want, along with drugs. Meanwhile, all the poor people live like sardines in the very last train car. They are caged in like animals, sleeping on bunk beds, eating a disgusting gelatin protein block. Except one man has been waiting for the right time to start a revolution. And the basic premise of this movie is very simple - move from the back of the train to the front and take the engine.

The star of Snowpiercer is none other than Captain America himself, Chris Evans. And while I've never been a fan of his work in the past, I have to really praise him for his work here. He is absolutely astounding in this role, especially a third act monologue which is heartbreaking and shocking. He plays Curtis, a man who spent 17 years on Earth and 17 years on the train. He is joined on his mission by a rag tag group of passengers including the train kid that looks up to him (Jamie Bell), tough mom Tonya (Octavia Spencer), the conductor's one time partner (John Hurt), the man that invented the locks for the doors who they must break out of prison first (Kang-ho Song), and more. After breaking Namgoong out of prison, they make their way car by car through the train running into characters like Tilda Swinton's bureaucrat and Allison Pill's teacher. The cars themselves are a production designers dream come true - an aquarium car, a greenhouse car, etc. The entirety of the film takes place on a train, so it seems like it might be constricting for a director - filming in this linear, and limited space. But Korean director Joon-ho Bong is more than up for the challenge. He directs the hell out of this movie, making room for extreme action set pieces and also intimate character moments.

This is not just an action movie (although the action scenes are intense and exciting, specifically the torch/tunnel fight scene which is riveting), it's more a movie about humanity and about what people are capable of when society is stripped down to its most basic wants and needs. This is the sort of smart movie that will stay with you for days and months. It's not only destined to become a cult classic, but also probably a sci-fi genre masterpiece. Sure, some of the film borderlines on ridiculous (I still can't decide how I feel about Tilda Swinton's performance which is, to me, the most divisive part of the film), but this is it's own movie - pure cinematic joy, a unique vision, and one entertaining film.

Grade: A

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

My belief when it comes to comic book movies is that all superheroes are only as good as the villain they fight against. It's why The Dark Knight will remain to be the best superhero movie for the foreseeable future. It's not just about Batman (who is my favorite superhero, hands down), it's about Heath Ledger's incomparable Joker, a villain so gleefully terrifying, so ruled by absolute chaos, that you actually wonder if Batman will make it out of this ordeal alive (and the events of The Dark Knight change his life in massive ways, as seen in The Dark Knight Rises). That being said, I know we are supposed to cheer for Captain America because he is the good guy, but how the hell can you when The Winter Soldier is so f-ing cool???

While I'll always admittedly be a DC Comics girl, the thing I love about the Marvel Universe that has been created on screen is that everything is interconnected. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury has popped up in every Marvel film. This is Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow's third film - after Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. They reference Tony Stark and Bruce Banner and the "events in New York" a.k.a. The Avengers. I love that aspect of these films. What I haven't loved about the Marvel films up until now has been the way all of them have managed to feel absolutely jumbled when it comes to the big action set pieces, like you have no idea what's happening except that someone is fighting someone. Well, Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed The Winter Soldier, come from the James Cameron school of directing action sequences, in so much as you can understand what's happening. Sure, the big action pieces are still so over the top and outlandish (but isn't every action movie like that to a certain extent??), but at least you can tell what's happening and that's a major foot forward for this film. Also, The Winter Soldier is far and away the best of the Marvel movies. By miles! The summer blockbuster season usually doesn't start until May, so I wondered why they decided to open Captain America in April, but I guess when you've got a product that you know is good, you want to get it out there as soon as possible. Now all the other superhero movies to come this summer (Spider-man 2, The new sequel/prequel/whatever X-Men movie), have to live up to Captain America, and not the other way around.

