A Year of Movies

Week 26: June 25, 2010 to July 1, 2010
Total number of movies watched: 10

I will catch up on this blog. I will catch up on this blog. I will catch up on this blog.

Okay--that said, let's get to it.

251. Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning -- After watching the first one, I had no idea what to expect with this 'sequel', but sequel isn't right. Prequel isn't right either. Different characters, different time period -- the only thing that remains the same is the god, Ong-Bak, and the spectacular stunts performed by Tony Jaa. Incredible fight sequences. Decent story. Better over-dubs on the English. Overall, I enjoyed this movie more than the first one.

252. Ninja (2009) -- After a week plus of some rather good, and in some cases great, martial arts movies, this one just didn't stack up. It had a made-for-TV feel about it, the plot was nothing special and while some of the fight scenes were nice, it overall just seemed like a rather bland movie. Might be more enjoyable if you haven't watched better martial movies recently.

253. The Informant! -- While this movie was funny, at times I found myself wondering, 'what the hell is going on here?' When the narrator of the movie is a liar, well, you have to work a bit to pick out the fact from fiction -- and in some cases, I'm not sure if I did. Still, an enjoyable and funny movie.

254. Batman -- Great super-hero movie. I remember when it first came out, I didn't think Michael Keaton was a good choice for Batman -- but it worked. Jack Nicholson was impressive as the Joker. Yes, some of the effects were a bit cheesy, but the movie had a nice balance between cheese and menace. Plus, I really liked the Batmobile in this one. A fun movie to watch again.

255. Batman Returns -- Almost as good as the first. While I like Danny DeVito, I didn't like the Penguin version he played in this movie--making him 'penguin-like'. Aside from that silliness, I did like the Batman/Catwoman relationship both in and out of their costumes. Nicely dark and beautiful with haunting music. Another fun movie to watch.

256. Batman Forever -- I thought Val Kilmer was an okay replacement, but the movie was just too over-the-top campy. I didn't like the way Robin was written or the relationship between Batman and Robin, I wasn't particularly fond of the way Gotham was changed into a neon, glow-in-the-dark, black-lit, mess, and the villains seemed for the most part, one-dimensional (Jim Carrey seemed like he was playing a silly version of Jim Carrey rather than the villain, The Riddler). I like the movie in part, but as a whole, it was just a bunch of cliches thrown together. It's a shame, because I think it could have been a really good movie.

257. Batman and Robin -- The weakest of these first four. I like George Clooney as an actor, but the script was just....well....let's put it nicely....the script could have been better. Much better. Again, certain elements would have been cool (ha ha, this movie had Mr. Freeze in it), could have been cool but ultimately, it seemed like a big mess. Oh, and the Batmobile in this one and the last one looked horrible. If I were a drinker, this could be a good drinking game movie--every time Batman and Robin bicker, take a drink. Every time Schwarzennegger's Mr. Freeze says a lame one-liner, take a drink. Every time...well, you'd be drunk long before the movie ended--and you'd probably enjoy it more too.

258. Batman Begins -- A great reinvention of the Batman franchise. This is one of my favorite movies. Christian Bale is a perfect choice for both the Bruce Wayne and the Batman character. The rest of the cast is well-chosen -- loved Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Loved Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon. Loved Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow/Dr. Crane, Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard....even Katie Holmes was fine as Rachel Dawes. I loved that parts of the movie were filmed in Chicago -- gave Gotham a realness to it that was missing from the other four movies. I also loved the new Batmobile. Okay, I'll stop gushing now....

So ends June. 33 movies this month. Also, we've reached the mid-way point of the year at 258 movies. For a while I thought 500 movies in one year would be a cinch -- now, it's not looking so easy. Still, it is my goal -- 500 movies -- one year.

259. The Dark Knight -- Oh wait, the gushing will have to start up again....no, I'll try to control myself. See above for all the actors/characters who returned in this one--now add Heath Ledger as the Joker (wow, just wow!) and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent and Maggie Gyllenhal as Rachel Dawes. This is a powerful movie with an impressive, impressive cast and an excellent and detailed script/story. (Also, one of my friends--and the guy who is filming our Indie Movie--had a small role in this. He's only on screen for a few seconds during the scene where Mr. Reese is being attacked at the TV studio building--but he had a chance to talk with Christopher Nolan during the shoot and that is just very cool). I cannot wait for the next Christopher Nolan Batman movie.

260. Memento -- I end this week with a continuation of Christopher Nolan directed movies with this unique film with the backwards narrative. I've watched this movie a handful of times over the years and I'm still stunned by its intricate nature and unusual lead character. If you have not seen this movie yet, watch it--but make sure you leave yourself time to watch it twice back-to-back. Now, I've heard there is a way to watch this movie in reverse in chronological order on DVD--but I've yet to confirm this. Please, drop me a comment if you know how to do this. Thanks!

Favorite movie? Ha. The two Christopher Nolan Batman movies....and yet, I also really liked Memento, so I'll go with all three C.N. movies.

....I will catch up on this blog.....