Tomorrowland

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As I sat in the theater watching this movie, I couldn't help but feel like this was the Steven Spielberg movie from the 1980s that Spielberg never made, and I mean that with the highest compliment possible. Brad Bird does a fantastic job directing the movie. The overall mystery and intrigue leading up to Tomorrowland is incredibly handled in my opinion. The acting is also great. Britt Robertson is awesome in the movie, especially because she has to shoulder a good chunk of the movie, but she is also able to hold her own against a powerhouse actor like George Clooney. Actress Raffey Cassidy is a newcomer I think people should watch for because she is great in this movie. In terms of flaws, I really only have one. There are points for me where this movie does drag a little. It doesn't really prevent me from enjoying the movie, but it does knock it down a point. In spite of a couple of pacing issues, I think this is a movie that is worth checking out.

 9 / 10

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

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Return of the Jedi is a fantastic conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy. Personally, when I was little this was my favorite, but as I've grown older my tastes have changed. I don't feel the hatred towards the Ewoks that most people do, but I now I think that they do present themselves one of the movie's weaker elements. Some of the action set-pieces are really strong. For example, I love the speeder chase on the moon of Endor. The introduction of Emperor Palpatine was right up there with Darth Vader in the original Star Wars and John Doe in Seven among the best villain entrances ever. Boba Fett's death was incredibly weak in my opinion. The death scene was lazy and weakly written in my opinion. I love the final battle between Luke and Darth Vader. Jabba the Hut was a menacing enough side villain. In spite of a couple of nitpicks, and that upon reflection, I don't think it stacks up as well against the previous two movies, I still really enjoy the flick.

9 / 10 

Top 50 Favorite Movies (10 - 1)

#10: Memento: For me, I didn't really know what to expect when I watched Memento for the first time. What I got was easily one of the smartest, most detailed, most confusing movies I've seen in my entire life. The idea of playing the whole movie backwards is a pretty original idea. I love the idea of exploring the main character, how you know as little he does, and you learn things as he learns them. I love the way this movie plays with the standard noir film, and the performances, particularly from Guy Pearce.   

#9: Serenity: Serenity is a movie that I didn't appreciate at first. In fact, I fell asleep. When I went back, and watched the tv show Firefly, and then came back to Serenity, I had a completely different outlook on the movie. The characters are all understandable, and the actors have a great chemistry together. Joss Whedon is one of my favorite filmmakers working right now, and the way he handles the script and direction with this movie are a good way of showing it.  

#8: The Usual Suspects: From the beginning to the end, The Usual Suspects is just one of those movies that went places I didn't expect. Kevin Spacey pretty much anchors the whole movie as Verbal Kint. The twist ending is one of the best I think I've ever seen, and this movie remains, in my opinion, Bryan Singer's absolute best film.

#7: Pulp Fiction: I am a big Quentin Tarantino fan, and Pulp Fiction is easily my favorite of Tarantino's movies. The writing and dialogue is very strong. Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta have fantastic chemistry together, and this is definitely their movie, though the rest of the cast is just as strong. I love the way the movie is written. I love the non-linear way the story is told.

#6: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back: It may seem cliche, but I definitely think Empire is my favorite in the Star Wars franchise. The story is at its darkest in this entry in the franchise, and the twist ending is easily one of the best ever, even if everyone knows it now. I like that this is the movie where things seem to be at there most hopeless for the heroes when it ends, and that is a fantastic cliffhanger in my opinion.

#5: Seven: Seven is harsh, gritty, and all-around uncompromising. John Doe is quite possibly of the best villains ever, and for good reason. The violence in the movie is very much an afterthought, and the climax still makes my stomach churn any time I watch this movie. I think that idea of only showing aftermath, and leaving some of the most gruesome elements of the movie is the most horrifying. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman really work well off each other throughout the film.

#4: Fight Club: As I've said about a hundred times throughout my favorite movies series, the twist ending in the movie is one the best in my opinion. Brad Pitt gives what I think is his absolute best performance as Tyler Durden. Pitt has great chemistry with Edward Norton, who is also excellent in the movie. Fight Club is one of those movies that, at first glance may seem like your average movie about dudes punching each other face, but you realize its so much more as the movie goes on.

#3: Scream: Scream is the movie that made me fall in love with the horror genre because it was the first horror movie I was ever exposed to. To say just how much I loved this movie, I watched it so much when I was younger that it practically drove my family insane, and at a point I knew almost the entire thing by heart. I watched this movie that much.

