Day 44: A Hard Day's Night (1964)

You're just not American if you don't like The Beatles.

Starring: The Beatles, Richard Vernon, Wilfrid Brambell
Directed By: Richard Lester

The Positives:

- Does one even need to mention the soundtrack in the positive notes? Cause it's pretty obvious it rocks.
- Every type of joke imaginable has been thrown into this film. Witty wordplay, slapstick physical humor, sight gags, this flick has it all (though it's the boy's comical quips that are the highlight of the film).
- I'm pretty sure John Lennon was sniffing a Coca-Cola bottle in the background of one scene.
- Matter of fact, this flick proves John Lennon may be one of the funniest sonovabitches to ever live.
- It's interesting to see the Beatles' take on Beatlemania before it even ended. They went into this film portraying it in a tongue-in-cheek manner and it think it speaks miles more than if they just would've sulked about it in unavailing interviews.

- This movie is defined by the era it was filmed and it's a pleasure to look back and witness a time I will never be able to experience myself.
- 'A Hard Day's Night' is filled with what I assume was every beautiful girl in England at the time.

- The black and white gives this film some edge and I'm glad it hasn't been recolored.

- I love that the film doesn't just sell itself as a musical. The comedy and the chaos makes you believe it's so much more.

The Negatives:

- Dammit Ringo. Just Dammit.
- Some of the camera work is strange to say the least
- The lip syncing was noticeably off in a couple of the musical scenes.

Grade: A-

Just as funny and smart as it was almost fifty years ago. I can't believe this director went on to make 'Superman III'.

Day 43: Bronson (2008)

As most movie fans know, Tom Hardy has been cast as Bane in the upcoming Batman threequel 'The Dark Knight Rises'. Since this casting bit was announced months ago, everybody and their mother has been suggesting one to watch Mr. Hardy's performance in 'Bronson' just so we'll know what we can be expecting of the 'Inception' star.

Starring: Tom Hardy, Matt King, James Lance
Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn

The Positives:

- Tom Hardy's narration? Creepy as hell. He just sits toward the camera and tells you is horrifying life story. He barely moves. Not even to blink. If he does make a facial expression it's genuinely frightening, but only for a moment as it quickly dissolves into his blank stare (which is equally frightening).
- For a dramatic horror-esque thriller, 'Bronson' is quite funny… if you're into dark humor.
- Okay, I was wrong. Tom Hardy giving his narration in clown make up? Now that's creepy as hell.

- Bronson's uncle is right, he does have an outstanding mustache.

- There's an animated sequence toward the end of the film that's truly delightful.
- I'm no expert of the real-life Charles Bronson, but Tom Hardy gave one hell of a charismatic performance that actually had me rooting for "Britain's most violent prisoner".

- The synth soundtrack worked surprisingly well.

- Telling thirty-five years of a prisoner's life in 90 minutes is quite an impressive feat.

- It feels as if Nicolas Winding Refn went into this movie with some pretty insane ideas and the outsome was marvelous. 'Bronson' definitely had a 'Natural Born Killers' feel to it and Mr. Refn looks to be one of the more promising up-and-coming directors (I hear his latest movie 'Drive' is kicking ass at all the major film festivals this year).

The Negatives:

- I saw a guy shit in his own hand… then smear it on his face. I can live without seeing that again.
- While tom Hardy's performance makes the film, the Charles Bronson character does feel like a cartoon character tossed into a gritty reality. Like I said, I have no real knowledge of Bronson other than this film, so he may be a walking cartoon character in real life.

- Normally I'm not bothered by male nudity. However, I found myself extremely uncomfortable when a big, burly man with a twisted tip mustache stripped naked and then beat down an entire room of prison guards. Twice.

- As with most films told in a quirky narrative of this nature, there's always a few random scenes that don't really make sense and could've probably benefiting from either being replaced by something else or edited out completely.

Grade: B+

While this role was much too comical for anybody to expect Bane's portrayal to be, Tom Hardy proved that he has the chops to become a major hollywood star once he's given the opportunity. 'The Dark Knight Rises' looks like his chance and he couldn't be anymore deserving.

Day 42: Muppets From Space (1999)

I have nothing better to do today than just sit around and watch a light-hearted someday featuring everybody's favorite puppet pals: The Muppets… In space!

