The Wolfman - 2010

Movie #168

2.5 Stars

Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) gets a visit from his brother's fiancee (Blunt) with news that he has been missing.  He returns to his childhood home in search of his brother only to find out that he was brutally murdered.  While trying to find out what happened to him, Talbot attempts to make amends with his father (Hopkins), but he gets bitten and his life takes a tragic turn.

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt, Simon Merrells, Gemma Whelan, Cristina Contes, Art Malik, Nicholas Day, Asa Butterfield, Mario Marin-Borquez

Director: Joe Johnston

This film just wasn't bad enough...you know what I mean...it isn't bad enough to say that it's good.  It was just uhhh.  Overall it was disappointing, and I even had low expectations. 

Like: Emily Blunt was the only reason I kept watching it.

Dislike:  I understand that Talbot had lived in America but Del Toro's lack of an accent was very distracting.  You could tell that he had to think about what he was saying before he said it.

Dislike:  The audio stunk!  It was like the music was too loud and the voices were too low.  I was constantly having to turn the volume up and down.

Dislike:  The special effects were seriously lacking.  Instead of trying to woo the audience with things that looked incredible (ok I don't even know what this would be but that's not the point)...the filmmakers went for all things gruesome....like Del Toro holding a big piece of flesh in his mouth.  I just wasn't impressed.  With a $150 million budget you think they could have done a little better. 

Dislike:  I don't think I'm very fond of Anthony Hopkins....and him being Del Toro's father is completely unbelievable.  I mean...if they were just going for a big name why didn't they just choose Harrison Ford. haha

Overall Recommendation:  If you do watch this film...don't make the mistake of watching the unrated version....it's longer.

Budget: $150 million
Gross: $140 million (56% non-US)

********spoiler********

Last Line: (which is pretty cheesy but it may just be the best part of the film)
It is said there is no sin in killing a beast, only in killing a man. But where does one begin and the other end. 

Torremolinos 73 - 2003

Movie #167

3 stars

Alfredo López (Cámara) is a struggling encyclapedia salesman who owes three months of back rent. It's 1973 and the world is changing. His boss has an offer for Alredo that he just can't refuse, shooting "scientific" sex videos with his wife for the Danish World Encyclopedia of Reproduction. Alfredo's obbsession with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman threatens the relationship with his wife, who becomes obsessed with having a baby.

(I've started making my own plot summaries...what do you think?)

Cast: Javier Cámara, Candela Peña, Juan Diego, Malena Alterio, Fernando Tejero, Mads Mikkelsen, Ramon Barea, Thomas Bo Larsen, Nuria Gonzalez, Marivi Bilbao

Director: Pablo Berger


The storyline was kind of interesting and there were enough things going on to keep my attention.  It was only 86 minutes though.  It is good that the filmmaker realized that a shorter length would be more beneficial.  I feel like a lot of times filmmakers want a 2 hour film...to showcase their talent...but if the storyline isn't there then it just isn't there.

Like:  Berger did a good job of actually making the audience believe that the couple actually had chemistry.  You have to admit, he's the lucky one.  If this hadn't been accomplished then it would feel more like a cheap movie...and not a film observing people's lives.  It might have also made the audience feel grossed out while they were filming their "scientific" movies.

Like: I can definately see the influence of Pedro Almodóvar in this film


Like/Dislike:  This is the kind of film that you can't tell if it is a good or bad thing that it is a foreign language film.  Are you missing out on something by having to read the subtitles?  Or are the subtitles covering up the bad?  I don't really have an opinion on the matter but I thought I would just throw it out there.

Dislike:  Mads Mikkelson.  Anybody who reads my reviews knows that I love Mads.  But I sure am glad this was not the first film I watched of his.  It wasn't that his acting was bad but it was more of just his character.  He was weird, slime-bally, and had no depth.  But in the end this might have been on purpose.  I didn't dislike the character but I didn't like him either.  It would take a lot more effort to like Mads if this was my first movie of his. 

