Day 37: Get Smart (2008)

Nothing like sitting in an airport goofing around on your iPad because you're flight is delayed when you should be attending the last half of the last day of Comic-Con.

Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson
Directed by: Peter Segal

The Positives:

- I've seen enough of Anne Hathaway's role choices to know she's a major whore. And I love it.

- I have an intense love for Terry Crews and everything he does.
- Up until the last half of this flick, I actually didn't hate the Rock. That's pretty rare.
- Steve Carrell didn't annoy me as much as his other film roles have either. He played just the right amount of Michael Scott in this.
- Alan Arkin was always entertaining and earned the attention I gave him.

- The humor isn't thought provoking, but it was charming enough to work.
- The film did a good job at actually developing some sort of story and not just playing the parody card for what it was worth. There were times for drama and action just as there were times for the jokes.
- I love it when the main villain isn't killed by the hero but somebody of lesser importance.

- The scenery actually was beautiful if one paid attention. You get to see everything from the large city of Los Angeles to the Russian countryside.
- BILL MURRAY!

The Negatives:

- The ending felt very forced. Like they couldn't have ended it without there being a double agent. They didn't even explain why Agent 23 was working with Chaos.
- The film was funny but it wasn't without jokes that fell flat.

- The fight scenes got boring fast and unless there were jokes to lighten things up, they became pretty troublesome to sit through.


Grade: B-

The film's entire success is based solely on the performances, which are charming enough to warrant a watch. It's no 'Austen Powers' but it's a great way to kill a few hours.

Day 36: Alien 3 (1992)

A movie infamous for its budget troubles, script problems, and control issues. I know it as the only rotten film on David Fincher's Rotten Tomatoes directing filmography. How could this be?

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, Pete Postlethwaite
Directed By: David Fincher (Who happens to be my favorite director of all-time.)

The Positives:

- I've seen enough of the Alien franchise to know that in space no one wears a bra.

- I like it when children die in movies. It's a morbid thing to admit but I think it's a ballsy move on the storytellers behalf.

- The splicing of two scenes together at a time felt like a real effective narrative method. Ex. The credits and the ship crashing or the funeral and the alien bursting from the dog's chest.

- It's beautifully shot. Even the muted colors in the film are gorgeous. It's rare to see a movie with a yellow color scheme and it sets this flick apart from other sci-fi flicks.

- I love my action/horror movies romance-less. No better way of curing that than to kill the potential love interest off early.

- There's a certain David Fincher-esque quality about this film that I really enjoyed. You can tell this is one of his pictures and that he really wanted to tell a dark and twisted story. However, it's clear to see where this went wrong: Handing a virgin director a quality franchise that came with a great deal of studio interference is naturally a bad idea. Especially a director as cold and emotional as Mr. Fincher.

The Negatives:

- Even though I've seen both Alien films that precede this (and remember enjoying them immensely), it hasn't really been a franchise I've kept up to date with. At best I am familiar with two of the characters (Newt and Ripley) and I remember vague details about both films (though I can't really place in which movie they belong). Alien 3 doesn't help with this at all. It just throws you in the middle of the action and hopes you know enough to keep up.

- I actually believe that "throwing an alien into a maximum security prison and watch what happens" is a great concept, yet the execution feels bogged down with exposition.

- The performances, especially the inmates, were hit or miss.

- Some of the effects are obviously models or piss poorly rendered CGI and have an extremely distracting vibe to them.

- All of the inmates looked practically the same and it made it very difficult to identify with them. I could've sworn Pete Postlethwaite died on three separate occasions.

- I don't know if it is the transfer on my DVD or if the movie was actually released like this, but I'm afraid 'Alien 3' is another flick where the sound effects are much, much louder than the dialogue.

- Even though the run times comes in at a little under two hours, the film seems to drag on a bit too long.

- The movie was almost completely void of suspense since the characters fell into the "Don't do that stupid!" category. Ya know, the cliche concept of yelling at your screen in frustration because the characters are so stupid they go against natural human instinct, practically saying "Oh, there's a monster down this hole? Let me stick my head it to take a gander." and your only response is "Don't do that stupid!"

Grade: C-

Maybe it's the David Fincher fan boy in me but I actually didn't find 'Alien 3' nearly as atrocious as the internet wants me to believe it is. While it's in no way a good film, it still kept me entertained for a couple of hours. I'm sure there's enough slaps in the face to the franchise's die hard fans to keep them from enjoying it but to the casual viewer this is nothing more than your average sci-fi fodder.

Day 35: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Day two of Comic-Con consists of a massive amount of Hitler punching.