As far as plot goes, the film opens with Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow going on a super secret mission to help a hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D. boat on orders from Nick Fury. Something about the mission seems shady to the Captain and when he gets back to Washington D.C., it doesn't take long for all hell to break loose. Usually, in Marvel movies in particular, the actual plot is so labyrinthine that I have trouble following the events (and I have no idea how young kids who show up to see their favorite superhero have any idea what's going on at any time), but another reason The Winter Soldier is so great is because the plot may be complicated, but it's also able to be followed. It takes us about forty minutes or so before we encounter The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan, and I can honestly write an entire article about my increasing levels of attraction to him while playing this role, but I digress), and that's when things get really, really, really good. It seems Black Widow has heard of him - he's sort of an urban legend - an assassin so ruthless, so menacing, so unstoppable. Needless to say, he's a worthy villain for Captain America, mostly because he's just as strong, if not stronger than our hero, and there are often times when you're not sure the Captain will make it out alive. This makes for a good superhero movie - you need to have the good guy feel genuinely threatened!

The action scenes in this movie are impeccable - it's got everything! You want a bad ass multi-car chase? You've got it! You want a man with a bionic arm marching down the streets of D.C.? It's yours! You want a man jumping from a building into a helicopter? That's yours too! The action is thrilling and intense - most especially the best action sequence which is a fight scene in an elevator. I swear I stopped breathing for a good three minutes during that amazing to watch scene. Another thing this movie has? A sense of humor (something severely lacking from last summer's Man of Steel)! It's not that I want to be rolling on the ground laughing during comic book movies, but these movies tend to be on the dark side, so you need moments to lighten things up. And there's plenty of those.

I'm not the biggest fan of Chris Evans as an actor, but I think he does a great job as Captain America. He's got a sort of breezy charm and confidence which really works for the role. Scarlett Johansson continues to be a total bad ass as Black Widow (I'd also like to announce that I think we are currently witnessing the prime of Scar Jo's career, and it's sort of been a pleasure to watch her these past two years or so). Anthony Mackie is a new edition to the group as Falcon, and he's absolutely wonderful. He's got great chemistry with Evans and he's so cool and calm that it's easy to cheer for him. Robert Redford is another new edition to the cast as an upper level S.H.I.E.L.D. guy and he brings his movie star charisma to every scene. But let's face it - this movie belongs to the Winter Soldier. Sebastian Stan may not get a whole lot of dialogue, but he manages to steal the entire movie. He's mysterious, cool, and somehow, sort of sexy (just me???). Sure, the movie is too long (aren't most movies??), but that seems like a minor complaint.

I don't typically like to give out grades this high so early in the year, but I just can't help myself. The Winter Soldier is a totally fun, entertaining movie, most definitely recommended.

Grade: A-

(P.S. In case you don't follow me on Twitter, and you should (@wonderfulscar), then you missed my official hotness ranking of The Winter Soldier cast: Sebastian Stan > Anthony Mackie > Redford > Frank Grillo > ScarJo > Sam Jackson > Chris Evans)

The Avengers

Some of the reasons I wasn't a huge fan of The Avengers has absolutely nothing to do with the movie itself. The theater in which I saw the film had terrible sound. I guess they were expecting the action scenes to be so loud that the volume was so low during the dialogue that I missed a lot of it. For the first hour or so, I only understood about every fifth word, missing important plot points and funny dialogue. Not to mention, I was lucky enough to be sitting next to two pre-teen girls who clearly didn't spend their money on the movie, because if they did spend twenty-two dollars to see The Avengers in 3D, they would not have gossiped and gabbed for two and a half hours straight. I mean, I guess I understood the basic plot which was that Loki stole that giant glowing blue thing and threatened to demolish the world and the Avengers had to stop him and his alien army. If there were any finer points to the plot, they were all but lost on me thanks to the universe working against me. I'm the kind of person who likes to get lost completely in a movie so that I can fully enjoy it. Due to all the theater distractions, that just never happened with The Avengers, and that's a shame, because I was stoked about seeing the movie.