Starring: Frank Oz, Jeffery Tambor, Rob Schneider
Directed By: Tim Hill

The Positives:

- First and foremost, I love that Netflix lists Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo as the cast of this film on their instant watch menu.
- Nothing like starting off a children's movie with a biblical figure telling a beloved muppet he's going to die.
- Though the Commodores' song "Brick House" has nothing to do with the scene it's used in, I liked that it was there.
- Matter of fact, the entire funk soundtrack was awesome.
- God bless Statler and Waldorf.
- Kermit the Frog was channeling his best Michael Bluth for this role.

- Thanks to this flick, Bobo the Bear has become my favorite Muppet.

The Negatives:

- The plot wore thin pretty quickly.
- There was a significant lack of any original Muppets' songs.

- Believe it or not, the muppets were better actors than some of the people playing bit parts.
- The "R U THERE" gags were a tad too silly, even for a 'Muppets' movie.

- Domestic animal abuse that wasn't even all that funny.
- I feel like most of the celebrity cameos in this film were wasted on stupid jokes or quirky characters. So. Much. Potential.

- Words can't describe how annoying I find Kathy Griffin.

- Katie Holmes' appearance will undoubtedly help me out when I play Six Degree of Separation, but otherwise she failed to make a positive impression.

- I found the revelation of the actual alien muppets underwhelming.
- For a film titled 'Muppets From Space', there isn't that much that happens in space.

Grade: C

It's a kids movie that doesn't aspire to be much more. It's too silly for my tastes, but it attempts to speak to the children in all of us.

Day 41: Blue Velvet (1986)

I have a love-hate relationship with David Lynch's films. While I understand the psychological beauty in his movies, they still never fail to piss me off. I respect them though, that's why I'm going to give 'Blue Velevet' a shot.

Starring: Dennis Hopper, Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern
Directed By: David Lynch

The Positives:

- There was a disclaimer before the film warning me that 'Blue Velvet' contains: "Adult content, graphic language, graphic violence, nudity, rape, and strong sexual content". Now that's my type of film.
- Right off the bat, the beautifully vibrant colors of the outdoors hit you. It's perfectly contrasted against the darker tone the film shifts into toward the latter two-thirds of the run time.
- You're immediately sucked into the mystery at hand. David Lynch treated it well, providing just one clue that is intriguing enough to peak both my and the main character's interest.
- Since I actually live in a relatively close proximity to a Lumberton, I felt a small connection to the setting.
- The blind man who could guess the amount of fingers somebody held up was a badass.

- Dennis Hopper put on one helluva performance. He definitely portrayed one of the most twisted and intense characters I've ever seen.

- The rape scene couldn't have been anymore disturbing (theoretically it could've been but I don't want to think about it.)

The Negatives:

- There was a random moment of slow-motion at the beginning of the picture that I felt was very distracting.
- Kyle MacLachlan's character was acting a tad bit too odd on his first date/walk down the street with Laura Dern's character. Odd enough that I had to mention it on here. Chicken walk? Really? The real mystery of the film is how she fell for him after that.
- The film's slow pace came across as hampering at times.
- Some of the acting (especially in the smaller parts) seemed too theatrical for the flick.

- I'm glad that about an hour and a half into the movie, the sick father subplot was hinted at again (since it started this whole film off in the first place).

Grade: B-

Scary and smart, 'Blue Velvet is a mystery flick defined by Dennis Hopper's performance.

Day 40: Rango (2011)

Day three of my unofficial "Movies with One Word Titles" marathon consists of the animated, animal western 'Rango'.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant
Directed By: Gore Verbinski

The Positives:

- The animators knew they were doing a good job and they weren't afraid to show of. The blinding sun. The dry desert. The multiple close up shots of flowing water. The animation excels.

- The camerawork is noticeably well executed.
- Despite the Nickelodeon branding, the humor is aimed at adults more than children (As if the next positive note wasn't a clue).
- The cameos from the characters of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' was not only surprising but hilarious.
- Certain scenes in 'Rango' reminded me of that 'The Simpsons' episode with Johnny Cash. That's always a welcome memory.
- The mariachi owl narrators were funny in their own right but it was their constant call of Rango's demise which had me in stitches.
- Rango himself was more interesting and funny than the entire cast of 'Ice Age' put together.
- The more hideous the animal, the more I welcomed it in the film. Gave it some grit. True grit.
- I think there was a tiny little homage to 'Jurassic Park' in there. If it was, bravo.
- Normally it's in rare form that I actually laugh out loud when watching a comedy by myself. There was one particular scene in Rango', however, that made me laugh uncontrollably. Once more, bravo.
- Animated, animal hookers. Classy.
- Also, Im pretty sure one of the mariachi owls sang in spanish: "Where are your balls?".

