Heaven and Earth Magic (1962)

An avant garde [experimental] film using cut-outs that took over 5 years to finish editing. This is the kind of film I see running behind Nine Inch Nails or another rock band on a backdrop at a concert... not something you sit down and watch.

There are only sound effects and not much of story line. The first part depicts a character with a toothache, her transportation to heaven, then return to earth through "Max Muller." I know this because I read severl reviews, you couldn't gather this from just watching it. Part of the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die, or I never would have been interested in this one.

You can watch it on YouTube if you feel inclined.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056060/

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Fat City (1972)

This film is about the lives of two boxers at different points in their lives and the decisions they make. Stacy Keach plays Tully [I can only see the dad from the tv show "Titus" when I see him], a washed out boxer past his prime who has a drinking problem and constantly talks about how he is going to get back in the ring soon. Jeff Bridges plays Ernie, a kid fresh out of high school just getting into boxing with a little push from Tully.

There are no hero moments in this film, Tully is what he is, he is able to get in the ring again but it isn't anything special. Ernie has some minor success but we're not winning any championships with this film. More of a slice of life, and nothing compared to the films Raging Bull and Rocky, which both came out after this one.

Unless you are a big Bridges fan or just really like boxing movies then skip this one.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068575/

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The Hurt Locker (2009)

This film is about a bomb squad in Iraq, and as you can guess from the movie poster, not every mission goes well. The film centers around three characters who are about a month from finishing their tour. Jeremy Renner plays the reckless Staff Sargent and his team includes Brian Geraghty and Anthony Mackie. With not major stars you are in the same position as the soldiers because you don't know when and if they will be blown up.

The reason this film is so highly acclaimed is that the action is not forced. There has been a trend in film to shake the camera and disorient the audience to excite them. All of the action here is based on the soldiers fear, which mostly comes from their reckless leader. Renner is amazing in this film and for someone that I've seen in a number of films now this is the only one I consider memorable to date.

This was not as good as Up in the Air though, why? It just doesn't fit this year. America is focused on the problems at home and doesn't want to think about the war that we all know now was a mistake [or always did...]. I would love to see Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner bring home some awards for this film, if you see two films this year see this one.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/

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Witness (1985)

Hard to believe this film is already 25 years old, but it is one of Harrison Ford's best. He squeezed this in between Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade.

The story is about an Amish boy and his mother (Kelly McGillis, you know her from Top Gun) who are in a train depot and the boy witnesses a murder in the bathroom. Turns out it was done by a police officer [Danny Glover] and fellow detective [Harrison Ford] has to go into hiding with the Amish when Glover comes after him.

It has some slow parts, and it is becoming dated fast, but the storyline is excellent and one of the 100 best screenplays ever. Watch it if it comes on tv...

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090329/

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Up in the Air (2009)

This is my current vote for the Golden Globe and Oscar this year. The content fits the position many Americans are facing right now, or at least something most fear is coming soon.... layoffs.

When a boss doesn't have the guts to layoff his employees then they hire someone like Ryan [George Clooney] to do the dirty work. Ryan is someone who spends over 300 days a year travelling and someone who does not have any healthy relationships and preaches this lifestyle to others.

This is a very dark comedy, or a recent term I've heard coined is "dramody" something that makes you laugh but is not really that funny... more sad.

I found that all the characters had something wrong with their lives. All of them. It is pretty sad because it seems like this is just reality, and I dare not delve into this since this is the movie to watch this year. Vera Farmiga is excellent but overshadowed by Anna Kendrick who has the best chance at the supporting actress Oscar here. It will be interesting to see what awards materialize from this film.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/

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LFR Top 100 of the 2000's (100-81)

There have been a number of top movie lists of the decade coming out, so I decided to do my own. How do I think it is different? These are all films that I have rated 8-10 and would watch again. Many reviewers put movies on their list that were artsy or just not coming you would want more than once.

I'll be presenting this in 5 parts of 20 films as we count down. So let's get going:

100. Murderball (2005) [8/10]
This is a documentary about the US paraplegic rugby team following them as they prepare for the Paraplegic Olympics. There is great character development and some good background stories. It was also nominated for an Oscar.

99. The Lives of Others (2006) [8/10]

Taking place in East Berlin in 1984, this Foreign Oscar winner was a fantastic German spy movie about the secret police conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover. Very intense.

98. Hot Fuzz (2007) [8/10]

A British comedy featuring Simon Pegg about a top London cop who is transferred to a small town because he is making everyone else look bad. There are some great slapstick moments and action scenes. If you liked this one check out Shaun of the Dead

97. Burn After Reading (2008) [8/10]

The Coen Brothers dark comedy about several Gym employees that try and take advantage of finding a cd with CIA sensitive material on it by selling it to the Russians. Featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Richard Jenkins, this all-star cast is just fun to watch.

96. Shooter (2007) [8/10]

Mark Wahlberg plays an ex-marksman who is lured into action when he is asked to help stop a plot to kill the president. When he gets double-crossed the film gets really exciting as he goes after the person who set him up. A film that is easy to forget about because it hasn't been mentioned around awards. Wahlberg is excellent and the film is exciting, have the popcorn ready.