Starring: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving
Directed by: Joe Johnston (Who should really be working on 'The Pagemaster II')

The Positives:

- Hayley Atwell was absolutely beautiful in that 1940's sort of way.
- Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jone's Performances were the highlight of the film.
- Chris Evans actually pulled off a great Steve Rogers/Captain America.
- Hell, the digitally minimization of his body looked fantastic and not at all as fakey as the trailers would suggest.
- The Red Skull's makeup was superb.
- I enjoyed the little hints here and there at Indiana Jones.
- "A weak man knows the value of strength" was the perfect line for this film. It sums everything up about Cap's origin so neatly.
- I loved that the film-makers found a way to incorporate the Captain America punches Hitler comic book.
- Also, the mention of Odin and (especially) the inclusion of Howard Stark were great tie-ins to the rest of Marvel Studio's series.
- Correction: The post-credits 'The Avengers' trailer was the high light of the film.
- It was a fun, not-too-serious summer popcorn flick.

The Negatives:

- There were numerous poorly edited jump cuts. At one moment Captain America could be swinging on a chain towards the enemy and the next scene he was darting after him on foot.
- I didn't care at all for Bucky. His death wasn't the emotional beat that it should've and could've been.
- The Red Skull was a bit underwhelming as a villain.
- And don't even get me started on Hydra. First and foremost, Hydr isn't real (as if I had to tell you). Part of Captain America's appeal is that he was invested in real world events. Having Cap never fight an actual nazi but instead a sub-group only invented for Marvel properties kind of takes the realistic aspect out of Captain America. The super-futuristic laser guns Hydra used only made things worse.
- While I enjoyed the stylistic 1940's tone of the movie, it felt like it wasn't set in the same universe as the rest of Marvel Studio's films. This was only partially resolved at the end of the film. I believe this really all falls back on the director. I do not like Joe Johnston and I feel like he was the wrong choice for the film.
- Adding critiques to both the realism and the tone of the film, once captain America gets his updates costume and the flick switches into an action movie montage, the movie's tone shifts to almost that of a cartoon. Jumping out of explosions in slow motion on a motorbike? That doesn't belong in a Marvel Studio's picture. It belongs in 'Machete'

Grade: B-

What I would consider the worst of Marvel Studios pre-'Avengers' films. While it wasn't bad, the picture suffered from poor direction.

Day 34: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

What better way to kick off the first day of Comic-Con than with the grand-daddy of nerdiness itself: Star Trek.

Starring: William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy
Directed by: Robert Wise

The Positives:

- Bones look like Barry Gibb in his very first scene. What a badass.
- Some of the banter betwixt the crew members is both smart and funny. At times... Really only when Bones is talking.
- 'Bout time somebody was killed via transporter.
- The wormhole's cheap Photoshop blur effect won me over. I don't have any idea how.
- Somehow, the film-makers (or better yet, the make-up department) actually made a bald chick sexy. Congrats all around.

The Negatives:

- A good portion of the effects look dated, even for the 1979.
- The movie sets off on a slow start. It doesn't get much more exciting. The film-makers seemed to focus more on the effects than the story, treating their outer space shots like they were being filmed for '2001: A Space Odyssey'. It doesn't come off as mesmerizing but tedious instead.
- Besides the 'Star Trek' theme song peppered throughout, the score was nonexistent or extremely unoriginal.
- The new Enterprise uniforms look bleak and devoid of all personality.
- I feel like I should feel something toward Decker. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not supposed to be detest.

- The living machine cloud that served as the antagonist of this film reminded me of a mute Melllvar from 'Futurama' and Kirk of Zapp Brannigan. Actually... I found that to be pretty entertaining in its own right.
- I honestly stop caring about this movie by the half-way mark and started thinking about better uses of my time.

Grade: D

The biggest flaw of the film is that it's just plain boring, which says alot considering this film is about an intergalactic star fleet fighting against a giant machine.

Day 33: Rubber (2010)

A French techno DJ decided to make a film about a tire that comes to life and kills people with its psychic powers. Sing to me, muse. Sing to me.

Starring: Stephen Spinella, Jack Plotnick, Ethan Cohn
Directed By: Quentin Dupieux

The Positives:

- This flick lets you know what it is in the very first scene: A man with a bunch of binoculars walks out of a desert to find a road full of chairs. A car randomly arrives and hits all of the chairs very slowly. Then a sherif with a glass of water pops out of its trunk, ignores the man with the binoculars, and walks toward the camera. He precedes to ask the audience a bunch of movie trivia which can only be answered with "No reason.", then pours the water out. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to 'Rubber'.

- I love the in-movie audience and how they interacted with the film as it progressed. It's only a plus that it's composed of genuinely funny and interesting characters.