Then there are the reasons I didn't love The Avengers that were in the control of the movie. First off, it was at least twenty minutes too long. They definitely could have trimmed that final epic battle scene (although it was bad ass... it just could have been a little shorter). Plus, the first hour or so was pretty much catching up with your favorite super hero. And while it was fun to see what Iron Man and Captain America and The Hulk have been up to in the years since we've seen them on screen, that sequence could have been streamlined a little bit so that it played quicker. Then there's the relationship between Thor and Loki. I know it was touched upon in the film Thor, but I think more attention should have been paid to the interesting dynamic between a heroic man when your brother is trying to decimate Earth. That's an interesting concept and was broached only in a small throwaway scene completely with a funny one liner I barely heard.

This isn't to say there weren't good things about The Avengers. There were. I mean, it was FUN! Watching Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye beat the crap out of aliens during that last big battle scene was FUN! Yes, it was so much fun that the word deserves to be in all caps. The action sequences are thrilling, exciting and well done. Kudos to director Joss Whedon for not getting too bogged down because sometimes in action movies, the sequences can end up looking like a jumbled mess but that's definitely not the case here.

The acting is absolutely top notch but that's sort of to be expected from a super hero movie that boasts the most Oscar nominees featured in a film from that genre. Playing billionaire genius Tony Stark / Iron Man must be second nature to Robert Downey Jr. by now and he continues to be exciting in the role. Tony Stark, with his dry wit and sarcastic humor, is the perfect character for Downey and he nails the character every time. Chris Evans as the loyal leader Captain America is great as well, nailing the earnest, good natured vibe of the character. Mark Ruffalo is fantastic as Bruce Banner / the Hulk and you get the feeling that if he'd been playing the character previously than the last two incarnations of the character wouldn't have been so unsuccessful. He's fantastic and endearing as the character and ridiculously likeable. Chris Hemsworth is sort of a waste as Thor. With such a missed opportunity for a great storyline for his character, he pretty much just goes through the motions as a big, powerful demigod. Scarlett Johansson is totally bad ass as the Black Widow, a deadly assassin / spy. I genuinely hope that rumored spin off happens because her character is mysterious enough that I'd love to learn some back story. Jeremy Renner, who, in my personal opinion, is the best actor in The Avengers is totally and completely wasted. He barely gets any screen time at all until the big climax and then he just gets to shot arrows at things while looking in another direction. He's cool, I guess, but completely wasted.

But, of course, any super hero movie is only as good as its villain. That's why The Dark Knight is (and probably always will be) the greatest super hero movie of all time. And the villain in the Avengers is superb. Played by Tom Hiddleston, Loki is a damn good bad guy, always one step ahead, always smarter than he appears. Even in captivity, you know he has the upper hand and he plays it so cool and collected, you can't help but believe he has the power to destroy the Earth.

Overall, The Avengers definitely was a great ride and lots of fun, I just wish I could have enjoyed it more, and that's not all necessarily the movies fault.