#2: The Dark Knight: I remember when I first saw The Dark Knight in theaters. This movie was the first real exposure I had to Christopher Nolan. Of course, the late Heath Ledger steals the show as the Joker, and my personal favorite incarnation of the character. I admit, Bale's Batman voice sucks, but other than that I love this movie to death.

#1: Die Hard: It may seem a bit unexpected, but this was really the movie that put Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman on the map. It's one of the Christmas movies in my opinion. The action scenes are awesome, and John McClane is one of my favorite characters. Not much else to say but "Yippie-kay-yay, motherfucker."     

Top 50 Favorite Movies (20 - 11)

#20: The Ghost and the Darkness: The Ghost and the Darkness is a movie that is about man-eating lions in Africa that still made me want to go to Africa, which is saying a lot. I love that the movie is, for the most part, based on a true story. The mix between true story, horror, and adventure makes a great mix for me. 

#19: Beetlejuice: Beetlejuice hinges on the performance of Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. Tim Burton is a director I like a lot, and Beetlejuice might just be my favorite movie of his. The characters are memorable. The movie is quotable. The dark, twisted sense of humor and insanity that exists in this movie just drives it home by the end of the movie for me. 

   

#18: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: It is the longest movie in the series. I am aware of this, and I can understand how that could turn some people off of the movie. This is where Frodo's quest has led. I like how this movie in particular explores how even the best of people can be corrupted. This also has the most Gollum, who might just be my favorite Lord of the Rings villain. I love this movie on so many levels. 

#17: Aladdin: Aladdin stands out for me among the Disney musicals I grew up with. Jafar is one of my favorite Disney villains. The soundtrack for Aladdin is easily one of my favorites as far as Disney musicals go. Besides all that, this might just be the movie that made me aware of the late, great Robin Williams, and that's not a bad thing in my book. 

#16: Silver Linings Playbook: Silver Linings Playbook really does a lot to play with the Romantic Comedy genre, which isn't one I particularly love. This is a movie that does offer generally real characters and side-steps (or in some cases, all-out avoids) some of the cliches in the genre that I don't like. The chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence is spot-on, and the characters do have emotional depth that a lot of people can understand and relate to. 

      

#15: The Cabin in the Woods: Cabin in the Woods is one of the most clever horror movies I've seen in a while. This is probably the first horror movie I have seen since Scream that does this well with offering up an equal amount of making fun of horror movies and showing love for them. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon were the perfect team to bring this movie to life, especially because of how good they've done in the past with messing with the standard horror conventions. 

    

#14: The Incredibles: As I'm sure I've said before, I love most of the Pixar movies. The Incredibles might just be my favorite though. Jason Lee as Syndrome was just an endlessly entertaining villain. Samuel L. Jackson brings his usual charisma to a voice role. I like the idea of seeing how superheroes have to react in the real world when they can't just go out and save the day. Plus, the first ten minutes involve stopping a suicide attempt. How many animated children's movies would even think of going that far.  

#13: 8 Mile: I like a good underdog story, and to me 8 Mile offered a variation you don't typically get to see. The character of Rabbit is a relatable character because I'm sure a lot of us have been in his position at some point. The story in the movie isn't necessarily the most original, but it is presented in a way that lets me get behind the story as a whole, especially with the way the movie ends. 

#12: Sin City: Sin City is quite possibly the most violent movie I've ever seen. For me this was one of those comic book movies chock full of fantastic performances. Mickey Rourke gets the best story and character with Marv. Clive Owen is great as Dwight. Bruce Willis is awesome as Hartigan, the one character in the movie, who seems to be straight up good. Even Jessica Alba gets to show she can actually act when she has the right role. The intertwining story lines all held my interest throughout the movie, and kept me invested, and that's all I really need from this movie. 

  

#11: The Avengers: The Avengers is one of those movies that I had anticipated pretty much from the moment I heard about it. I was so happy it paid off just as well as it did. The movie has one of the greatest climaxes I think I have ever seen in my entire life. Joss Whedon was the best director possible to pull this movie off, and it helps that he's an Avengers fan. I absolutely loved this movie from beginning to end, and has a huge re-watchability factor for me.  

