These are all the films I saw at the movies this summer from best to worst.
1) (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb) 9.5
2) Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino) 9.4
3) The Hangover (Todd Phillips) 8.7
4) Bruno (Larry Charles) 8.3
5) Funny People (Judd Apatow) 7.3
6) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Michael Bay) 4.3
Chris
http://www.akpress.org/2005/topics/Anarchism
CHECK IT OUT! Perhaps the greatest source for Anarchism and related subversion/dissidence. You can find just about anything, from Chomsky to Punk Rock. They have the Rage Against the Machine endorsement. Do iT!
…. I wish they didn’t charge money for incendiary material. That’s for the companies to do, while the artists merely accept money as a means of survival, but through their social commentary they fight Capitalism within Capitalism….. I guess.
Chris
I say ABSOLUTE because I’m only listing the top 101, which does not encompass all my favorites, but these are the ones I really, really love! Note: no documentaries or films that claim to be.
101) Lik Wong aka The Story of Riki-Oh (Ngai Kai Lam) 1991
100) Show Your Love (Edward J. Bruno)- 1983
99) A Christmas Story (Bob Clark)- 1983
98) Animal House (John Landis)- 1978
97) Vacation (Harold Ramis)- 1983
96) Ocean’s 11 (Steven Soderburgh)- 2001
95) Happiness (Todd Solantz)- 1998
94) Sixteen Candles (John Hughes)-1984
93) South Park Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (Trey Parker)- 1999
92) Slacker (Richard Linklater)- 1991
91) Pink Flamingos (John Waters)- 1972)
90) Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam)- 1998
89) Batman (Tim Burton)- 1989
88) Office Space (Mike Judge)- 1999
87) Dogma (Kevin Smith)- 1999
86) Mallrats (Kevin Smith)- 1995)
85) American Graffiti (George Lucas)- 1973)
84) One Hour Photo (Mark Romanek)- 2002
83) Butterfly Effect (Eric Bress and J. Mackye Grubber)- 2004
82) Fast Times At Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling)- 1982
81) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (John Hughes)- 1986
80) The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont)- 1994
79) Star Wars Episode XI: Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand)- 1983
78) The Exorcist (William Friedkin)- 1973
77) Halloween (John Carpenter)- 1978
76) Carrie (Brian De Palma)- 1976
75) Rocky (John G. Avildsen)- 1976
74) Big Fish (Tim Burton)- 2003
73) Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (Tim Burton)- 1985
72) Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)- 1981
71) Memento (Christopher Nolan)- 2000
70) The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky)- 2008
69) Milk (Gus Van Sant)- 2008
68) Rock and Roll High School (Allan Arkush)- 1979
67) The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shamylan)- 1999
66) Toy Story (John Lasseter)- 1995
65) High Fidelity (Stephen Frears)- 2000
64) The Breakfast Club (John Hughes)- 1985
63) JFK (Oliver Stone)- 1991
62) Malcolm X (Spike Lee)- 1992
61) Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn)- 1967
60) 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet)- 1957
59) Thank You For Smoking (Jason Reitman)- 2005
58) Sin City (Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez)- 2005
57) Blue Velvet (David Lynch)- 1986
56) Se7en (David Fincher)- 1995
55) Born On the Fourth of July (Oliver Stone)- 1989
54) Mystic River (Clint Eastwood)- 2003
53) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)-1980
52) The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)- 2001
51) The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola)- 1974
50) Kids (Larry Clark)- 1995
49) Walk the Line (James Mangold)- 2005
48) American Psycho (Mary Harron)- 2000
47) The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)- 2008
46) Jaws (Steven Spielberg)- 1975
45) Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton)- 1990
44) The Doors (Oliver Stone)- 1991
43) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)- 2004
42) The Terminator (James Cameron)- 1984
41) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron)- 1991
40) Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)- 2009
39) Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino)- 2003 and 2004
38) Requiem For a Dream (Darren Aronofsky)- 2000
37) Detroit Rock City (Adam Rifkin)- 1999
36) The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme)- 1991
35) Chasing Amy (Kevin Smith)- 1997
34) Clerks II (Kevin Smith)- 2006
33) Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone)- 1994
32) The Graduate (Mike Nichols)- 1967
31) American Beauty (Sam Mendes)- 1999
30) The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming)- 1939
29) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Mel Stuart)- 1971
28) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kirshner)- 1980
27) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock)- 1960
26) Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis)- 1994
25) Stand By Me (Rob Reiner)- 1986
24) A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)- 1971
23) It’s A Wonderful Life (Frank Capra)- 1946
22) Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)- 1989
21) Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly)- 2001
20) Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe)- 2000
19) Juno (Jason Reitman)- 2007
18) Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant)- 1997
17) (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb)- 2009
16) Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson)- 1997
15) Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis)- 1985
14) E.T. (Steven Spielberg)- 1982
13) Star Wars (George Lucas)- 1977
12) Trainspotting (Danny Boyle)-1996
11) Goodfellas (Martin Scorcesse)- 1990
10) Taxi Driver (Martin Scorcesse)- 1876
9) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Milos Forman)- 1975
8) Garden State (Zach Braff)- 2004
7) American History X (Tony Kaye)- 1998
6) Fight Club (David Fincher)- 1999
5) The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)- 1972
4) Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)- 1992
3) Clerks (Kevin Smith)- 1993
2) Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater)- 1993
1) Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)- 1994!!!!