- Despite a slower start, it was pretty entertaining to watch the tire blow up rabbits and crows and people's heads. At least the first few times it did it.

- I was a very big fan of Stephen Spinella's character.

- The man with binoculars was pretty entertaining to watch too. Ya know, before he died like a punk as well.

The Negatives:

- Once the tire came to life it spent the next ten to fifteen minutes blowing things up in the desert. While that doesn't seem like a relatively long time, the premise got old fast and I stopped caring about it just rolling around, blowing up cans.

- Roxane Mesquida's character was pretty pointless. It's like her character was just introduced to parade around in water and look sexy. While I'm all for gratuitous naked women in horror comedies, I felt like a pervert just watching her shower. Nudity for the sake of nudity. Oh, and you're wrong black audience lady. She's very attractive, but her rack wasn't that impressive.

- Within the first thirty minutes I was already bored. The next fifty minutes were a pain to sit through.

- Remember that awesome audience I mentioned earlier? Yeah, they're all killed. Like punks. Halfway through the movie.

- Even though I was warned at the start of the movie this film is pointless, I didn't realize what a problem that would be. It's incredibly difficult to invest in a film that has no purpose.

Grade: D+

The flick has a charming premise but the pseudo-film gimmick quickly grows tired. I think I can go a while without seeing any more of these schlocky B-movie parodies.

Day 32: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011)

After an entire decade of the Harry Potter films being pumped out every two or three years, it's hard to imagine that it's over.

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman
Directed by: David Yates

The Positives:

- The first third of this film can be defined by Emma Watson's cleavage.
- There was a significant amount of action in this film, and just as much murder.
- Snape's death, while a long time coming, was much more horrific than I thought it'd be.
- Voldemort and LeStrange's deaths (while I felt the battles that led up to them were a tad anticlimactic) were harsh and visually destructive.
- Despite being the most serious and darkest in tone, this film still found a way to add humor when needed most.
- Neville really would've done it in four books.
- The CGI was really well done and characters like the stone soldiers and the Gringott's dragon looked fantastic.
- While most of the cast in the epilogue was aged well, Harry Potter and Ginny's makeup stood out to me the most.
- The film moved at a rapid pace and it didn't feel nearly as long to me as I thought it would.

The Negatives:

- The film wasn't nearly as emotional to me as the last film. I was much more hurt by Harry and Ron's strained relationship and Hermione erasing her parent's memories than most of the deaths in this film (I was particularly upset that I didn't feel a thing when Fred and Lupin were found dead.)
- Ron was severely underused compared to the other films.
- The battle at Hogwarts was amazing, though I felt I wasn't shown enough. Some of the most important characters weren't even shown fighting.
- I don't really know how I feel about the 'Harry Potter in the afterlife' scene. It was necessary but I think it could've been done a bit better and less confusing
- Aberforth's character was never really developed.
- Malfoy looked fake and cartoony in the epilogue.

Grade: B+

While not my favorite 'Harry Potter' film, it was a close-to-perfect close to the trilogy.

Day 30: The Last Samurai (2003)

Watching this movie wasn't my choice, it was a decision made for me. Tell a few people you've never seen this film and they'll never get off your jock.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe
Directed by: Edward Zwick

The Positives:

- Ken Watanabe. Everything about his performance is excellent.
- This is one of Tom Cruise's better post-20th century performances.
- I'm not sure why but I love Timothy Spall.
- Actually, all of the acting was subtle but perfect and the film was perfectly cast.
- The scenery is beautiful. It plays an important part in the film and is a character in its own way.
- Well choreographed and executed, the action scenes left an impression.
- The film is a period piece drama filmed like a modern day action film.
- There is an intense focus on silence in this film and it just adds to the beauty. I love it when sound editors set small actions to silence. It makes the scenes so much more powerful.

The Negatives:

- Not only is the flick 154 minutes long, but it feels like it ended at three different times.
- A few of the battle scenes are riddled with very distracting CGI.

Grade: B

On the "Warrior gets sent to kill off a native tribe but has a change of heart and joins their forces"-themed movie scale, 'The Last Samurai' definitely comes before 'Avatar' (Which is in no way a great movie, but that's another review for another time.) I haven't seen 'Dances with Wolves' but now I kind of want to. Future 365 Days film? Possibly. Any ways, this was a good flick.

Day 29: My Name Is Bruce (2007)

His name is Bruce. Bruce Campbell. That is all.

