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| At this point it's trite and cliché to say, "Pixar has done it, again!". But dammit, those movie making geniuses have done it again. The streak that Pixar has is unprecedented. Of all they're movies not a single on is bad. One may be edging on mediocre, Cars, but none of them is something you'll see and say to yourself, "That was pretty shitty." I think Pixar's gift is their subtly. They never undermine their audience and try and beat you over the head with what they are trying to convey with their movie. That was never more apparent than in the beginning of Up!, with that wonderful opening fifteen minutes. Other studios would waste 30-45 minutes trying to tell that same story, but Pixar knocks that sucker out in 15 minutes with only a couple of minutes of dialouge and had me nearly in tears. They just get it. Whatever it is that makes great movies, Pixar has that, in great abundance. Here's my Pixar list because, how could I not. By the way, this is personal feelings with this list. Honestly, Wall-E and Up! cinematically are by far the best and Toy Story is easily the most significant because it started this insane run from this studio:
10. Cars
9. Monsters, Inc
8. A Bug's Life
7. Toy Story
6. Toy Story 2
5. The Incredibles
4. Wall-E
3. Up!
2. Ratatouille
1. Finding Nemo
Holy shit! This was insanely hard. I keep remembering gray scenes from each movie and wanted to move it up the lift before I think of the movie I put before it. It is insane how good all these movies are. | | |
| The MUST
the ones that will deliver
Star Trek (IMAX), The Brothers Bloom, Up (IMAX 3D), The Hangover ,Year One
The Hurt Locker, Public Enemies, (500) Days of Summer, Funny People, Inglorious Bastards
The HAVE TO
the obligation movies (that will probably suck)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Angels and Demons, Terminator Salvation
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, G.I. Joe | | |
| First a little foreshadowing from yours truly:
Friday, June 17, 2005
some (or a lot, we'll see) quick thoughts
* batman begins was fantastic. chris nolan can do no wrong, and christian bale's weight fluctuation is probably the most impressive of any actor (from an anemic 120 for the machinist to a buff 210 for batman). i'm predicting that the sequel will be the best comic movie ever (only if nolan is back to direct). batman begins laid the ground work and did a heck of a job of doing it.
The Dark Knight is the best Batman movie, without question. The Dark Knight is the greatest comic book movie EVER. The Dark Knight is the greatest superhero movie EVER. The Dark Knight is the best movie of this summer. The Dark Knight is the best movie of this year. The Dark Knight is the best movie of this decade and, subsequently, of this short millennium thus far. Heath Ledger's Joker is the best Joker PERIOD, and could quite possibly be one of the best villain of all time.
This movie is so ridiculously good I came in expecting an all-timer and walking away not even the least disappointed. This was so much more than a simple comic book movie. This is a great film. All that crazy talk about this being the Empire Strikes Back or the Godfather of comic book movies, completely justifiable. This movie is the reason why people go to see movies, this was an absolute work of art. Unbelievable and I don't even think I've mustered enough hyperbole to emphasize the absolute joy this movie brought to me as a lover of cinema.
There is no question that the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor should go to Heath Ledger. This has nothing to do with his tragic death, and everything to do with the fact that it's been a long time since anybody has disappeared into a role so completely. You don't see some actor in face paint in this movie, you see a sick, bastard that, as Alfred say, wants to see the world burn. The amount of detail that Heath dedicates to this performance is remarkable. Just his sickening voice and cadence is enough to turn your stomach, but his physical expressions are equally impressive from his awkward limp to the maddening looks he offers anyone brave enough to look him in the eye. Just an incredible performance, and to add fuel to the fire...
The Joker is a brilliant villain. Every measure and step he took was meticulously calculated and thought through, plus the sick bastard does magic tricks (and, yes, my sick ass laughed at the disappearing pencil trick). Halfway through the movie, you were convinced that anything could happen. Believe me, Christopher Nolan is not for the faint of heart. He took incredible risks with some of the choices he made with this movie and I'm thrilled that a director with a big studio movie had the balls to make the tough decisions (unlike Peter Berg with the so-so Hancock). This movie will kick you in the rear and keep you on your toes.
And here's the thing, this doesn't play like a typical comic book movie. Everything doesn't get resolved in a nice, clean way. Characters are put in "lesser of two evil" situations for which they must face tragic consequences. This is a painful movie to watch if you like seeing the "good guys" come out on top, because every small victory is just that, some small little achievement that pales in comparison to brilliance of their adversary. Nobody in this movie comes away unscathed, everybody in this movie ends up with scars. The Dark Knight defies genres. This isn't just a great comic book/superhero movie. This is a great crime drama. A beautiful chess match between a the more than capable Dark Knight and his equally ingenious foil (I, for one, agree on the comparison's to Michael Mann's Heat).
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| Muwahahaha, patience does pay off. You remember on 20 July 2007 when I stated the following:
Let me start off by stating what an 'effing klutz I am. Case in point, Exhibit A:
It still plays, but the screen has gone to all hell and only my immense knowledge of my playlists makes it manageable. I'm quite surprised this hasn't motivated me to finally give in and purchase a video iPod (I'm still holding on to the belief that Apple will be releasing a widescreen iPod in the near future...I'm still waiting).It will be mine, oh yes...it will be mine (as a result, I've been ramping up my iTunes video library which has been wonderfully easy since they decided to offer so much free sh!t lately).
Got a new set up...Dual screen, bitches!!!
 *yawn* sweepy time | | |
| Dear Rome,
It's cliche, but it really does seem like yester day since I first rolled in here as a newly minted college grad and LT. I can't say I was too impressed at first. I mean, small town in the middle of nowhere, what does one expect?
Man, getting a place was hard enough, considering I was looking in all the wrong places. I was seriously worried that I'd have to live some craptastic apartment, but I eventually found my way. I still remember first moving into the place without any of my household goods. It was the perfect opportunity to make use of my first pay check and get me my first "toy". Hah, my empty apartment with my brand spanking new TV and desk.
Of course, the main attraction were those winters. While I missed most of the first one, it was still a sight to behold. There is lake effect snow (like in the Bend) and then there's LAKE EFFECT SNOW (like in CNY).
I honestly going to miss ya'. I got into country music here. My DVD collection went from 94 to 301. I finally succumbed and purchased an iPod.
I became a HD snob, and discovered the beautiful wonders of TiVo/DVR. I had my first solo Thanskgiving effort, and I must say it went quite well. I got a helmet signed by Joe-freaking-Montana!!!
I got my board on and then went buck wild with miscellaneous boarding purchases.
And then I got my early-morning-wake-up on, to one of those crazies waiting in line for a Wii.
Awww, memories. I'm going to miss La Roma's pizzeria and how it made me into a fat ass (oh, but that broccoli/garlic pizza is the definition of awesome). I'm going to miss digging Faye out of feet of snow every morning just to take my five minute drive to work.
We have to move on at some point, and I guess that time is now. Thanks for the memories, Rome.
Sincerely,
tba11z | | |
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