Overall Recommendation:  It's a sub-par movie that isn't really worth watching.

Get Him to the Greek - 2010

Movie #166

4.5 stars

Ambitious young record company intern Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) will let nothing get in the way of his planned rise to the top in the music business -- not even the unruly rock star (Russell Brand) he must escort to Los Angeles for the start of his anniversary concert. Doing whatever it takes to get the rocker from Point A to Point B, Aaron encounters all manners of mishaps in this comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller and produced by Judd Apatow.

Cast: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Colm Meaney, Aziz Ansari, Da'Vone McDonald, Lino Facioli

Director: Nicholas Stoller

This movie was hilarious.  But let me just get something straight right off the bat.  This movie was hilarious because I don't mind dirty humor....and this movie had a lot of that. 

Like:  I enjoyed every single actor and every single character.  Best actor definately goes to Elisabeth Moss though.  When I saw her in Mad Men I wondered if she could pull anything else off....and she definately can.  In a way her character was pivatol to the film...yeah...hear me out.  The film opens with Jonah Hill in bed and Elisabeth Moss, his girlfriend, comes home from working her night shift at the hospital.  If she didn't make the audience realize that her relationship with Jonah Hill could actually be legitimate then right off the bat we would have doubts about not only her character but Jonah Hill's character too.  And when the whole movie centers around Jonah Hill the audience needs to like him.

Like:  Russel Brand.  How can you not just love him.  He played the same character as he did in Forgetting Sarah Marshall....which was a good idea but the whole movie I kept thinking...ok...he was supposed to be in this 7 year relationship with Rose Byrne...so when did Sarah Marshall fall into all of this...was he still going out with Rose Byrne.  I think I need to rewatch Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Oh and I liked how Russell Brand wasn't doing that crazy hair thing in the back. 

Like:  Rose Byrne did a great job...her character, Jackie Q, was just hilarous.  She was a musician...or singer I guess...and her songs were sooo hilarous.  Emily Blunt was supposed to play Jackie Q but I think it worked out better in the end with Rose Byrne.  Don't get me wrong...I love Emily Blunt but I just couldn't see her singing those songs or even being in a relationship with Russell Brand. 

Like:  The music was hilarous.  I want to buy the soundtrack...I'm not kidding.  The songs were actually song by Russell Brand under the fake name Infant Sorrow...there is actually a website.... http://www.infantsorrowband.com/  and even the song titles are hilarious...

Pound Me in the Buttox - Jackie Q
The Clap - Infant Sorrow
Bangers, Beans and Mash - Infant Sorrow

Like:  The downfall with any funny movie: every single funny part being in the preview.  This was not the case.  I laughed soo much.  I can't even pick a favorite scene.

Dislike:  ummm...i gotta think of one I guess...the movie dragged a little tinny tiny bit in the middle.

Note:  I don't know why I say films and why I sometimes say movies.  But I guess I just start typing...and for instance, I called this one a movie.  I'm not one of those omg you have to say film its a film.  I just type what I want....but I guess I would call this a movie...it wasn't made to be thought provoking it was made to be entertaining.

Overall Recommendation:  If you aren't a prude then you have to watch this movie!

Budget: $40 million
Gross: $68 million (15% non-US)  *estimate

Altered States - 1980

Movie #165

4 stars

Harvard scientist Eddie Jessup's (William Hurt) mind-altering experiments on himself, involving a hallucinatory drug and an isolation chamber, get out of control when his handiwork shuttles him back and forth on the evolutionary spectrum -- from human to ape-man. Equal parts sci-fi actioner, 1960s psychedelic trip and farce, the film was based on a Paddy Chayefsky novel and received Oscar nominations for music and sound. Blair Brown co-stars.