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Grace Thorsen, Ted Raimi
Directed by: Bruce Campbell

The Positives:

- Bruce Campbell is playing himself. As it should be.
- Ted Raimi in a dual role! I love Ted Rami.
- Cheap shots at Sam Raimi and other flicks of Bruce Campbell's career.
- Gotta love happy endings.
- The musical chapter markers are kind of neat.
- Considering this film is based on Bruce Campbell's less successful films, no mention is made of his appearance in the 'Spider-Man' franchise. It is referenced subtly however with quips like, 'My hero-sense is tingling'.

The Negatives:

- The 'monster' was stupid. I would've much rather seen him fight that cave-monster-fly-guy-in-a rubber suit thing.
- Bruce Campbell's style is based on a badass hero fighting crappy B-movies and getting the sexy leading lady. While Campbell brings the badass, the leading lady isn't too attractive. That'd be like (to a lesser extinct) casting Amy Pohler as a Bond girl.
- Nobody takes a cheap shot at 'Bubba Ho-Tep/'. Nobody.
- I know the acting a dialogue were supposed to be a reference to the crappy quality of Bruce's films, but it wasn't clever enough to be good. They were just crappy parodies of already crappy qualities. What makes other films in this genre more successful is being intelligent, not just caving to the tropes.

Grade: D+

I believe the perfect way to describe this film is to think of a time someone you care about dearly has let you down. For the most part, you still love and respect them but you can't help but to think, "What the hell?". That's how I feel about Bruce Campbell and this movie.

Day 27: MacGruber (2010)

I have been bothered relentlessly by people to see this since it came out. Considering SNL's movie track record, I could really care less.

Starring: Val Kilmer, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig
Directed by: Jorma Taccone

The Positives:

- The intro song is excellent.
- Val Kilmer! He should be in everything! (Except Batman)
- Also, I'm glad Jorma Taccone is directing these days.
- Little things (Like MacGruber always taking his radio out of his car when he parks it) sell the '80s-esque tone.
- Ryan Phillippe still has a career? Yay!
- The 1980's soundtrack is marvelous.
- Highlight of the soundtrack? Eddie Money.
- Throat ripping.

The Negatives:

- The humor is real hit or miss. For every joke that works, one doesn't.
- Is it a double standard that I like to see naked women in films but can't stand male nudity? Probably, but it's still gross.
- Maya Rudolph isn't attractive. Stop pretending she is.
- I can't tell if the movie is making fun of action film cliches or actually falling for them.
- There is a significantly less amount of actual McGuyver-ing than I thought there'd be considering it's a parody of the character.

Grade: C+

The fact that it's the best SNL movie since Wayne's World doesn't mean much. Entertaining, yes, but nothing special.

Day 26: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

It's been a day of hectic travel across the country, so you'll have to forgive me if this review is a tad late.

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera
Directed by: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

The Positives:

- If the film-makers were trying to make Toothless cute and vicious at the same time, they succeeded.
- In fact, most of the dragons were very well designed.
- This is by far the best a Dreamworks animated film has ever looked, especially with all the emphasis on nature and fire.
- While the dragon fighting scenes could have easily looked chaotic and clustered, they actually came off as thrilling.
- I cared about Hiccup and his problems... for the most part., when he wasn't a whiny bitch.
- Craig Ferguson is a really good voice actor and he probably gave the best performance.
- The humor works in this movie quite well compared to other Dreamworks animates films which rely on fart jokes and funny voices.
- I love me some violence and drinking in a kid's movie.

- The ending was anything but anti-climatic, unlike most Dreamworks film which spend too much time on build up with little pay-off

- Lastly, what happens to Hiccup in the final battle is rare for a child's movie.

The Negatives:

- I find Jay Baruchel's voice too annoying for voice-over work. The fact he's the only accent-less character also bugs me, even though it makes his character much more accessible to the (American) audience.
- I feel like Hiccup and Astrid's relationship wasn't established properly. She just kind of starts to like him without any real reason, especially since she hated him at the start of the movie.

Grade: A-

This is Dreamworks Animation's best film, without a doubt. With q flick this beautiful, classy, and mature Dreamworks has finally won me over.

Day 25: Sideways (2004)

I'm spending the last day of my beach vacation enjoying a nice, little 2004 indie film. Tomorrow I'll be off to Oklahoma to visit Chris. I'm going to have to watch a damn fine film to take my mind off of flying.

Starring: Thomas Hayden Church, Paul Giamatti, Sandra Oh
Directed by: Alexander Payne

The Positives:

- Thomas Hayden Chruch is one of those actors I forget I enjoy until I see him in another film.
- 'Tis a road trip movie, which is one of my favorite sub-genres!
- Smooth jazz is always a welcome edition to any soundtrack.
- Paul Giamatti has a certain smart-ass quality to him that is rarely paralleled by others.
- The camerawork in this film is... Sophisticated? I suppose that,s the proper word. It' noticeable and smart is what I'm saying.
- Wine-tasting has never been that entertaining to watch.
- "Two Tickets to Paradise"!
- This flick's funny in a subtle sort of way.

