Daily Special: Week 36

With August now in the rear view mirror there are only four months left before this challenge is complete. Of the 451 movies watched so far this year, 412 of them are movie challenge originals over the past two years.

Below are my movies of the week:

August 31

             The Hundred-Foot Journey (Directed by Lasse Hallström) I saw this with my parents and we all liked it. The plot to the movie was enjoyable but the scenery was the best thing about it.

             Barbershop 2: Back in Business (Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan) Not nearly as fun as the original was. It still had some funny one-liners, but it also felt like it wasn't as creative as the first one.

             Brick Mansions (Directed by Camille Delamarre) This movie was a complete mess. Had Paul Walker not passed away last fall I don't think this movie would have ever made it to the theater. It would have been direct to video right alongside the new Universal Soldier movie with Van Damme.

Movies watched in 31 of 31 Days. 60 Total Movies in July. 440 Movies in 8 Months.

September 1

             Class Act (Directed by Randall Miller) This is one of those movies that whenever I come across it I have to watch it. I am drawn to it for some reason. I don't know why, I just can't get enough of the movie.

             Chef (Directed by Jon Favreau) One of the simplest movies of the year is now one of my favorites. Who would have thought a movie about a guy bonding with his kid on a food truck would work? Oh wait, Favreau did.

             Casino Royale (Directed by Martin Campbell) The Daniel Craig era as James Bond kicked off with a great start. I really wish Eva Green could be a Bond girl all the time.

             Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction (Directed by Marty Callner) I lost track of the number of times I was laughing out loud while watching this comedy special. There was something very special about Robin Williams and his delivery.

September 2

             The One (Directed by James Wong) This futuristic martial arts film had a really cool concept about different versions of yourself living in different universes. I just wish they would not have started the movie when there were only two versions of the same person were left.

September 3

             The Big Lebowski (Directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) I must admit I didn't remember a lot about this movie when I started it. I had not seen it since it was originally released on DVD. Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors and pairing him with another favorite, John Goodman, is a homerun for me.

September 4

             Tomorrow Never Dies (Directed by Roger Spottiswoode) Elliot Carver was not one of the toughest Bond villains of memory, but Jonathan Pryce did a great job making the guy very menacing. I wish Teri Hatcher would have had a bigger role.

September 5

             The World Is Not Enough (Directed by Michael Apted) I get why Denise Richard's was chosen to be a 'Bond Girl' I just don't know why they chose her for this movie. I am not sure which is more ridiculous, her name being Christmas Jones or that we could believe her to be a nuclear physicist.

September 6

             The General's Daughter (Directed by Simon West) I had to do some research after watching this movie since it said it was based on a true story. The movie was based on a true story in broad terms, the finer details were changed I found out. I would not recommend this movie to people.

             Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (Directed by Brad Peyton) While not nearly as fun as the first one I still like this movie. It is simple adventure fun with some good visuals.

             Beverly Hills Cop 3 (Directed by John Landis) This has to be one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. The acting was bad, the special effects were bad and pretty much every person called an actor was bad. Even George Lucas looked distraught to be in this movie.

Days Watched: 249

Movies Watched: 451

Daily Special: Week 35

This seemed to be the week of Eddie Murphy and sports movies. Now if only I could find the perfect mix of both.

Below are my movies of the week:

August 24

             The Golden Child (Directed by Michael Ritchie) Eddie Murphy sure played some interesting characters in the 80's. This movie was released in between the first two Beverly Hills Cop movies. Eddie Murphy's comedic skills were put to good use, I only wish the special effects got a little more attention.

             Trading Places (Directed by John Landis) This just might be one of the best buddy comedy movies of all time. Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy work great as a team and both provide unique traits for their individual characters.

             Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Directed by Chris Columbus) Of all the Harry Potter characters the one character that annoyed me the most over the whole series was Dobby the House Elf. There is just something about him that makes my brain think I am hearing nails on a chalkboard.

August 25

             Batman: Assault on Arkham (Directed by Jay Oliva & Ethan Spaulding) This was another strong movie from DC Animated. I liked that they finally gave us The Riddler and the Suicide Squad. I hope we get more of both in the future.

August 26

             Hotel Transylvania (Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky) Adam Sandler should think about doing more animated movies. His humor and goofiness works well when animated. Plus it allows him to do more movies with all of his buddies.

August 27

             Indie Game: The Movie (Directed by Lisanne Pajot & James Swirsky) This was an interesting movie that took you behind the curtain and showed you what it is like to create an independently released video game. After watching this I wanted an Xbox 360 so I could try out Super Meat Boy.

August 28

             GoldenEye (Directed by Martin Campbell) This was Pierce Brosnan's first James Bond movie and his best in my opinion. This also gave us one of the best video games in the last 25 years.

August 29

             Coming to America (Directed by John Landis) This Eddie Murphy comedy is still extremely funny all these years later. I wish there were still comedies made like this today.

August 30

             Doom (Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak) Adapting video games in to movies can be very hit and miss. This is one of those times that it was a miss. The story was a mess and the characters were a collection of confusion.

             When the Game Stands Tall (Directed by Thomas Carter) I am always up for a true story inspired sports movie and this one fit the bill. I think some parts were over dramatized but it was still enjoyable.

             Into the Storm (Directed by Steven Quale) This is a disaster film pure and simple. The acting was over the top and so were the special effects. The flaming tornado was a fun sight to see.

             Draft Day (Directed by Ivan Reitman) I felt weird pulling for the Cleveland Browns in this movie. I have grown up a Broncos fan my entire life and I know it is just a movie, but I was hoping for them to get the better of the other teams.