Cast: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid, Thaao Penghlis, Miguel Godreau, Dori Brenner, Peter Brandon, Drew Barrymore

Director: Ken Russell

Like: The very beginning of the film was amazing.  You see a man upright in a tank and hear clinky clanky noises.  The music is very unsettling.  This sets a perfect tone for the whole film...the feeling of just being uncomfortable.  [dislike:] I didn't like the credits though.  You could still see William Hurt's face in the tank but there were big white letters...intruding the scene.  The title slowly appears one letter at a time...huge letters...taking over the screen.  This interrupted the whole mood.  Not a fan.

Like:  The music was amazing!  Throughout the film it actually made me feel uncomfortable.  There was a scene where William Hurt was drinking some type of ritual blood mix and there were these really disturbing drum beats...think King Kong but way better.  The three men were walking into the cave and you see the sunset behind them.  The music then switches from the drums to this really weird swarming bug noise.  The music made the scene.  Instead of just feeling uncomfortable while he was drinking the blood you felt uncomfortable before, during, and after.  amazing.

There was also a party scene with Indian music.  My theory is that in 1980 that would be a little uncomfortable.  But I'm really guessing on that one..I wasn't even born yet.  Did people think Indian music was kinda strange in 1980?

Like:  Not only does the music make the viewer uncomfortable but the cinematography does too.  There is this really crazy sex scene towards the beginning of the film that is a close up, upward shot of William Hurt's sweaty face.  I'm sure this made the men feel uncomfortable. 

Like:  I was never bored during the film.  How could you be bored when a man turns into an ape. 

Overall Recommendation:  you have to watch this...maybe not alone though...pretty creepy.

Trivia:

• In his autobiography, director Ken Russell said he tried mushrooms during the making of the film, which resulted in a bad trip. 
• In a 1981 interview with the New York Times, Blair Brown said many of the actors and crew tried out the isolation tank. William Hurt actually hallucinated, while Blair Brown found it very peaceful. 
• Film debuts of both William Hurt and Drew Barrymore.

Gross: $19.8 million
Rank: #34 in 1980

Full Metal Jacket - 1987

Movie #164

5 stars

Marine recruits (including Matthew Modine and Vincent D'Onofrio) endure the grueling ordeal of basic training and later face the unrelenting Viet Cong during the 1968 Tet Offensive in this grim Stanley Kubrick drama, based on a novel by Gustav Hasford.

Cast: Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Ed O'Ross, Adam Baldwin, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard, John Terry, Kieron Jecchinis, Kirk Taylor, Tim Colceri, Jon Stafford, Bruce Boa, Ian Tyler

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Tagline: In Vietnam The Wind Doesn't Blow It Sucks
I loved this film!  In a way I am glad that I hadn't seen it yet.  There are some movies that you should see when you are too young...like The Exorcist.  I will never be more scared watching The Exorcist than when I was 13 or however young I was.  As far as Full Metal Jacket goes, I probably wouldn't have known what a reach-around was when I was 13. 
The first part of this film was amazing.  The boot camp was both hilarious (the sgt. was amazing) and mind-blowing...literally.  Once I started the film I didn't want to stop watching it.  I must admit though, once the film switched to Vietnam I wasn't as enthralled.  But it was still very very good.

Like: D'Onofrio did an amazing job.  wow...I can't even describe how he did such a great job.

Trivia: D'Onofrio gained 70 pounds for his role as Pvt. Pyle, breaking Robert De Niro's movie weight-gain record (60 pounds) for Raging Bull. It took him 7 months to put the weight on and 9 months to take it off.

My only dislike was the narration.  I just didn't see the point of it...and it was distracting.  There wasn't even that much narration.  In my opinion I think Kubkrik could have avoided most of the narration.  Like when the soldiers are going to search the town (I don't know what to call this scene)...the narration of why they were searching (?) could have easily been replaced with the commanding officer giving orders to the men.  I'm just not a big fan of narration...I think that it is overused and it's a cop out. 