The Negatives:

- This isn't a movie full of action and cheap gags. It's slow and mature and it feels a bit lifeless at times.
- I am not a fan on Sandra Oh. She always seems to have this pretentiousness about her.
- I don't drink, nor am I divorced or getting married. I just can't identify with these character's problems. Since I can't identify, they come off as pathetic.


Grade: C

The film is a bit too mature to be enjoyed by somebody my age. I assume the older you get the more you can relate to this film and the character's marital problems. Even if I enjoyed Thomas Hayden Church's performance I could still care less about the difference between merlot and Pinot noir.

Day 24: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

Shot on 16mm in only 28 days for $110,000, this film has become more than a cult horror classic. It's become a legend. All the more reason to watch it.

Starring: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles
Directed by: John McNaughton

The Positives:

- The very first shot was shocking, brutal, and classy.
- Actually, the entire first sequence cutting back and forth between Henry and his victims was fantastically pieced together.
- Michael Rooker! Huzzah!
- For its budget, this film is very well crafted.
- While a few of the murders weren't depicted on screen, the film does show the bodies with the sound of their deaths echoing in the back ground. It's both smart and effective.
- Most horror films find it difficult to balance sexuality and gore, throwing in gratuitous amount of both with out need or caution. This film finds the perfect balance of the two.
- The home invasion/rape/murder scene that was shown via a home recorded video tape was sickeningly uncomfortable. Just right for a indie horror film.
- This movie is the very definition of the word "Gritty".
- While a kick in the dick, the ending was shocking, as a good horror flick's should be.

The Negatives:

- The film's score at it's worst reminded me of a generic piss-poor soundtrack from a Sega video game or a crappy PBS documentary on local restaurants.
- Some of the lesser parts were poorly acted and the script didn't do them any favors.
- I think some attempt at a story was there but mainly this film just showed off a small part of a serial killer's day-to-day life and was presented as more or less of a showcase for his many kills.

Grade: B-

What the film lacks in story it more than makes up for with exceptional film-making and quality scares. When it comes to indie horror films, "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is an above average attempt.

Day 23: Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

Do you see the title of this film? How am I not going to enjoy it?

Starring: Rutger Hauer, Brian Downey, Gregory Smith
Directed by: Jason Eisener

The Positives:
- The over-exposed color!
- Rutger Hauer makes everything better.
- Somebody receives a technical credit as "Creator of The Plague." You don't see that in just any movie.
- "Filmed in Technicolor."
- Hyper violence + Hyper sexuality = Pure B-movie cheese.
- The deliberately hokey dialogue and over-acting fit the film's tone perfectly. This isn't a movie to take seriously at all.
- A carnival. Where the homeless are brutally slaughtered. For fun. I approve.
- The Punisher wants to revenge his fallen family. Thor wants to live up to his good name in hopes of returning to Asgard. The Hobo wants a lawnmower.
- Back to the dialogue for a second. Did I mention it was hokey? Cause it is and dammit if it isn't perfect.
- Does it make me a fucked up human being for posting "Children get murdered. A lot." under the positives? Yes? Well I'm sorry. I find killing children a movie taboo that takes balls to break.
- Once more, just in case I didn't get the point across: THE DIALOGUE DAMMIT! '"I'm going to wash this blood off... With your blood." has to be one of the best movie quotes of all time. ALL TIME!
- This film is superior to both B-movie throwbacks like 'Machete' and dark comedies like 'Super' because it isn't bogged down with heavy political undertones and the dark humor doesn't make you hate yourself for laughing at it.

The Negatives:

- I hate endings where (SPOILER ALERT) the hero dies.
- It's nasty and disturbing, so of course you have to be in the right mood to watch it. I can clearly see why this film would be frowned upon by many.
- Where the hell did Hobo get all that ammo?

Grade: B+

While 'Hobo with a Shotgun' has its flaws, it accomplishes what it set out to do with style and flare.

Day 22: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)

Woody Allen's 1985 flick has been described as a love movie for movie lovers. Let's see if I'll love it.