Mad Max: Fury Road

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Mad Max: Fury Road is a non-stop thrill ride. The movie's main goal is to pretty much be one giant action sequence, and succeeds like a champ. Mel Gibson leaves a tall shadow to overcome, and Tom Hardy steps into the role Max Rockatansky with apparent ease. Charlize Theron is excellent in the movie as Furiosa. Nicolas Hoult stood out the most to me as far as performances go, considering how unrecognizable he was. I've seen the guy's acting chops in the past, but here you wouldn't know it was him I absolutely loved this movie, and this coming from someone whose real experience with Mad Max is pretty much Road Warrior and this movie. As awesome as Road Warrior was, I think I might like this one a little more. Fury Road is pure insanity in the absolute best way possible. I can absolutely appreciate the use of practical effects over CGI. George Miller writes and directs the movie so well, he understands that downtime and character development do need to be sprinkled throughout the movie. Fortunately, my interest didn't wane once. Something I would also like give George Miller props for is that he really seems to understand the meaning of "Show, don't tell." It might be a bold statement, but I think Fury Road might just be my favorite movie of the year so far. It is pure insanity and brutality in the absolute best way I could have possibly imagined.

10 / 10   

Ghost Shark

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Ghost Shark is one of those kinds of movies where everything works simply because nothing does. This is a Syfy channel movie, and it's obvious from the get-go. The effects are awful. The acting is horrendous. One of the main stars of the movie obviously stoned through the whole thing. I think this is the definition of a guilty pleasure movie. It's one of those movies I know I should hate, but much like The Wicker Man with Nicolas Cage, it's so unintentionally funny I just can't bring myself to do so. The plot is so stupid, it somehow works. Because the shark is a ghost, it can be anywhere there's water. That makes for some hilarious death scenes, intentional or not. My favorite element is the fact that you can just tell that none of the actors want to be there. They all just have some to pay off. Any other movie, I'd use that as a criticism. Here, it sells how amazingly bad the movie really is. Do yourself a favor if you check this one out though, don't watch it alone. If you watch it with friends and Mystery Science Theater 3000 the hell out of it, it'll be a lot more fun.

6 / 10 

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

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Empire Strikes Back is my personal favorite Star Wars movie, and one of my all-time favorites. I personally like the darker turn it takes. Yoda is awesome in the movie because you just know he's powerful without him ever really having to do anything, and that's a huge testament to director Irvin Kershner and screenwriters Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, as well as George Lucas himself. The final twist ending of the movie is one of those endings where I wish I had a time machine so I could see the reactions of first-time viewers for myself. Everything in this movie feels lie the first one on a grander scale, and with a darker edge. Things seem hopeless by the end of the movie, and I think that's just perfect for a middle chapter in a trilogy. The lightsaber battles in this movie feel like an upgrade from the first film in terms of stunts, visual spectacle, and choreography. This one of those movies that I liked as a kid, but it really grew on me as I got older. The writing is great. The directing is great. The effects are better here than in the first film. The characters progress and don't feel like they're stuck or forced to regress as some sequels can and will do, and the actors are all clearly enjoying themselves.

10 / 10 

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

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With the rough-around-the-edges prequels out of the way, now I want to talk about the far superior, near-perfect original trilogy. A New Hope is my second favorite movie in the Star Wars saga. There's a sense of fun in the movie. Darth Vader has this very epic entrance within the first ten minutes of the movie. The lightsaber battles may seem out-dated now, but they were great for the time this movie came out. I like the way they take the character of Luke Skywalker through the hero's journey, even though I'm not the biggest fan of the Luke character. The visuals are great and for the most part, hold up to this day. Han Solo is the essential anti-hero of the Star Wars saga, and for good reason. If it's still a surprise I love the hell out of this movie at this point, I don't know what to say to that. In my opinion, A New Hope is still an excellent movie all around, and there's only one rating I can give to this movie, even if I do love Empire just a little bit more.

10 / 10 

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

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So, the first two movies in the Star Wars prequel trilogy were pretty rough around the edges, and not that great. Is Revenge of the Sith the best Star Wars movie? No. It is has its flaws, but I don't think it's a bad movie either. The acting, for the most is at its best in this entry of the prequel trilogy. Hayden Christiansen isn't spectacular as Anakin in this movie, but he definitely came a long way between Episodes 2 and 3. This movie also has the least amount of Jar-Jar (who thankfully doesn't even get one word). Naming Anakin Darth Vader felt a little rushed and underwhelming, but there are scenes that make up for that by having him be willing to do some pretty heinous things, all for what he believes is the greater good. Where I really think the movie suffers, once again, is George Lucas's writing (mostly the dialogue) and directing. The dialogue doesn't feel right, and George Lucas seems to have lost his touch as a director at this point. The final battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan is my favorite fight in the movie because towards the end, I can feel the weight and emotion between the two, and it works for me, which does show that at points some of what Lucas does with the story works. Yes, Sith has its rough patches, but I still think it is an enjoyable movie, and I like the darker turn it takes.

