Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)

Directed by Cameron Crowe, this film documents the twenty years that the band Pearl Jam has been together. Lead singer Eddie Vedder was greatly influenced by The Who, and Crowe who is fan of The Who and their documentary The Kids Are Alright (1979) constructed this film partially as an homage to them.

The band, who started in the Seattle grunge scene after the death of Andrew Wood broke up Mother Love Bone. They came onto the scene with the album Ten, and in many respects rivaled Nirvana for air time and publicity. The film touches on Cobain's dislike of Vedder and his band, then goes into their feud with Ticketmaster.

I have been a Pearl Jam fan for a very long time. The hard part for me is that I really like their angry and passionate music from Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy. When the band took a step back and "reinvented" themselves... sometime that bands have to do to stay interested and interesting I lost some interest. No Code was not my favorite and I felt I made myself like it. Yield was just ok, and I had lost interest by Riot Act, Self-Titled (2006), and Backspacer. I listened to them all at least once, and I bought the b-sides "Lost Dogs" a couple of years ago and felt that was a mistake.

I have a lot of respect for how the band handles themselves. They are very unified in their stances on Tibet, Choice, government, and how to act in public. It is rare for a band to get along so well and probably part of the reason they have managed to stay together so long. I recommend this to anyone who likes the band, but even if you don't know much about them it is still a good documentary.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1417592/

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Bridesmaids (2011)

Kristen Wiig has to be the funniest actress in a leading role right now. After watching her in roles with no freedom... Adventureland, Extract, Date Night, etc she has really shown how funny she can be as of late. She took Paul from being a joke to decently funny, and in her first film as a lead she really excelled.

Wiig is the latest Saturday Night Live comedian to hit the big screen and she has been actually making the weekly show worth watching again. [Along with Andy Samberg]. This film is not a comedy you watch with your parents. It is the kind of humor you would expect from the Farrelly Brothers [Dumb & Dumber, There's Something About Mary, etc] or Adam Sandler [except funny]. Unlike those companies that cater to male humor, fart jokes, etc. This one really does the same thing with women.

The female cast was excellent. Rose Byrne as the "new rich friend" Helen that Annie [Wiig] competes with. Maya Rudolph as the best friend Lillian [also from SNL, I honestly don't find Maya very funny, she was actually more of a serious character in this film, giving Annie's crazy character some balance]. Best of all might be Melissa McCarthy who some would say stole the show.

I really don't need to tell you the plot, the cast was good, the film was funny, and you should check it out.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/

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X-Men: First Class (2011)

This is now the 5th X-Men Live Action film, and I would argue one of the best. One might argue that the original X-Men film in 2000 helped launch the comic movie fad, but it has also been a series that I have been growing more disinterested in with every release. I gave X-Men an 8/10, X2 a 7/10, X-Men [3]: The Last Stand a generous 7/10, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine a disappointing 6/10. Maybe I liked this one so much because I expected so little, but it wasn't what I expected at all.

Of all the comic based films, this is the ONLY one that I can say I picked up an actually comic and read before it was made into a film. I watched the cartoon a little bit in Junior High, so the characters are familiar to me. Now I can confidently say that I knew everyone in the original X-Men film, but I knew little to nothing about how it all started. This film is kinda like the television show "Heroes", we start with people finding out they have special abilities at a time when no one has a clue this is possible. The abilities are creative and they all have slightly different "gifts."

The film starts in a Nazi concentration camp with Magneto as a teenage boy. His special talents catch the attention of Mr. Shaw [Kevin Bacon]. The becomes the root of his hate for humans creating what we have come to know as the "bad side" in the other films. We also get Dr. Xavier's story, from the point of him being a child with gifts and befriending Raven, to the point where they are college age. Xavier is played by James McAvoy [The Last King of Scotland & Atonement ] and Raven is played by Jennifer Lawrence [Winter's Bone].

Bacon is fantastic as a bad guy, kind of hard to even tell it is him because his German is so good you ask yourself if that really is him at first. I forgot how much I liked McAvoy in Last King of Scotland, and if you don't know Lawrence yet, I'm sure you will after next years hyped up The Hunger Games. I was very impressed by this film, thank you Matthew Vaughn [Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.] for some excellent casting, directing, and writing.