Starring: Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello
Directed by: Woody Allen

The Positives:

- Jeff Daniels played both of his parts phenomenally. He's definitely movie up on my favorite actors list.
- Though, Danny Aiello stole the show for me.
- About a fifth of the way through the film, there is a dramatic tonal change I wasn't expecting but delighted to see. It was both refreshing and original to say the least (I suppose it may help if you go into this movie knowing nothing about it like I did.)
- The score was fantastic and complemented the film's tone perfectly.
- The scenes set inside the movie within the movie stood out to me as my favorites.
- Political Correctness? The 1930's didn't have it and neither does this movie.
- Religion and the meaning of life is quite a deep subject for something as shallow as a romantic comedy. But then again, this isn't just any romantic comedy.
- It's relatively short and very face paced, just the way I like my movies. No bloated self-appreciation here. Just love and laughs.
- Has little to do with the movie, but when a scandal about a Mr. Fatty Arbuckle was referenced, I took to the Internet to learn more about it. I enjoy movies that make me go out a learn things.

The Negatives:

- Mia Farrow was just a bit too air-headed and spaced out for my tastes. She reminded me of a little ol' granny more than a leading lady.
- You like happy endings? Fuck you. There's your ending.

Grade: A

Not only is this one of the best romance movies I have ever seen, but it's also one of the best films I've watched since I started this project.

Day 21: Super (2010)

90 minutes of 'The Office"s Rainn Wilson telling crime to "Shut up!".

Starring: Rainn Wilson, Liv Tyler, Nathan Fillion
Directed by: James Gunn

The Positives:

- I love me some Bacon. Kevin Bacon.
- The animated opening scene was probably the best part of the flick.
- Michael Rooker!
- I'm thankful Linda Cardellini still finds employment (even if her character was pointless and wasted). I like her.
- If you wanna go from a beginner to a pro, you're gonna need a montage. A good ol' montage! (Not a quote from this film mind you, but a 'South Park' quote I like to use to display my love for montages.)
- When the quirky jokes do work, they're really quite funny. Especially taking wrenches to the face. That's never not funny.
- I do find it kind of refreshing that when the Crimson Bolt starts out fighting crime, he doesn't get his ass kicked like most other super-powerless wanna-be superheroes do, but instead actually does some heavy damage (which of course causes more bad than good when he gets a tad power hungry).
- What happens to 'Bolty' is shocking... Horrible even. It does spin normal superhero tropes on their head however, and thus I approve.

The Negatives:

- I think the film tries too hard to be original via quirkiness and it doesn't work well enough for me to believe it helps. I found the imaginary scenes that take place in the protagonists head (think 'Scrubs') and eccentric tone much too distracting to feel fresh.
- It doesn't help that 'Super' is also pretty boring at times.
- Once more, a comedy flick takes the "He's Christian so he must be crazy" approach.
- I did approve of the pop-art style words popping up during fight scenes, referencing Adam West's 'Batman' of course. But then they only used it in like two scenes. You can't just do that shit once. Commitment dammit!
- 'Inception' proves Ellen Page has range, so I don't understand why she pretty much only plays Juno in everything she's in.
- I understand the Crimson Bolt is going through some rough times, but both he and Libby are pretty fucked up and I don't really know why I should root for them.
- The sugary-sweet ending felt tacked on nor did it give the film proper closure.
- Oh, and hentai in a main-stream film? I'm not ready for that.

Grade: D+

It's a dark comedy a bit too twisted to laugh at and it's uninspired to boot. I expected much more.

Day 20: Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)

Hoping to add some older dates to the film archive, I decided to pick a movie I've never seen before that was considered a classic. I wound up choosing this Francis Ford Coppola treasure. Little did I know, 'Redux' is usually considered by fans and critics, as well as director himself a completely new movie altogether (It even sports a separate Rotten Tomatoes page). Therefore, looks like I'll just be adding another 21st film to the list.

Starring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

The Positives:
- Rarely does sound editing ever make a significant difference to the point that I actually notice it, but that is anything put the case when those helicopters slowly roar past as the film opens.
- Actually, the whole damn opening scene was magnificent
- Setting it to 'The End' by The Doors didn't hurt either.
- Beautifully shot. Beautifully scripted. Beautifully acted.
- Harrison Ford!
- Gotta love Francis Ford Coppola's cameo.
- I'm still a bit flabbergasted that I just watched two men drop everything and begin to surf in the middle of a battle.

- It's kind of crazy to see just how much Martin Sheen resembles his son charlie. Not really a posit, not really a negative. Just an observation.
- Sheen's narration gave the film a kind of noir tone. War noir.
- I think the key too making a good war film is not making every character a hard-ass war monger or a soldier who is just learning who he is while witnessing the troubles of the world, but instead making the characters charismatic, funny, and fearless.
- Playboy playmates. Good stuff.
- The music, especially in the battle scenes, is haunting yet perfect.

- Damn. I just can't get over how gorgeous this film is. The color is so vivid and the picture is so sharp. And I'm not even watching a Blu Ray.
- I've read the Joseph Conrad novel form which this film was based. It funny how the film-makers could completely change the events of Heart of Darkness, yet keep the spirit and story completely genuine to its original source.