Grade: C+

Halloween, The Nanny Diaries, Summer Movie Wrap-Up, September Preview

Halloween - As far as I'm concerned, there are four perfect horror movies. I use the word 'horror' to mean both slashers and psychological horror films. Anyway, those four movies are (in no particular order): The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Rosemary's Baby, The Shining and, of course, Halloween. When I heard they were remaking Halloween, I was aprehensive at best. I mean, remake HALLOWEEN?!?! But then I heard that Rob Zombie was doing it. If I trust anyone to make a horror movie these days, it's Rob Zombie. After all, his films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil Rejects are quite simply the best horror movies since the Scream trilogy. But, still, remake HALLOWEEN!?!?! I don't even think I was this upset about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. Anyway, I thought I would be terribly disappointed or terribly impressed. And I was right. First of all, let us discuss my number one pet peeve with modern horror movies (remakes and 'original' ideas (keep in mind I'm using the word original very, very loosely)). The villain does not have to be a 6'10", 300 pound NFL linebacker / pro-wrestler / Amazon warrior to be scary. The thing that makes Michael Myers and Leatherface and even Freddy and Jason scary is the fact that they are just plain crazy evil. It's not that they are super fast and super big and super scary. Now, what was so great about the original Halloween? Well, we are introduced to a little kid who, for no apparent reason, stabs his sister to death. We are given the impression that he's a normal kid from a normal family in a middle class suburban neighborhood. There is no motive, no warning, nothing. The kid just snaps. Nothing motivates this kid to kill. Michael Myers is pure evil. And it's terrifying. The kid never talks again. He spends fifteen years in a little cell, staring at walls, giving no sign of remorse or anger or hatred. He just sits and the only thing left inside him is the evil. (When he escapes, he goes after the only remaining member of his family. Why? We have no fricking idea. And it's terrifying.) While at the psychiatric ward, Michael meets Dr. Loomis, a man who spends his entire life trying to understand Michael. After years and years and years, he comes to the simple conclusion that there is nothing inside Michael but evil. This absolutley shatters his world. His ambition to help people and understand them and find humanity is destroyed. He becomes obssesed with Michael (and doesn't try to cash in by writing a fucking book). Anyway, few movies have captured the feelings of evil, fear, doubt, hopelessness and isolation so well. I don't think Rob Zombie understands any of this. People say: "Keep in mind, this isn't John Carpenter, it's Rob Zombie." I know. Believe me, I know. And I like Rob Zombie a lot (he's no John Carpenter, but who is really?). I knew the movie would be vulgar and violent and filled with sex and loud music and lots of blood and gore and everything else you associate with Rob Zombie. I was prepared for it. I just wasn't prepared to leave the theatre feeling so simply disappointed. Let's take one of the classic horror movies ever and just make a simple little story about an angst ridden kid from a white-trash family who has a stripper for a mother, an abusive and alcoholic stepfather and is bullied at school. Am I surprised that this kid would kill his sister (whole family, whatever)? Not at all. And it doesn't scare me in the least. Then there's the Loomis character. This is what I was most worried about. Who would play Dr. Loomis? No one can come close to the late, great Donald Pleasance. I love Malcolm McDowell and I think he does his best with what he has to work with here. The performance itself is very well done and he's trying to do his best to make Pleasance proud. It's not entirely his fault that his character was turned into a money hungry doctor who authors a book and uses the story of Michael as a cash-cow. Loomis never would have had sympathy for Michael. Their relationship was one of hatred and hopelessness. What I should have worried about more was the casting of Laurie Strode. If Jamie Lee Curtis ever meets Taylor Scout-Compton in a dark alley, I'm pretty sure she'll kick her scrawny little ass. Jamie Lee is the one and only scream queen. Scout-Compton's sorry excuse for acting involves squealing the entire time and turning Laurie into some immature, horny teenager. Laurie was innocent and sweet and you wanted her to make it out alive. I wish Michael would have killed this annoying version of Laurie. It's hard to believe a movie that involves so many cool people (McDowell, Bill Moseley, Danny Trejo, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Halloween 4 and 5 alum Danielle Harris) could be so disappointing. There are a few interesting things about the movie (little eleven year old Michael murders a nurse with a fork). I also liked the idea that Michael was the main character and not Laurie. Still, by giving us a lame backstory and a 7 foot superhuman monster, this remake takes away all the frights, all the mystery, all the suspense. There's really nothing terrifying about this movie at all.
Grade: D

