The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Action
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Aug 23rd
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong
Director: Edgar Wright
Country: USA
Genre: Action, Romance
“Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman engage in an epic kung-fu sword battle” must not have been the most convincing pitch to get this film green lit. But compared to most of the action movies released in the last half decade, Scott Pilgrim‘s “alternative” cast provides some of the most cohesive and exciting fight scenes years. This is no doubt due to the immense talent of Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz.)
Scott Pilgrim is a young man with some typical girl problems in a less than typical world where video game noises and comic book exclamations make the mundane extraordinary. When Scott falls in love with the new girl in town, Ramona, he quickly learns (the hard way) that in order to date her he must defeat her seven evil exes.
It’s so rare that it’s just to call a film ‘refreshingly original’. Only a person that is truly in love with movies and, in this case, their subject matter can create something as kinetic and satisfying a film like this. This is absolutely a film meant to please as anyone interested in it knows, (to some extent) what they’re in store for. Happily, Wright delivers the goods plus more. The comedy is fierce, the action is amped, and the entertainment is off the charts. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World might go down as the most criminally unseen film of the summer.
Inception (2010)
Jul 16th
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page
Director: Christopher Nolan
Country: USA
Genre: Thriller
Perhaps the best movie about dreams ever made.
There aren’t many directors out there, even including Spielberg, who can make such huge towering blockbusters without sacrificing some intelligence of the script. Christopher Nolan is of a very rare breed whose films are luscious to look at, emotionally effecting, and smart in their subversive nature. Inception is one in a long line of films that will certainly go down in history as Nolan’s legacy. Here he blends the dissident commentary of science fiction with the thrilling aspects of big budget action with a story that’s as unique as anything on the indie circuit. The entire cast is well picked, and while it’s not necessarily an ‘actors’ film, each actor contributes something invaluable to their roles. Nolan navigates his trademark tortured lead character through a maze of the mind, body, and soul in what’s certainly one of the most remarkable blockbusters ever made.
Top 10 Popcorn Flicks of the 2000s
Jul 10th
We all love going to the movies. That’s why you’re here, right? Well, since it’s summer and Blockbusters rule the world at the moment, I thought it would be a great time to put out my Top 10 Popcorn Flicks – those movies that go so well with a bucket-o-popcorn (or Kettlecorn for you sweettooths out there.) There are a lot of great popcorn movies – hell, most movies that are released are made to be viewed over the wide brim of a jumbo bucket, but only a handful are memorable, great, or even the best.
As per usual, these films are listed chronologically and are otherwise not listed in any specific order. Feel free to leave your own top ten popcorn flicks in the comments!
Enjoy!
Snatch. (2000)
Crime doesn’t pay, it steals your dignity. This super stylish crime comedy influenced countless films over the last ten years – few that ever reached the same level of fun.
1001 Movie Club: The General (1927)
May 21st
As Tarantino so aptly put it in [a deleted scene from] Pulp Fiction, there are Elvis fans and there are Beatles fans. You can be fans of both, but ultimately you lean in one direction more than the other. The same can be said of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. No matter which side of the line you are on, it’s hard to deny the talents of the other, particularly with a work like The General.
Keaton is far more of a stunt man than Chaplin, setting up elaborate and death-defying acts that are also a visual treat for audiences. This 1927 film is definitely Keaton’s opus. The spectacle achieved in this film (all real!) is something to behold.
The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)
May 3rd
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Byung-hun Lee, Woo-sung Jung
Director: Ji-woon Kim
Country: South Korea
Genre: Foreign, Adventure
Hollywood Blockbusters, pay attention. This is how it’s done.
Every year it seems more and more blockbusters are being released with bigger budgets and new gimmicks to get people in the seats of the theater. But only rarely are the experiences entirely satisfying. Enter The Good, the Bad, the Weird to fill that void. This is good ol’ filmmaking at its best. Sure there are visual effects shots, but there are also stunts. Real stunts. Real explosions. Real adventure. Real fun. Taking tips from adventure flicks from all different countries in different generations, GBW seems to relish in basking in the shadow of its predecessors (The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, Indiana Jones, even Tarantino and Kurosawa can be felt here,) and its this that allows it to rise to the occasion. It’s chock full of South Korean culture, from the humor to the characters, but it’s also incredibly transcendent. If there’s no other reason to see this film, it’s the epic chase/shoot-out scene to end all chase/shoot-out scenes (REAL STUNTS.) Don’t forget to breathe.
The Host (2006)
Apr 23rd
SCIENCE FICTION PICK:
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Hee-bong Byeon, Hae-il Park
Director: Joon-ho Bong
Country: South Korea
Genre: Foreign, Sci-Fi
As far as modern monster flicks go, this is as fun as they come.
The director of Memories of Murder brings us another enticingly directed film in the form of the often humorous and subtly tragic creature-feature The Host. It focuses on one family of slight losers trying to save the life of the youngest, the daughter of loseriest brother, after being taken off by a giant sea creature. The first scene where we get to see the monster is by far the best since the Harryhausen days. Joon-ho Bong finds a steady balance of drama and humor, never ceasing to show the consequences of destruction, but quick to show character’s incompetence. The monster itself is a bumbling idiot, in a way similar to the family of main characters. The Host‘s biggest downfall is that it’s a bit overlong, but it builds to a very satisfying conclusion that’ll have you cheering for the underdogs.
An In-Depth Look: King Kong (2005)
Apr 7th
At the turn of the century, Peter Jackson revolutionized blockbuster cinema. His Lord of the Rings trilogy was undeniably influential. The scope alone of such an epic collection of films is awe-inspiring, but in time what might be considered the most radical facet is the use of CGI, not only for monumental battle sequences, but also in creating an entirely digital central character.
After the long and arduous post-production process on Lord of the Rings, Jackson quickly began work on his next mythological project: King Kong. It was released only two years after the final chapter of the LoTR movies, and to an unfortunate lackluster response. But why?