The Negatives:

- Some of the dialogue in scenes where soldiers are yelling is inaudible, which is especially distracting.
- It is 203 minutes long. Though, one can't really complain about running time on a film as excellent as this, considering nothing could or should be cut out. It also doesn't help that I deliberately chose the extended cut of the film.

Grade: A

The second 'A' grade flick in a row. Coppola proves that just because something isn't broke doesn't mean it can't be fixed.

Day 19: Duck Soup (1933)

The Marx Brothers are comedy legends, and while I'm quite familiar with the Three Stooges and Charlie Caplin, 'Duck Soup' will be my first foray into the brother's films.

Starring: Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx
Directed by: Leo McCarey

The Positives:

- Like jokes? You're going to be bombarded with witty word play, cunning insults, and slapstick humor. All in rapid succession. And they are hysterical.
- Breaking the fourth wall. Love it.
- Harpo and Chico may be one of the most brilliant/hilarious/random/haphazard duos to ever grace early 20th century celluloid.
- The Marx Brothers are masters of comedic timing.
- I appreciate the relentless pace almost as much as I appreciate the 68 minute runtime.
- For some reason I always picture the pre-1960's as this wholesome era where family values are practiced and people are always respected. I suppose I can contribute that to the way both sets of my grandparents acted. Reading the works of Hemingway and Steinbeck obviously opened my eyes to the times but I'm still shocked to see just how crude this film is.
- The mirror scene will go down as one of my favorite comedic scenes of all time.
- There is a plot, I suppose. But it more or less serves as wrap-arounds for large blocks of what is practically the Marx Brother's stand-up routine. I actually kind of like this, as a proper storyline would probably bog down this film's humor (as Funny People could probably tell you. However, that's not to say an actual plot wouldn't help, otherwise most comedy films would end up like 'Meet the Spartans' or 'Disaster Movie'. This is one of the rare films that works on this level because the actual comedy material presented in this film is hilarious and snappy.)

The Negatives:

- Dammit. I hate it when movies randomly burst into song.
- I feel like the political satire was attempting to go somewhere but it didn't.
- Harpo is one creepy looking sonovabitch. Imagine if the Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka, and Michael Cera had a 4' 11" son.
- I still don't know why it's called 'Duck Soup'.

Grade: A

Comedy just isn't this funny anymore.

Day 18: Batman Returns (1992)

The only (live-action) 'Batman' film I have never seen. Considering I haven't liked a pre-Nolan Caped Crusader flick yet, maybe I should've stayed away.

Starring: Michael Keaton, Christopher Walken, Danny DeVito
Directed by: Tim Burton

The Positives:

- If there was one thing I liked about Burton's take on the series, I'd have to say it was the gothic overtones. While it doesn't compare to the realistic theme of Nolan's films, it was much better than the campy takes that preceded and followed.
- The scenery, for the better part, is hauntingly beautiful.

- A Paul Reubens cameo!
- I loved that the boy playing Walken's son was pretty much doing his Walken impression. This might not be a positive comment however, because I loved it only because of it's absurdity.
- Danny Elfman's score is phenomenal.
- Damn. I love that Batmobile.

- I love Michael Keaton. Not necessarily as Batman, but as a person in general.

- I may not love what they did to the Penguin's character (see below), but he was pretty entertaining.
- While her Selina Kyle leaves much to be desired, Michelle Pfeiffer played Catwoman with a certain sexy ease that was more than fitting.

- Ah. There it is. I wouldn't have been satisfied if there wasn't at least one "pussy" pun at Catwoman's expense.

The Negatives:

- The circus-esque henchmen, with oversized skull helmets and cold clown makeup feel a lot less Dark Knight and a lot more Tim Burton. I normally like it when Directors add their own little subtle touches to films, but in this case it just feels too theatrical.
- I am not a fan of the actors playing Alfred or Gordon. Their take on the characters less than please me.
- Christopher Walken's make-up disturbed me far more than Danny Devito's did.
- Within the fist thirty minutes of the film, Batman may have only received three minutes of screen time. I do not approve.
- During one of the fight scenes, Batman looks around from villain to villain to villain to... Poodle. Yes, a poodle. A poodle that plays catch with a batarang. I couldn't make this shit up.

- Listen, if the Dark Knight punches you, it's for a damn good reason. Batman. Doesn't. Apologize!

- Seriously? There's just open-topped trucks full of cat liter parked around Gotham?