- Aside from the 'Fear and Loathing' reference mentioned above, this flick is filled to the brim with more hidden easter eggs. I noticed a reference to 'The Dollars Trilogy' as well.

The Negatives:

- The fact that the avian shop keep could not only grow hair but fashioned it into a trendy mustache really, really bothered me.

Grade: A

'Rango' has excellent animation, superb voice acting, and a thrilling story. My choice to win this year's Best Animated Feature Oscar for sure.

Day 39: Phantasm (1979)

I'm going to borrow a quote from this film's Wikipedia page to properly summarize what I'm about to view: "It introduced The Tall Man (who was portrayed in the film and its sequels by Angus Scrimm), a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead into dwarf zombies to do his bidding and take over the world." Yep. It's going to be one of those films.

Starring: A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm

Directed by: Don Coscarelli

The Positives:

- The impromptu concert performed at the beginning of the film by the young Michael Hasselhoff look-a-like and the young David Koechner look-a-like was actually pretty good.
- There is a character credited as The Mega Dwarf.
- I'm diggin' the synth score.

- That little black bug demon was incredibly creepy.

- Every death via the flying spheres o' doom was creative and, for a lack of a better word, awesome.

- The dwarves reminded me of killer Jawas. I don't know If that's a good or bad thing.

The Negatives:

- The film is apparently well-respected in the indie-horror community. However, I feel that it's amateur production is more distracting than respectable.
- This is highlighted by the sloppy editing, which is present throughout the film but noticeably the death scenes.
- I really thought the little brother was a girl until somebody called him "Michael".
- Corpses shouldn't breathe, especially at their own funeral.
- I feel like the entire cast took acting lessons from Paris Hilton. "Say all your lines monotone unless you're scared, then you say your lines loud."
- The story, and the way it is presented, felt rather disjointed. Introducing psychic grandmothers and shrinking zombies didn't help.
- Having sex in a graveyard is never a good idea. Having sex in the same graveyard where your best friend was murdered having sex is even worse.

Grade: D+

While the film reeks of amateurism, the latter death scenes were creative enough to possibly merit a repeat viewing. I won't be adding this to my DVD collection anytime soon though.

Day 38: Brazil (1985)

Terry Gilliam is the one of those directors I've heard nothing but great things about, who's work I am mostly unfamiliar with. Not counting 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', this will be my first foray into Gilliam's visual wonders.

Starring: Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Ian Holm
Directed by: Terry Gilliam

The Positives:

- It's like 'The Office' meets 'Minority Report' with a dash of 'V for Vendetta' peppered about.
- The humor is excellent, especially the take on the government being completely self reliant on paper work.
- Also a very excellent/humorous observation: Despite making our lives easier, technology is getting more and more complicated.

- The score of 'Brazil' is the perfect blend of peppy and chilling.
- I love the design of the futuristic computers. Type writers + iPhone sized monitors + Magnifying glass = Genius.
- Shoe hats. Equally genius.

- Jonathan Pryce plays a very good well-to-do government paper pusher.

- The scene toward the end where Sam is hanging in one of those straight jacket hoods, moving down the assembly line of executives as the screaming gets louder and louder with each one, genuinely frightened me. The forced perspective from Sam's hood certainly helped.

- The thing that creeped me out the most, however, were the extremely unsettling baby masks.

- For a flick that takes place in all of about three buildings, the scope of the film feels epic. I believe this falls back of Terry Gilliam's excellent visual direction.

- The end is a schizophrenic nightmare... and it's perfect.

The Negatives:

- Holy crap, this film is long. While it drags at times, even the most dull scenes are kind of charming.
- The film's color scheme is made up of mostly grays, and though it fits the drab tone it kind of makes the film feel dull and lifeless at times, and thus loses my attention.

Grade: B

While the flick could've used a good thinning out, Terry Gilliam has created a hilarious dystopian tour de force.