7 / 10 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

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My problem with this animated theatrical release is very simple. I don't remember it very well. I know I enjoy the show that it spawned, but other than that, there's not a whole lot I can say. The basic storyline of the plot I remember isn't the most interesting. The jist of the story is the jedi and the sith battling over who gets a truce with Jabba the Hut, and which side will bring his nephew back first. This could work for an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie from the 1980s, but this is freaking Star Wars! The animation style is really off to me. It's like trying to make anime computer generated. No, really. That was a creative decision. Some of the new characters that are introduced in this movie are memorable, which isn't a bad sign. Out of all of the movies in the series, this one isn't the strongest. It isn't the weakest. For me, with how little I do remember, it's just kind of meh.

5 / 10 

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

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Like The Phantom Menace before it, Attack of the Clones does have its good moments. Keep in mind, good moments don't automatically mean good movie, because, really, this isn't one. First off, let me just say how happy it makes me that Jar-Jar is only in this for a whole one minute (at the most). Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ian McDiarmid are the best actors in the movie in my opinion, once again. Christopher Lee was alright as Count Dooku. I feel like he did his best with what he was given, but overall he was underused. The climax was pretty cool. The Yoda effects were a vast improvement in this movie, and it was awesome to actually get to watch Yoda kick some ass. The backstory with the clones was interesting, but I don't think it was explained well at all. If you thought the chemistry between Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd was bad (it was), her chemistry with Hayden Christiansen was somehow worse. I think a lot of that might be the fact that Hayden Christiansen was, by far, the worst actor in this movie. His chemistry with Natalie Portman wasn't the only chemistry that felt awkward. The same can easily be said towards him and Ewan McGregor. There's a lot here that feels off. The directing The writing. Hayden Christiansen. Even the title feels out of place. Think about it, the clones didn't really attack anybody. If you were to ask me which is worse Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones, I don't think I'd really be able to have an answer.

5 / 10 

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 shall forever be known as the sequel nobody demanded, but it’s here. It exists. I may be in the minority, but I actually enjoyed the first Paul Blart movie. The sequel is something else entirely. In the first movie, the character of Paul Blart felt like a genuine underdog, and someone I actually wanted to root for. Here, he comes off as an annoying, unlikable douche-bag. The over-protective dad jokes are irritating and cliched. The plot meanders, and the movie feels longer than it is. The actual plot of the film only takes up the last twenty minutes of the movie. The rare laugh that does show itself is consistently under-cut by the fact that you never want to root for the main character. Jokes are too mean-spirited. The movie tries to make light of jokes that involve sexism and sexual harassment. There is a scene in the film involving a drunk man hitting on a woman, and our “hero” tries to help out by putting the blame on her. Sorry, I just don’t find that to be in good taste. That’s heavy stuff for a family film. The first ten minutes of the movie involves divorce and death. Because that’s funny, right? I beg to differ. I like Neal McDonough and D.B. Woodside, but the film underuses the both of them. Fortunately, Neal McDonough does get the occasional laugh. The rest of the funny gags, however, are used up in the trailer, which is almost never a good sign. It’s kind of hard to find anything else to say about this movie that is far more offensive than your average family comedy should be. Even though I enjoyed the first movie, the sequel is definitely a movie to skip.           

1 / 10 

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

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Since today is May the Fourth, I want to take a look at the first major stumble in the Star Wars franchise. Don't worry, I'll look at the rest of the series too. Before I get into the negatives, I want to look at some of the more positive thoughts I have towards the movie. Yes, there were elements I liked in Phantom Menace. First off, I actually did like the character of Darth Maul. I honestly thought the make-up design on him was pretty damn cool. The final lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul was pretty awesome in my opinion. I liked the pod race, even if it didn't really serve that much purpose to the overall story. Some of the acting was good. I liked Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon. I did actually like Ewan McGregor as the young Obi-Wan. I liked Samuel L. Jacskon (as I just about always do.) But, as far as I'm concerned, the best actor in the movie was Ian McDiarmid reprising his role as Palpatine. I could just tell he was relishing the chance to play this character again. Aside from these four actors, I thought the rest of the acting was pretty wooden. The effects were very hit and miss. For example, is there anyone who thought the CGI Yoda didn't look weird. The chemistry between child actor Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman didn't feel natural. Yeah, I'm supposed to buy that these two are going to fall in love? To be somewhat fair to Jake Lloyd, as bad as he is as Anakin, I've seen it get worse. Don't worry, I'll get into that soon enough. And then of course, there's Jar-Jar. The less said about this puke-stain, the better.  