Chris
Title: Inglourious Basterds
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, Til Schweiger, and Mike Myers
Length: 153 Minutes
Rating: R
Year: 2009
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10 (#35 in the Top 250, very impressive)
My Rating: A
Here’s why: Continue reading Film Review: Inglourious Basterds!!!
Gotta love this bloody classic of old school kung-fu cinema! This is just Part 1, but the rest can be found on youtube enjoy!
Chris
Title: 500 Days of Summer
Year: 2009
Director: Marc Webb
Writer: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel
Length: 95 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 (105 in the top 250)
My Rating: 9.4/10: A
Here’s Why:
Finally, I can walk away from a film and NOT feel like “well, that was ok, but it wasn’t worth paying X amount of dollars and a couple of hours of my time to go see it.” A sad commentary on the current state of cinema indeed. Instead, with 500 Days we have the perfect romantic comedy, not a love story. The movie UNchronologically shows us various days in Tom’s (Levitt) emotional journey with the object of his obsession, the gorgeous and seemingly unattainable Summer (Deschanel). The flick is unique because it employs many bizarre, but original tactics to convey plot, humor, and a message. These include a black and white video of characters being interviewed on what “love” means to them, a rarely effective break out into song and dance to symbolize overwhelming euphoria, a split screen contrasting expectations and reality, amongst others. In the theater seated around me was a shockingly unhip crowd for such a hip show. No Offense! But, it was mostly old folks and pre-pubescent gals. Typically, not of the hipster persuasion. It was hilarious though, as I entered the room, one of the geezers whispered to me “chick flick.” I suppose. But, then again I will refute that. This film, like Juno perhaps appeals to the femmes more than the dudes, because they deal with romance and not action, violence, sports, or gross out humor. But it is unfair to label such as “chick flicks,” because they have far more meaning and integrity than most movies that fall under that umbrella. I actually think girls really need to see this because it remains very true to life by accurately displaying how they drive us guys completely crazy with their mind games! And at that token, men and boys alike should find comfort and humor in relating with the male lead and his troubles. Overall, a fantastic masterpiece, with truly colorful, believable characters, witty, laugh out loud comedy, endearing story, and very appropriate soundtrack: Smiths, Black Lips, Kickass!!!
GO SEE IT NOW!!!
Chris
Starting with this post I’m doing something different with my lists. I will list them off in the opposite direction, working our way down to number 1! Ahh, the anticipation.
40) Grindhouse (2007)
39) Cruel Intentions (1998)
38) Pink Flamingos (1972)
37) Requiem For a Dream (2000)
36) Reservoir Dogs (1992)
35) American Beauty (1999)
34) A Clockwork Orange (1971)
33) V For Vendetta (2006)
32) The Godfather (1972)
31) The Wedding Singer (1997)
30) Donnie Darko (2001)
29) Clerks II (2006)
28) Natural Born Killers (1994)
27) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
26) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2001)
25) 500 Days of Summer (2009)
24) Animal House (1978)
23) High Fidelity (2000)
22) Willy Wonka (1971)
21) Wizard of Oz (1939)
20) South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999)
19) Stand By Me (1986)
18) Goodfellas (1990)
17) Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
16) Do the Right Thing (1989)
15) Detroit Rock City (1999)
14) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
13) American Graffiti (1973)
12) Almost Famous (2000)
11) Trainspotting (1996)
10) Good Will Hunting (1998)
9) The Graduate (1967)
8) Rock and Roll High School (1979)
7) The Wall (1979)
6) Pulp Fiction (1994)
5) Garden State (2004)
4) Dazed and Confused (1993)
3) Juno (2007)
2) Forrest Gump (1994)
1) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)!!!