This was the summer blockbuster you should have seen, and no you don't need any prior X-Men viewing to get this film. It stands on its own very well.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/

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You Don't Know Jack (2010)

It is easy to loose sight of the fact that there are some good films that go straight to television or straight to dvd. We get wrapped up in films that gross at the box office and become eligible for Oscars, etc. A good way to keep an eye out for these films is to check out the Golden Globe and Emmy category of "Made for Television Movies." They usually feature stars you are familiar with, and subject matter that for whatever reason the studios didn't think would make money [rom.com's and action films...].

This film won the Golden Globe in this category last year, and lost to Temple Grandin [another HBO film, but starring Claire Danes] for the Emmy. The film is a biography of Jack Kevorkian [Al Pacino], and includes John Goodman as his assistant, and Susan Sarandon as a friend.

The film starts at a point where Jack is already a retired doctor, he has spent many years watching people wither away in hospital beds in great pain and fully believes that doctors should be allowed to end patients lives upon their request. Now Jack is a man who likes attention and flirts with pushing the limits of the legality of euthanasia. Rather than fight to get the law changed, he chooses to break it, proves it is unjust, and change it through favorable court rulings. Some may say this is a ridiculous method, but it drew attention, worked favorable for him many times, and did create change.

It is not an easy subject matter, and the acting in this is fantastic. It is a view point of a man you probably have been told is crazy, and maybe he was. Regardless of how you feel on the subject this film will really make you think. Probably a top 10 of the year for me.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132623/

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Waiting For 'Superman' (2010)

Every year there seems to be an immediate list of films that got, "snubbed," by the Academy when the nominations come out. With the introduction of the 10 film best picture list last year the list became questionable when you start talking about if The Town deserved that 10th spot over Winter's Bone. Hey, I liked The Town more but we knew it wasn't going to win, so who cares.

The documentary race was interesting this last year though, because I believe that this was the snubbed film of the year. Just like in a best picture race where two similar films keep each other from winning. Or in the Golden Globes were two actors from the same film are nominated in the same category and neither win because of that. This year there were two documentaries about the Public School system that kept each other from getting nominated. In a category were there are actual messages being conveyed this is quite disappointing. Both were labeled as "Charter School Lottery" based documentaries, but I found that this wasn't really the case. The film The Lottery, immediately made itself available on netflix instant watch, itunes, and really campaigned to get it's story heard. This film on the other hand, didn't have a DVD release until well after the awards were over and didn't have screeners sent out. Pretty surprising considering that it was directed by Davis Guggenheim, who won the category with An Inconvenient Truth a few years ago.


So The Lottery is really more about the fight between Charter Schools and public schools, and it focuses on how PTA's and Teacher's Unions fight a charter school that takes over a failing public school. It is definitely focused on how unfair it is that those that want a good education are unable to get it. I felt that it failed to bring in many relevant statistics and pandered to the emotion of a few kids getting their "Ticket."


This film seemed to start the same way, introducing some inner city minority kids applying for charter schools. Darn I had seen this film already... but wait. It takes a turn and starts delving into why the system is screwed up. The lottery is still part of the film, but not the focus. The focus is on the inefficiencies of the public system. The fact that the vast majority of kids in wealthy suburbs aren't even prepared for college directly out of high school thanks to Tracking. It goes into how firing a teacher is nearly impossible thanks to powerful teachers unions that are so big they are hurting themselves without realizing it. Did you know it is easier for a public school teacher to get tenure than a college professor at a public university?


I really felt like I learned a lot from this film, I highly recommend this film to anyone with kids in the public school system. It does use a charter school director as it's main source of information, so I didn't feel like it gave both sides of the story, but documentaries really don't usually. Try and find this one.


Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1566648/

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Harry Potter [8] and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

The thrilling conclusion to the epic decade long movie series... lived up to the hype. Maybe the incompleteness of "Part1" helped set this one up for success... I don't know. What I do know is that all the action was saved for this film. Making a journey to the other side reminded me a little bit of the Matrix and Neo's return. Having not read the books I wasn't sure just how this was going to play out, which is pretty impressive for a long movie series where this only covers 1/2 of a book.

There are two things I didn't understand. Why did they think they had found the last horcrux? They thought there were 7 but knew they only had 4 or 5 at the time. If another was created inadvertently wouldn't that have made 8? Or did the person that told Harry somehow know and count this inadvertent one? 