The Nanny Diaries - This movie is forgettable at best since I saw it two days ago and can barely remember what it's about. Still, it's cute at times (who knew I would like this movie slightly better than Halloween, seriously). Anyway, it stars the too-gorgeous-for-this-movie Scarlett Johansson as a recent college graduate who doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. Does she want to follow her dream and study anthropology or does she want to give into the beast and work in the corporate world? Well, she decides to put everything on hold and become a nanny for rich New York City upper East Side Family. Dad (Paul Giamatti) is a workaholic with a likelihood for pre-marital flings. Mom (Laura Linney) is too busy for her son Grayer. Not busy with work, busy with shopping and spas and planning benefits for kids who are not her own. I've heard the book is witty and provacative. I haven't read it but if that's true, then the movie is a watered down version. There's a sort of whimsical quality to the film (the flying red umbrella... seriously?) that just didn't work at all. If the film was a little more cutting and dark then it would have been a whole lot better. Meanwhile, Scarlet's Annie is in love with the Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans) upstairs but she can't date him because her employers don't approve of dating and she thinks he'd be slumming by dating her (seriously, Scarlett? Fuck you). Anyway, Annie really wants to quit the job but finds herself actually caring about the little brat so she sticks it out for a time for him. Blah, blah, blah. Boring? Yes. The movie was cute... but, from what I've heard about the book, I'm pretty sure that's not what they were going for. The movie can most accurately be described as a wasted opportunity. There's so much talent here. What went wrong? It's more Lifetime movie of the week than anything. And I'm sure I'll completely forget about it in a few weeks.
Grade: D+

Summer Movie Wrap Up (from Memorial Day to Labor Day, from best to worst...)
Bug - A
Superbad - A-
Sicko - B+
Live Free or Die Hard - B+
Hot Rod - B+
Hairspray - B
Evening - B
Stardust - B
Broken English - B-
No Reservations - B-
Hostel: Part II - B-
1408 - C+
Knocked Up - C+
Becoming Jane - C-
The Nanny Diaries - D+
A Mighty Heart - D+
Ocean's 13 - D+
Spiderman 3 - D+
Halloween - D
Transformers - D
Mr. Brooks - D
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - D-
Evan Almighty - D-
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - F
Captivity - F

September Movie Preview
September 7 - I'm pretty excited to see 3:10 to Yuma. I know it's a Western and I hate Westerns but Ben Foster, Christian Bale and Peter Fonda can't do wrong, right? Well, that's debateable, I guess but it's getting solid reviews and so I'm pretty excited. I am not, however, excited for Shoot 'Em Up. Are Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti serious? It looks like the worst kind of action movie. Then there's The Brothers Solomon. You all know that I wish Will Arnett was my boyfriend. I'll see it and I don't really care if it's stupid. Finally there is The Hunting Party. It stars Richard Gere and Terrence Howard and it reminds me of this dream I had one time (except my dream wasn't really about a television crew in a war torn area).

September 14 - I am shaking in anticipation for Across the Universe. Sure it doesn't go wide until the 21st but this could be the best movie of the year. Or a huge mess. We'll see. Then there's In the Valley of Elah. Who suggested that Paul Haggis name his movie that? It sounds awful but is pretty Oscar baity. As the follow up to Crash, there will be a lot of eyes on this movie about trying to find out what really happened to a soldier who disappeared from Iraq. It stars Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron. Jodie Foster also tries to prove that she's not really a serious actress and is a kick-ass action star instead with the revenge flick The Brave One. Could be interesting, actually.

September 21 - My movie star boyfriend Sean Penn takes a detour into director town with a star studded cast (William Hurt and Catherine Keener... it was like this dream I had). The trailer looks great. With a stellar cast, how could it possibly disappoint? Then there's the Oscar hopeful Good Luck Chuck. Dane Cook and Jessica Alba are definitely on my short list. Resident Evil: Extinction may only be the third but it feels like the 30th. Sydney White stars Amanda Bynes so all the little girls will show up, for sure. The Jane Austen Book Club stars Hugh Dancy, so I'll show up, for sure. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford may be the coolest title for a movie ever and I may go just to see Casey Affleck kill Brad Pitt (it's like this dream I had...).

September 28 - The trailer for Feast of Love has been before pretty much every movie I've seen in the last two months. It looks... cute. That blonde haired boy may be my temporary movie star boyfriend (at least until James McAvoy makes his triumphant return to the screen in Atonement in December). The Kingdom stars a bunch of actors who annoy me but everyone else loves. I might pass. Lust, Caution opens in limited release. It is directed by Ang Lee and got an NC-17 rating. I won't pass.

September 29 - The Darjeeling Limited opens in New York City only. That means it won't come to Pennsylvania until, like, November. Dammit!