The characters were interesting and the story kept my attention.  There isn't anything to really dig deep into...I guess the biggest thing to take away is how these men were not just fellow soldiers...they were friends.  I guess this is true in most every war film...and in real life...when you risk your life for another person you establish a unique bond that lasts forever.  ok..thats cheesy

I love to put some of the film's good quotes but there are too many good ones..and it would just spoil it.

Overall Recommendation:  If you haven't seen it...see it...if you have seen it...see it again.

Budget: $30 million
Domestic Gross: $46.4
Rank #23, Year 1987

Iron Man - 2008

Movie #163

4.5 Stars

After escaping from kidnappers using makeshift power armor, an ultrarich inventor and weapons maker (Robert Downey Jr.) turns his creation into a force for good by using it to fight crime. But his skills are stretched to the limit when he must face the evil Iron Monger. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard also star in director Jon Favreau's tongue-in-cheek superhero tale based on the popular Marvel comic.

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, Stan Lee, Shaun Toub, Bill Smitrovich, Faran Tahir

Director: Jon Favreau...you know...this guy...

What can I say?  It as very entertaining....and that's what summer blockbusters are all about.  I can't believe it took me so long to see it.

Robert Downey Jr. did a great job and so did Jeff Bridges.  I really like Bridges since watching The Big Lebowski.  Terrence Howard's performance was a little iffy...but not as bad as in Fighting...oh lord.

The only performance I didn't like was Gwyneth Paltrow's.  Was she supposed to be that pathetic...or was that her lack of acting skills coming through?  And that whol attraction thing between her and Downey...I just wasn't feeling that.

Overall Recommendation:  If you have waited too long to see this...just like I did...WATCH IT!

Budget: $140 million
Gross: $585 million (45% non-US)

Wake Up Sid - 2009

Movie #162 

3.5 Stars

After he graduates from college, spoiled trust fund brat Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) finds himself stuck in a rut of meaningless late-night parties and lazy irresponsibility -- until he meets Aisha (Konkona Sen Sharma), a significantly older woman and writer. As their unlikely relationship evolves, Sid discovers how to step into the world as his own person.

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Rahul Khanna, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kainaz Motivala

Director: Ayaan Mukherji

Filming Location: Mumbai, India

My question to you:  When is it time to grow up?  When it time to act like a child again?

Looking back on this film, there wasn't a lot going on.  Sid is a spoiled kid that decides to cut himself off, kind of.  Aisha has just moved to the city in order to gain independence.  It's the story of an unlikely friendship (how many times have you seen that in a plot summary). This film shows you that sometimes you just have to trust your instinct.

But there are some good characters and a few laughs.  I somewhat felt connected to the characters.  The little boy was my favorite.  The man thing that i liked was that film was not all about Sid or all about Aisha.  I got to know them both.

Oh, and there aren't any cheesy dances...maybe a few songs...but no dancing.

Overall Recommendation: If you have never seen a Hindi film then this is a good one to start with.

Gross: $4.3 million (83% non-US)

Trivia: The film got delayed three months during post production when Ranbir Kapoor grew a beard for a role in Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year and could not re-shoot some scenes.

Where the Wild Things Are - 2009

Movie #161

3 stars

Max (Max Records) imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts -- Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander -- crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.

Cast: Max Records, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Dano, Michael Berry Jr.

Director: Spike Jonze

I must say, I was very disappointed.  I didn't even have such high expectation...but I did have expectations nonetheless.  I can't even picture a kid enjoying this.  I found myself hoping that Max would just go back home.  The film was so dark.  It just lack something...I can't even pinpoint it.

I did think that Gandolfini did a wonderful job playing Carol.  Most the the time I always imagine the actors face in place of the character's but I didn't for this one.  Maybe it's because the two look-a-like. :)  My favorite character was probably Alexander, the goat, voiced by Paul Dano. 

Catherine Keener [Please Give] did a wonderful job.  She was the only good part of the very very boring beginning of the movie.  But some things are meant to just be books.

Overall Recommendation:  You may just want to skip this one but there are a few good scenes.