For having not read the books I was able to keep up thanks to re-watching the whole series in the preceding month. I doubt I would have given it a 9/10 if I hadn't.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201607/

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Fish Tank (2009)

Directed by Andrea Arnold an Oscar winner for the Live Action Short Film Wasp in 2003. Arnold took a cast of no name actors and put together a film that won the BAFTA [Best British Film] last year.

The film in some ways reminded me of Precious, partially because of the apathetic parent that seems to have a hate for her teenage daughter. Also, in a few small ways for the interaction between the mother's boyfriend and the daughter. Katie Jarvis [you wouldn't know her from another film] plays Mia. A teenage girl in what looks like a English "projects," she gets in fights, drinks, smokes, and looks for a way out of her current situation.

The really don't want to spoil the plot of this film, but you question the intentions of the boyfriend from the start and your opinion of Mia will change several times.

I look forward to keeping an eye on Arnold's next project. As a side note, for a British film with a lot of slang I was surprised at how little trouble I had understand the dialogue. A problem I have been encountering on films like Kes lately.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232776/

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Nowhere in Africa: Nirgendwo in Afrika (2001)

The best film I have seen in a little while, and a good example of why it it worth checking out older foreign films. This story is very complex and has many elements that make it worth watching. I like a film that takes a while to explain the plot to someone. An Oscar winner, and one that is on a number of my top movie lists... as it should be.

The film is about a Jewish family that leaves everything they own behind and move to Africa. Wealthy in Germany as a lawyer the husband is the first to leave and goes to manage a farm. He then sends for his wife and daughter but comes down with malaria. He requests that his wife bring some essentials and leave behind the china and expensive clothing. Instead she brings all things unnecessary and spends her money on a dress in the train station. Their love is constantly tested throughout the film in a very realistic fashion, how many people would love each other in a completely different environment? She constantly questions his decision to move to African until they learn of what is happening to the Jews back home.

This is a good example of a "perfect" Oscar film one would say. The committee is older and loves WWII centric films, but I say a good film is a good film. I welcomed the subject matter and felt the film had less to do with WWII and more to do with relationships. I highly recommend this German subtitled film, and expect I'll watch it again some day.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161860/

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Harry Potter [4] and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

My favorite Harry Potter movie out of the first 7. Directed by Mike Newell and featuring some of the most entertaining magic in the entire series. The tri-wizard's tournament comes to Hogwarts and when someone puts Harry's name into the cup he is forced to compete alongside Cedric [Robert Pattinson] representing Hogwarts.

A difficult time for Harry as his classmates consider him a cheater and is foreshadowing to difficultly he will face with his classmates in later films. The tournament has Harry fighting dragons, rescuing friends from mermaids, and navigating a freaky labyrinth. Some of the most significant events of the series happen in this film, and it has the most action in the series to this point.

Of all the movies, this is the best candidate for a standalone film. If you haven't seen the entire series you will be able to get enough of it to enjoy it.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330373/

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The Mark of Zorro (1940)

A character than has been portrayed in over 60 films or television series now, how on earth do you single out the best? How about the one nominated for an Oscar, in the National Film Registry, and starring Tyrone Power. A classic film, in color, that focuses on the story and characters instead of the action and sex. not something you find with many good action films.

I really don't think I need to go into the story of Zorro, and I think this one does a great job of not diverging from a classic storyline. So how about some random trivia instead! Once again the Zorro star isn't actually Hispanic, and most leading Zorro actors have not been, which might be why so many people like the Antonio Banderas version. This was the movie that Bruce Wayne's parents saw the night they were murdered in the Batman comics.

Anyways, probably the best Zorro film ever, you need to see this one.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032762/

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Zorro, the Gay Blade (1981)

On vacation visiting family we decided to take a break from action movie month with this George Hamilton comedy. Hamilton who was in a number of films in the 1960's and 1970's started making his transition to television in the 1980's with the exception of a few spoof films: Love at First Bite and this one.


I loved this movie, witty humor and laugh out loud funny. Only problem was that I thought the movie was from the 1950's or 1960's, the video quality was kind of poor. Since I'm not that familiar with Hamilton I was thinking "man, Steve Martin must have been influenced by Hamilton." Sure he might have been, but seeing how close their careers were chronologically I doubt it now.

So the plot goes that when Vega senior passes away he calls for his two sons, Don Diego Vega assumes his fathers legacy of Zorro which has been passed down to him only to sprain his ankle jumping from the 2nd story on his first encounter with the Spanish Government. His homosexual brother [also played by Hamilton] shows up just in time to lend assistance as Zorro. This utterly confuses the government as the new Zorro loves bright colored costumes and is obviously gay.