- Okay. Catwoman's claws can pierce the batsuit but bullets can't? I call bullshit.
- The main reason I dislike Tim Burton's first 'Batman' flick is because I really HATED what they did to the Joker character. While I do love Jack Nicholson, and it was fun watching him perform, I cannot forgive what they did to the character's back story. It took all the mystery away from the Joker and kind of just made him a routine villain-of-the-week.
It looks as if the Penguin didn't suffer much better in this film. If I remember correctly, the Penguin was born into a wealthy family with an over protective mother. His general hatred of people was because he was picked on as a child. He surely wasn't abandoned in the sewers because he was deformed. He was aristocratic dammit! Not feral. Other directors can make excellent movies without trashing the source material. I mean god, it's not like Bryan Singer turned his back on the 90 years of Superman's backstory just because he could. Oh wait. He gave him a kid. Damn.
- I'm not familiar enough with Catwoman to argue against her film's origin story, but being magically revived by supernatural cats doesn't feel right. That seems much more akin to the 2004 travesty that was 'Catwoman' than it does to the comic series.

Grade: C

You could do worse, but there are far better Bat-flicks out there.

Day 17: Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

Let's celebrate the birth of our nation with a documentary about love, loss, and masturbating bears.

Starring: Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, Stephen Colbert
Directed by: Rodman Flender

The Positives:

- Rarely has a movie title ever fit the film this perfectly. Conan O'Brien really can't stop performing. As he put it, "I'm like Tinkerbell. Without your applause, I die."

- There are subtle, little clips here and there that show that no matter how much Conan wants to show off and no matter how many tickets he sells, he always keeps his family in mind. It's really sweet.

- Tilda Swinton/Conan O'Brien comparisons never fail to make me laugh

- Want to liven up the more slow and expository parts of your documentary? Digitally animated Korean news show clips never hurt.

- Appearances by Nick Offerman, Kyle Gass, Jack Black, Jack White, Jack McBrayer, Jon Hamm, Jon Stewart, Craig Robbinson, Eddie Vedder, Kristen Schaal, Stephen Colbert, and Jim Carrey (Dressed as Kick-Ass!).

- Conan's assistant (I can't remember her name unfortunately) was cheerful and lively and brought some much needed pep to the film.

- An 'Eddie Murphy Raw' suit? Classy.

- Conan O'Brien may be one funny fuck, but Andy Richter is God's gift to comedy.

The Negatives:

- The whole documentary feels less like an actual film and more like a television special. (Not a VH1 special mind you, but more like something you'd find on HBO.)

- It's kind of weird hearing Conan swear up a storm and become a tad bit hostile toward his writers all because he's pushing himself too hard.

- Every once in a while a stray clip or two would feature Conan being kind of a dick. I don't like to think of my comedy idols as dicks.

Grade: B-

This documentary provides one with all their comedy needs. However, Conan can be a bit much at certain times, especially when he's cranky. I understand where he's coming from, after losing his job and such, but I'd prefer more hilarity and a bit less hostility.

Day 16: My Own Private Idaho (1991)

It's been 16 days and I haven't taken into consideration just how exhausting this experiment would be. Luckily, I have a Gus Van Sant film to review today. It could be worse.

Starring: Keanu Reeves, River Phoenix, Udo Kier
Directed by: Gus Van Sant

A modern recreation of Shakespeare's 'Henry IV' told with gay, street-smart hustlers.

The Positives:

- Gus Van Sant is an excellent director, and his use of breaking the proscenium arch recalls theatrical plays and delivers both amusement and exposition.
- The gritty tone of the movie is nicely contrasted without the colorful title screen and setting markers.
- Huzzahs all around. Keanu Reeves is actually showing some emotion!
- River Phoenix also shines as Mike, whose narcolepsy is used both tragically and comedically, something I feel perfectly juxtaposes the entire film.

- A 'Simpsons' cameo! (The first 'Treehouse of Horror' episode too.)
- The long, wide shots of various scenery has kind of become a staple of Independent cinema, and while I'm sure this fin wasn't the first to feature it, it's put to good use here.
- Twangy covers of a more classical score occupies the background flawlessly when needed.
- Showing a key sex scene via only still frames actually seemed more romantic than if the actual movement were shown.

- The old street bum in a thriller jacket made me laugh. Hard.

The Negatives:

- Sometimes the acting is a bit much, especially in scenes that have roots in 'Henry IV'.
- The Shakespearean dialogue is toned down at times, and that's when I think the performances really shine. It also makes the scenes where the dialogue is heavily Shakespearean stand out for the worst.

- I felt much more invested in the characters than the journey they were on.

Grade: C+

While the uneven tones of 'Henry IV' plague the film at times, the performances of Phoenix and Reeves more than make up for it. Van Sants wonderful direction only helps.