95. Meet the Parents (2000) [8/10]

A film that will be remembered 50 years from now and on all top comedy lists. With Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, and Owen Wilson you are just being naive if you leave this one off. I would expect all of the readers know about this one, if you don't like it, it is probably because you have seen it too many times.

94. Departures (2008) [8/10]

Daigo has spent his life playing the Cello, it joins an orchestra that quickly goes out of business and he is forced to move home to find work. Responding to an ad for what he thinks will be a Travel Agency [Departures] he is coaxed into learning the trade of preparing the dead for funerals. This Japanese Oscar winner is fantastic, it has a great mix of drama and comedy and the characters are developed very well.

93. Phone Booth (2002) [8/10]
When this film came out it was a joke, "A movie about a phone booth... come on!" An introduction to Colin Farrell, this film shows that you can have make an action movie where the main character is stuck one one place. With the voice of Kiefer Sutherland as the bad guy, the fans of "24" will find this strangely familiar.

92. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) [8/10]

The film that brought Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together, with support from Vince Vaughn. They are a married couple who are bored with their marriage. They are both assassins and unaware of each others real work; until they are hired to kill each other... A fun action movie and with a PG-13 tag you can watch this with some of the kids.

91. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) [8/10]
Straight from imdb: "A murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief masquerading as an actor." With Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, you might find that Iron Man wasn't Downey's first good movie.

90. Miami Vice (2006) [8/10]

Now that we are all familiar with Colin Farrell after Phone Booth, this remake of a classic tv series teamed up with Jamie Foxx this is a pretty good action movie. I won't lie though, it introduced me to the band Mogwai which is the real reason I loved this film.

89. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) [8/10]
Philip Seymour Hoffman & Ethan Hawke are brothers who decide to rob a jewelry store, when everything goes wrong we step backwards in time scene by scene to see just how and why they got into this situation. It won a number of awards for best Ensemble but with no Oscar or Globe nominations this one fell through the cracks. Worth checking out.

88. Narc (2002) [8/10]

Jason Patric plays an undercover narcotics officer who is investigating the death of another undercover officer. If you like cop movies you will probably like this one. Ray Liotta is excellent as Henry.

87. Role Models (2008) [8/10]

Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd team up in this big brother movie and we get or first look at the talented Jane Lynch who is better known for her current role on "Glee". With Elizabeth Banks this is a pretty funny line up. Don't take it seriously and you might enjoy it.

86. Traffic (2000) [8/10]

With an all-star cast and 4 Oscars in the bag you can't go wrong with this film. Many would have this much higher on their list since it includes Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle, Salma Hayek and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Hard subject matter, don't take the kids...

85. 28 Days Later... (2002) [8/10]

A zombie movie that takes place in the UK, this revived zombie movies in the early part of the decade spawning remakes of Dawn of the Dead and may others. A good scary flick, avoid the sequel.

84. Almost Famous (2000) [8/10]

This film won best the best screenplay Oscar, and is in several critics top 10 of the year. I found the story fun, the acting fun, but not that good. This movie is every kids dream though, to follow a rock band around and write an article about it.

83. The Proposal (2009) [9/10]
A 9/10 that might be out of order with some of the leading films. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are excellent, but like most romantic comedies it will fade with time. This is the best romantic comedy Hollywood has put out in some time though.

82. Anger Management (2003) [8/10]

The film that showed that Adam Sandler could be taken as a serious comedian. Just like Jim Carrey had to make the jump from Ace Ventura, Sandler had to make a transition from his Billy Madison days. With a great performance from Jack Nicholson this is a must see comedy from this decade.

81. Gladiator (2000) [8/10]
Winner of 5 Oscars, in the imdb top 100 films of all time, and one of the only epics to succeed this decade. This Russell Crowe Roman gladiator film is excellent. This one will be remembered from a long time to come.

1/5th of the way there, how many have you seen? What are you waiting to see on this list? 2007 was the best year in film this decade with 4 films already listed. The next twenty will be out later this week. If you want to cheat here is the full list: http://www.listsofbests.com/list/69876-top-100-of-the-00-s

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Public Enemies (2009)

This is a hard review. The acting was good, the plot was ok, and the action was great. For some reason though I just didn't like it, nor did the three people I watched it with. For one it was way too long, when you go almost 30 minutes past the two hour mark you better have a lot of content.

The bad guy wins and loses too much. If you are cheering for the robber (Johnny Depp) then you are happy when he gets away. If you are cheering for the cops (Christian Bale) you are happy when he gets caught. But when this happens over and over it gets tiring and as a viewer you lose interest in where the story is going.

I don't know or care how close this was to a true story. But if the director can't steer the audience in a direction we are left to just watch the events unfold... and they do... ever so slowly. I could just see the potential for this film.

I also had trouble with the sound mixing. This might sound crazy but balancing the highs and lows is a big deal, when you are in the theater and can't hear the dialog well, then are being blown out by the shooting, it leaves you with a headache. When you are at home with remote constantly in hand turning it up and down to try and hear the dialog, but are trying to keep from blowing out the speakers... back and forth... it takes something away from the film. Maybe it is requirement for a summer release to compete with Michael Bay's Transformers 2 and blow the audience out?

Skip this one.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152836/

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