A nice "vacation" for me from action month, and a funny film when you are in the mood for a The Birdcage style comedy.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083366/

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Patriot Games (1992)

I was a little too young for this when it came out, so finding it on my new Action 101 list was pretty cool. Little did I know this was a Tom Clancy sequel to The Hunt for Red October and the first to feature Harrison Ford.

The film starts with action, has action packed highway chases, and near the end even has a suspenseful boat chase. The villains are persistent and Ford is at his best. I do like The Fugitive a little more, but this one is really good. I hate to give away plots so I'll keep this brief. While in England he foils an assassination attempt on British royalty by Irish extremists. The captured extremist is busted out of prison and comes to America to pursue Jack Ryan and his family.

An example of a great modern author with a worthy film adaptation of great series. I look forward to watching Clear and Present Danger in the near future.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105112/

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Country Strong (2010)

Nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes because of the song "Coming Home," but not for acting. A good movie for music/musical month but definitely not a musical. There are some good country songs by Beau [Garrett Hedlund], Kelly [Gwyneth Paltrow], and Chiles [Leighton Meester].

I was shocked to find that this movie had such a low imdb score [5.7 while writing this review] because I really liked the movie. I guess I have much different taste in music related films because I really did like Crazy Heart [6/10 with a 7.4 imdb average] and it won some significant Oscars last year.

The film centers around Paltrow's character who is a multiple Grammy winner who is currently in rehab. She is trying to prepare for a comeback while Beau and Chiles are starting their career. The interaction between Chiles and Kelly is likened to a modern All About Eve. But the better parts of the movie for me involved Tim McGraw, who to me is really starting to show he is a serious actor. I have enjoyed him in both this and The Blind Side.

Maybe not for everyone, and maybe a little sappy at times, but I found it to be much better than I was expecting going into it.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1555064/

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Tangled (2010)

When this was slated as the next Disney movie in 2009 I was lead to believe that the title was chosen to try and bring in a larger young male demographic. Rather than just titling it "Rapunzel," they chose Tangled with the idea of focusing on the leading guy "Flynn." Whether this is true or not, I do not know. All I know is that this is basically the next Disney princess movie, and they did a pretty good job with it.

The problem is that the original Rapunzel story really doesn't have a lot to it, so it seems like a lot of the story was adapted from this film. They did a good job of making it new and different than the other princess films, while still doing a good job incorporating a lot of songs. The bar scene and a few Mother Gothel scenes are the only thing keeping this from a 1/5 on the KSF rating. I'm sure you can skip them on the DVD to make this a good film for little ones.

The best character by far in the film for me was the horse. The facial expressions and attitude made a few scenes a lot of fun to watch. I'm a little shocked that this failed to get either a Golden Globe or Oscar nomination. There weren't as many animated films in 2009 than in 2008, but the best of this crop was really good.

I probably don't need to tell you to check this one out. If you like Disney animation you should be happy.

KSF: 2/5
Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398286/

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True Lies (1994)

Growing up I didn't watch a lot of movies, so there are a number of films that would make you say, "Really you never saw that?" Well this is one of those. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis with support from Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, and Tia Carrere (Wayne's World).

This James Cameron action film, about a secret agent who uses his CIA resources to thwart his wife's extramarital affair. Thing go wrong and he ends up getting them both involved in his current case. Almost two and a half hours, but action packed and edited well, even nominated for an Oscar for visual effects.


I would be shocked if most people reading this have not already seen it. It was very good, a lot of fun, and a great inclusion on the "101 Action Movies to See Before You Die" book. Check it out if you missed it like me.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111503/

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Animal Kingdom (2010)

Every year that I watch the Oscar ballot I hope there is a stand out film that I initially didn't care much about. This is that film. Usually a nomination in the acting category, primarily in the supporting actress category are very weak films. Ones with a fantastic dramatic spurt but either a bad script or bad editing, or some other major flaw that caused it to get ignored in the major categories.

I think the problem with this one is that foreign films with English speaking do very bad at the Oscars. There isn't a foreign film category, just a foreign LANGUAGE category. Therefore films like this fall through the cracks without much support from the production company for a publicity campaign. The bottom line is that this film is very good with performances as good if not better than Jacki Weaver's (which got the nomination).