Chris
Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Year: 1951
Pages: 214
Review:”If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.” Arguably the greatest opening line to any novel. Well, Holden, if you do want to know the truth, we DO want to hear about it! In fact, for nearly 60 years our grandparents, parents, older siblings, and us have adored it. Why? What makes this novel so special? Well, Salinger masterfully captures an adolescent’s concern, fears, desires and instead of coming off as an adult attempting to represent this mentality of a teenager, he literally writes in the damn lingo of a buzzcock. Goddamit! As far as I’m concerned Salinger ain’t telling the story, it’s Holden who’s’ running the show. It’s his book entirely. Holden has become the Pied Piper for a whole slew of lonesome cowboys: Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle, The Perks of Being a Wallflower’s Charlie, and that cute radical nerd fellow from Kids Like You & Me. In short, he’s a middle finger to the establishment or a haphazard, misanthropic messiah, trying to save everyone only if he can save himself… and all.
Why Subversive?: Catcher has the unfortunate privilege (how’s that for an oxymoron?!) of already being subversive before you even read one word. It’s subversive simply for it’s reputation of consistently being a victim of Banned Books Lists and Censorship Nazis. Apparently heavy drinking and cussing some naughty words is worse than trying to commit suicide, murder your father, and fuck your mother as we witness with Shakespeare. Also, since some weirdos decide to assassinate (or attempt) public figures (John Lennon and Ronald Reagan) after or while reading the book, doesn’t mean shit! Look at the millions that didn’t grab their guns! Why focus on the select few? Not that Reagan would have been a great loss, but Hinckley’s motives were hardly in the vein of Leon Czolgosz: impressing Jodie Foster. Really?! haha. And you can calm down I’m not advocating political assassination, I just think Leon had much better, humane reasons. Anyway, I’ve digressed into this tornado of off topic subjects. Simply, Catcher challenges the reader to question authority and reject social norms.
Questions to Ponder (or leave a comment to!): What will become of Holden Caulfield? or What became of him?
What ever happened to Jane Gallagher? Is she in any way related to the awful comedian of the same name?
Why was Holden placed in a mental institution? How did this ALL transpire?
Any others?
Grade: A+ My all time favorite!
Chris
Title: Funny People
Year: 2009
Director: Judd Apatow
Writer: Judd Apatow
Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
My Rating: C
NOTE: 7s on IMDB are like 8s or Bs, because the currently highest rated film, The Shawshank Redemption, is 9.2. So, this movie geek’s rating is slightly lower than the movie geeks’ rating over at IMDb.
SPOILERS!: DON’T READ, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN FILM YET!
Plot: Old yeller, bitter comedian, George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is suffering from a terminal illness and is simultaneously still in love with the woman he cheated on over a decade ago, whom has moved on and his married with children. He enlists a young, up start comedian, Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) as his personal assistant and joke writer. Simmons becomes closer to the people in his life, now that he is losing his life, until he learns that the illness has faded and he will be fine for now. Simmons comes to the conclusion that he can’t fix the issues in his life and have everything he wants. The film closes with Ira and him happily working on promising comedy.
NOTE: not full plot, go to other sites or wikipedia for a better description haha.
My Opinion: It was a decent flick, but I’d advise y’all to rent it, watch it on demand, or you can go through your illegal means of acquiring it, I don’t care. But, I’d say it’s not worth paying the ludicrous amount of money it is for movie tickets these days. I went in (based on the trailer) thinking this would be in the same vain of other Apatow flicks like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, which greatly combined comedy and drama. With there being mostly memorable comedy, with some drama carefully calculated into the recipe. But, instead it was mostly drama. I only laughed out loud a few times, not enough for a “comedy.” In fact, my cousin went as far to state it should have been called “Serious People” ahah. Also, the movie was way too long. Wayyy too long. 146 minutes is dragging on. On the other hand, the acting was good, the characters were fairly well developed and the comedy that was there was funny, particularly Jason Schwartzman’s character.
Chris
I love his enthusiasm. He could make a movie about the lives of McDonalds employees and I’d see it. I seriously doubt he would do that though haha. He seriously makes me appreciate Unbreakable more though. I’ve seen 9 out of the 20 and I’m familiar with most. I’ve had Audition on my never ending list of movies to see for so long! Dazed and Confused(2), Fight Club(6), and Boogie Nights (16)appear on my top 20 list as well. He hit the nail on the head on Dazed, but I can’t imagine going a few years without watching it! I used to watch it once a month!
P.S. It’s FRIDAY Quentin!
Chris
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 