movies

Too Many Summer Movies 2010

Posted on

Just in time for the summer blockbuster season is my list of movies that I will hopefully see either in the theatre or much more likely on my television screen at home. This is the fourth time I’ve made such a list and its been very helpful in remembering what movies I (at least at some point) wanted to see.
In updating these previous posts to cross off the movies I’ve actually seen, I was disappointed to note that I only saw 1 out of the 11 films I wanted to see over this past holiday season. Also, in the process of checking up on my viewing progress, I decided to rename two previous posts where the word “Winter” was replaced by “Holiday” as these movies covered the 2009/2010 holiday season and not winter (which is technically December 21st through March 21st).
So, here in order of release, here the 37 (!) films that I would like to watch this coming summer season: The Infidel, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Babies (playing at “The Paris” – I hope to see it there as I’ve never been to that classic movie house before), Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, After the Cup: Sons of Sahknin United, Holy Rollers, Macgruber, Perrier’s Bounty, Solitary Man, Sex and the City 2, Agora, Micmacs, The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Get Him To The Greek, Killers, Whiz Kids, The A-Team, Jonah Hex, The Last Airbender, Twelve (must read book first), Cyrus, Despicable Me, Predators, Inception (new by Christopher Nolan – one of my favorite directors), Dinner for Schmucks (also known as any holiday meal – I kid, I kid…), Life During Wartime, Centurion, The Other Guys, Animal Kingdom, Down Terrace, The Expendables (starring Sly Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke – I am not making this up), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, A Film Unfinished, The Freebie, The American, Born To Be A Star

movies

Too Many Holiday Movies 2009

Posted on

Just in time for the holiday season is my list of movies that I will hopefully see either in the theatre or much more likely on my television screen at home. This is the third time I’ve made such a list and its been helpful in remembering what movies I at least at some point wanted to see. I add “at some point” because Speed Racer was on my “Too Many Summer Movies 2008” list and I do not think that I will ever watch that drek.
So, here in no particular order are the 11 films I would like to watch this coming holiday season: The Fourth Kind, The Men Who Stare At Goats, Precious, Pirate Radio, Up in the Air, The Slammin’ Salmon, Avatar, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Sherlock Holmes, Me and Orson Welles, The Book of Eli.
The two that I’m most excited are Avatar because I just cannot wait to see if/how James Cameron transformed the movie experience (which is something some critics are saying he did – I mean, he did make Aliens, T2 and Titanic) and The Slammin’ Salmon because its from the “Broken Lizard” comedy troupe who also made Super Troopers, Club Dread and Beerfest, some of the funniest movies that have been made over the last decade.
Like how I’ve done it in the past, when I see a movie, I’ll cross it off the list and possibly write a review blurb as well.
UPDATE: I went to see an Avatar 3D IMAX showing back over the holidays and it just blew my mind. I literally needed about a day to recover. Ever come in from the backyard into a house on a really bright, sunny day and feel that everything in the house is just washed out colorwise? Things look faded, not as sharp, and it takes your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dimmer indoor light before you see that the couch is still the same, the carpet is still the same, etc. Well, after witnessing this 3D extravaganza, I looked at the real world for about 24 hours the same way – it felt washed out and faded. I basically had to strong arm my buddy Erik to come along with me (and boy was he glad he did) and while the movie had been out for weeks already, when we got there about 45 min early there already was a ridiculously long line. After seeing the movie, I could understand why and I feel that the hype, and ticket sales, were justified. James Cameron is responsible for about 12 billion dollars of movie ticket sales with just two movies – Avatar and Titanic. Sick.

movies

Too Many Holiday Movies 2008

Posted on

Coming five months after my “Too Many Summer Movies 2008” post, I am providing a list of the 12 movies that are being released in theatres before the end of the year that I hope to see. For the summer, I originally wanted to see 20 and thus far I’ve seen six (seeing a movie when you have a kid under one is t-o-u-g-h) but a few of the 20 are no longer on my list – for instance, Speed Racer and The Love Guru will only be watched if I’m on a plane and without a book or if I’m in some other pseudo-desperate state – so I’m hitting a respectable .333. If I was playing in MLB, that would earn me a few million dollars.
I’ve enjoyed my summer post as it has helped keep me focused regarding the movies I eventually watch. It also has helped me keep my Netflix queue up-to-date. So, why not start a trend and post quarterly the movies that I want to see. It doesn’t hurt that the NYT produces a special quarterly “This is what is coming to a theatre near you” section which means I basically circle what I want to see and then post it here.
So, without further ado, here are the 12 flicks I hope to view: The Changling, Rocknrolla, Zack and Mimi Make a Porno, Role Models, Quantum of Solace, Austrailia, Che, The Day The Earth Stood Still, What Doesn’t Kill You, The Wrestler, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Spirit. If there are more, I’ll post them and once I see what I see, I’ll post an update with a mini-review as well.
UPDATE: The Wrestler made me cry. Seriously. ‘Nuff said.

movies

Too Many Summer Movies 2008

Posted on

Unless I start to see a lot of double features, I am (possibily – hopefully) going to spend a couple hundred dollars this summer at the box office because there are a lot of flicks on my list. Here is a list of all of the movies that I want to see – listed in order of release date – the strike through indicates for one(s) I’ve seen:
Iron Man, Redbelt, Son of Rambow, Refusenik, Speed Racer, Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Sex and the City, Dreams with Sharp Teeth, Mongol, The Incredible Hulk, Get Smart, The Love Guru, Wanted, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, The Dark Knight, Pineapple Express, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Tropic Thunder, Hamlet 2
Yup, that is 19 films and those are just the ones of which I’m aware. This does not include the unknown indie flicks that will eventually receive tons of media love so that number should only climb. We’ll see how many I knock off though as my free time will soon be limited. The next on the list is the latest Mamet movie titled “Redbelt.” I cannot wait to see what he’s done with the sports genre. Should be pretty sweet.
5/24 UPDATE: Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay was not on my list only because it was released on 4/22 and technically not a summer movie. That being said, I feel like it should have been on the list and therefore I’ve added it. It was not nearly as good as the first one but it still had its moments, like when tons of bottomless females sauntered about for a good minute or so. Yummy.
Iron Man totally rocked – as an Iron Man comic affectionado, I have to say that I was quite pleased. I still have not seen Redbelt (it is not playing in any theatres in my area) but I did see IJ4 tonight: it was pulpy and if you know me, you’ll want to know that yes, I did wear my Indiana Jones hat.
8/22 UPDATE: Indiana Jones 4 was ridiculous. If you need any proof, just search for the term “nuked the fridge” and see how many results you get. This terms use in our lexicon can directly be attributed to a scene in the movie. ‘Nuff said. To see the offending clip check out YouTube before it gets pulled.
“The Dark Knight” was simply breathtaking. Nolan nailed it again. This time, the movie was so good, it was the first super hero movie to transcend the super hero genre. To me, it was an amazing story that happened to have a super hero in it. The story was the focus, the heroes were mere characters. Unbelievable. Ledger’s Joker was other worldly. He truly embodied chaos, like Javier Bardam’s character in No Country For Old Men. He was just not of this earth – a tour de force performance which sadly will never have a sequel.
11/1 UPDATE: Redbelt was a typical Mamet movie – some awesome dialogue, some stilted dialogue (think 1950’s teleplays where you think to yourself “do people really talk like that?”) and a spin or two in the plot with an ending that you probably did not guess. Overall, it was quality and I’m glad I saw it. It wasn’t one of his best but still, a Mamet movie is like pizza or sex to me. Even if its bad, its good and this one was okay in my opinion so if bad is good, okay is very good I guess…