The film is centered around a boy, we start with him in his living room with his dead mother, who has just O.D.'ed and he is looking for a place to live. Seventeen and turning to family he calls his grandmother [Jacki Weaver] who offers to take him in. Janine [Weaver] and her boys are criminals, and the police are hot on their tails. Ben Mendelsohn was incredible in this film. Not many performance jar me that much, and he really freaked me out. His encounters with Laura Wheelwright's character were chilling, and his interaction with our main character [played by James Frecheville] was fantastic. Guy Pearce [Memento] was actually kind of weak to me in this film. I can't explain it, but I didn't really like his acting.

It is disappointing that this film hasn't received more press, it is worth seeing. Be aware that this is definitely not a movie for kids.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313092/

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The King's Speech (2010)

It is interesting how you can get behind a film so much that you can be against a film you haven't even seen yet. I wanted to see The Social Network win so bad, that I almost wanted this film to be bad. Now that I've actually seen it, I've changed my mind.

This film was actually really good. Colin Firth was excellent as the stuttering Duke of York, and Geoffrey Rush did an excellent job also playing Lionel his teacher. The film is about a stuttering Duke who gains confidence as he loses his stutter thanks to the help of an unorthodox teacher. Set in the early 1900's with the onset of the 2nd World War approaching this is the perfect era of film for the Oscar voters. The acting is more heartwarming, but the subject matter is less appealing.

Helena Bonham Carter annoys me to some degree, her minor role was minor enough to be likable. The rest of the supporting cast was good, but nothing really stands out. My only qualm with the film is that Firth seems a little old for the character, he even looked much older than his older brother in the movie. That really didn't work for me, but was so minor, and some people just look older than they are. Check it out, it is sure to win some awards.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/

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Toy Story 3 (2010)

I've noticed myself hating on Pixar for no reason lately. I think people are tired of seeing them win everything. Personally I get annoyed because my favorites (like Ratatouille) get less recognition than the ones I didn't like (Up or Cars). Before watching this one I watched and reviewed the two previous films in the [now] trilogy again.

I have to honestly say that this is my favorite in the series. It is now my favorite for the Animated Oscar and I'm on the Pixar bandwagon this year. The plot and storyline were well developed. The moved the story forward to the toy's owner, Andy, growing up and leaving for college. It is attic, charity, or trash for the toys, and after a mix up it is an adventure to stay together.

I loved it, it was a great sequel in an era where sequels are weak at best. As for the Kids Scare factor, there are some moments that the villain toys at the daycare would scary little ones. It was definitely made for those that have grown up with Toy Story 2 to watch, so the maturity level needs to be higher.

Vote: 9/10, KSF: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/

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Coco Before Chanel (2009)

Nominated for an Oscar for costume design, basically the end scene showcasing the Chanel line was enough for the nomination alone. On the other hand the entire film has great costumes, but the main thing is that the film has substance as well.

I consider this a sleeper. Nothing was mentioned about the acting or script at awards season but this one really impressed me. I love a good biography and I felt that I not only got a good feel for the life of Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, played by Audrey Tautou. But I also got a good plot with conflict and surprises. The men in her life were not easy to pin as either villain or hero, rather they had redeeming qualities and it seemed very realistic. I had to choose for myself what I thought was the better choice for her, rather than a Hollywood film that makes the villain so bad and the hero so good that you don't even need to think for yourself.

Foreign, so be ready to read, but this one is good.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1035736/

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How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

It will be explained later in the week with the one year anniversary special post, but this is the first film to feature the "KSF" Rating. A rating for how scary kids will find the movie. I'll start by saying that with lots of dragons and fighting this one is not for the preschoolers. 4/5 is just short of Bambi's mom dying, and on the scale that you cannot simply avoid a scene or two for the little ones.

Last year saw a record number of animated feature films, expanding the Oscar field to 5 films. This year has been much slower and will only warrant 3 nominations. To me this is the front runner right now. It would be a snub not the nominated, and it is too early to say if this will win, with Toy Story 3 and Tangled left to watch.

The film is about a viking community that is at constant war with dragons. The lead character is the son of the community leader and a runt. He desperately wants to prove he is big enough to go to dragon school, after an encounter with a dragon he accidentally trapped he starts to have second thoughts about if and why dragons are the enemies.

A great story for kids, exciting, and not pandering to the 3D feature it was enabled with for the theaters. Definitely worth checking out.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/

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