5 / 10 

Top 50 Favorite Movies (30 - 21)

#30: 300: 300 may not be the most story-driven movie ever, but it does offer enough visually to make me love it just that much. The action sequences are fantastic. Gerard Butler delivers one of the best performances he's ever given here. 

#29: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: I've seen four different versions of the Robin Hood story. By far, my favorite is Prince of Thieves. This movie has the most grand scale and epic feel to it. Couple that with a couple of fantastic supporting performances from Alan Rickman and Morgan Freeman, and as far as I'm concerned, you've got a recipe for greatness.

  

#28: Billy Madison: Billy Madison was a movie that happened at the peak of Adam Sandler's greatness. This is my favorite comedy of all time. No matter what, any time I see it, I laugh. The story was simple but endearing and funny. Best of all, it was before Jack and Jill, so Adam could be funny.

  

#27: The Social Network: Once again, David Fincher makes an appearance on my favorite movies list. This is a movie that gets great performances out of everyone in the cast. Quick question, does anyone else see the irony of casting Justin Timberlake as the founder of Napster?

#26: Saving Private Ryan: Saving Private Ryan was one of those movies I loved from beginning to end. This was a World War II movie that showed the war as very dirty, bloody, and gritty. Nowhere did I find this to be executed best in the opening scene when they stormed the beaches. 

  

#25: Blade II: As much as I liked the first Blade movie, I do find the sequel to be much better. The action is stronger, even if it comes off as a little dated in some parts. Director Guillermo del Toro also blends the action and horror elements excellently, which helps make his addition to the franchise stand out in my opinion. 

  

#24: Toy Story 2: As a fan of Pixar movies, Toy Story 2 really does rank high up there for me. I think it's better than the first for several reasons. By this point in time, I feel Pixar's animation quality had greatly improved. The story felt stronger. It felt like the characters had naturally progressed from the first movie. I really do love this one.

#23: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: It was tough, but I think Last Crusade edges Raiders of the Lost Ark out just a touch for me. It felt like a good conclusion for a trilogy by showing some of Indy's backstory you didn't get yet. But, most importantly, this is the one with Sean Connery. The back and forth and the chemistry between them had a real father-son feel to it, despite how close the two really are in age. 

  

#22: Guardians of the Galaxy: I know this a very recent movie, but it captured the feel of the old school Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies I was raised on. I love everything about this movie from the characters to the soundtrack. 

#21: Jurassic Park: What do I love about this movie? The T. Rex. Jeff Goldblum. Samuel L. Jackson. The theme by John Williams. The really tense build-up scenes (especially with the raptors in the kitchen). Steven Spielberg's direction. That should just about say all of it. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron

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Avengers: Age of Ultron was my most anticipated movie of 2015. Personally, I liked it even more than the first film. Once again, Joss Whedon proves himself to be a master of dialogue. He shows from scene to scene how to lace future events into the movie with subtlety (not forced like The Amazing Spider-Man 2). The cast has a very strong chemistry together, and everyone really works off each other well. The sequence involving the farmhouse was one that, at first, I thought moved too slowly. The reason it can’t bog the movie down is because it adds a lot of character development, and helps hint at things to come. Quicksilver was a character I really liked, though not as much as the Quicksilver in Days of Future Past. I can’t really count that against the movie because Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver in this movie was a different character than the one in Days of Future Past. The way he and Elizabeth Olsen work off each other in this movie was really good, making me believe the two are brother and sister. Paul Bettany gets a lot more to do in this movie, too. I think that’s just amazing. The action sequences are very strong. I geeked out at the fight between Iron Man and Hulk. If one actor deserves props here, it’s James Spader as Ultron. He’s an AI that thinks destroying the world is the only way to save it. His mannerisms are both menacing and childish. The character was a fantastic follow-up to Loki in my opinion. Age of Ultron is fun summer blockbuster that has a lot of depth to it. It’s well-acted, well-directed, well written, and has fantastic visuals. It’s a very sleek, cool product in the best way possible. 

10 / 10