Days Watched: 242

Movies Watched: 437

Daily Special: Week 34

This past week included a number of movies I watched numerous times while I was growing up. Lots of memories are tied to those movies.

Below are my movies of the week:

August 17

             WarGames (Directed by John Badham) Recently I re-read one of my favorite books Ready Player One. In the book it talks about this movie quite a bit. I finally found it streaming so I could watch it again.

             Aladdin (Directed by Ron Clements & John Musker) When I first heard that Robin Williams had passed I thought of this movie and that I hadn't watched it in over a decade. Playing the Genie was a perfect role for Mr. Williams because it allowed him to show off his wide range of comedic skills and still stay with the focus of the movie.

             Stand by Me (Directed by Rob Reiner) When I went to Best Buy a couple months ago I picked up this movie off the sale rack and it brought back memories of sitting down and watching it with my dad on VHS.

August 18

             Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda (Directed by Kevin O'Neill) Sometimes I think SyFy thinks up movies via a dart board or spinning wheels with different categories or characters on them. This is one movie that should never had been made and I am not sure how it could be made besides the dart method.

August 19

             Divergent (Directed by Neil Burger) It has been a few years since I read the book that this movie is based on. From what I remember from the book I think they did a good job adapting it for the big screen.

August 20

             Rudy (Directed by David Anspaugh) This is one of those movies I make sure to watch every couple of years right around the start of football season. Hearing the 'Rudy' chant still sends chills down my spine.

August 21

             Stomp the Yard (Directed by Sylvain White) This movie is a lot like Drumline but instead of drums it focuses around Stepping. Like the Step Up movies I enjoy this more for the dance routines than the movie storyline.

August 22

             The Guardian (Directed by Andrew Davis) Some people cannot stand Ashton Kutcher but I don't think he is that bad. I think he turns in one of his better career performances in this movie about members of the U.S. Coast Guard.

August 23

             Casting By (Directed by Tom Donahue) This was a very interesting documentary about casting directors over the years and how one person, Marion Dougherty, changed the industry. I really liked the old file footage and interviews with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

             Lewis Black: Old Yeller - Live at the Borgata (Directed by Zach Nial) Lewis Black is a loud and brash comedian that some people might not prefer. I am not one of those people and I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy special. Hearing him talk about the internet and joining Facebook were two of my favorite parts.

             Eraser (Directed by Chuck Russell) If the idea of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a U.S. marshal protecting Vanessa Williams sounds interesting to you this is the movie for you. If bad 'tech' talk, an impossible parachute scene and bad dialogue sounds interesting to you this also is the movie for you.

             Mrs. Doubtfire (Directed by Chris Columbus) Robin Williams left quite a mark on the entertainment world. This was one of my favorite movies from him when I was growing up. The scene with his court liaison where he tries to make her laugh is always funny.

Days Watched: 235

Movies Watched: 425

Daily Special: Week 33

This week included one of the original members of the Walking Dead club. Long Live Bernie!

Below are my movies of the week:

August 10

             The Long Kiss Goodnight (Directed by Renny Harlin) This was a pretty good action thriller. It felt a bit low budget but then it added in some crazy over the top explosions late in the movie.

             Muppets Most Wanted (Directed by James Bobin) I really wanted to like this movie. I liked the last Muppets movie but this one didn't bring anything new or exciting. I was bummed because I usually really like Tina and Ricky.

             Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Directed by Chris Columbus) I remember buying this movie on DVD after it first came out and that is how I learned about Harry Potter. At that point I didn't know it was a book series. Since then I have read all of the books a couple times and enjoyed the adventures they took me on. Columbus did a very good job of taking the book and putting it up on screen.

August 11

             Primal Fear (Directed by Gregory Hoblit) This was my introduction to Ed Norton and boy did it make an impact. Both of his split personality characters were unique in their own way and I liked that his transition between the two of them were so smooth.

August 12

             Race to Witch Mountain (Directed by Andy Fickman) What can I say, if the Rock is starring in a movie then I am going to watch it. This remake was not one I thought to be high on the priority list, but it was still fun.

August 13

             The Fisher King (Directed by Terry Gilliam) My friend John posted a quote from this movie after Robin Williams died and within a few minutes I came across it on Netflix. Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges were a great team in this movie

August 14

             Weekend at Bernie's (Directed by Ted Kotcheff) One more movie to add to the crazy characters from the 80's list. You would think this was a one and done movie but nope, they even made a sequel.

August 15

             Enemy of the State (Directed by Tony Scott) I have lost count on how many times I have watched this movie. Yet every time I watch it I feel like I am watching it for the first time, I get that in to it.

August 16

             The Substitute 4: Failure Is Not an Option (Directed by Robert Radler) It took less than two minutes to laugh at the toy-like gun bending when someone jumps and hits the gun hard. The Substitute series has officially hit the bottom.

             The Expendables 3 (Directed by Patrick Hughes) Watching this movie I got the feeling that they cut a lot of what was originally shot. I know they had to make it PG-13 but there were still a lot of plot holes. Mel Gibson was the best villain of the trilogy though.

             Locke (Directed by Steven Knight) You know you are a fan of an actor when you will watch him drive a car for 90 minutes by himself while he makes phone calls. You know a movie is good when after said 90 minutes you want to watch more.

Days Watched: 228

Movies Watched: 413

Daily Special: Week 32

My Ninja Turtles dreams were seriously damaged at one point this week. Thankfully there are always the classic movies.

Below are my movies of the week:

August 3

             Turbulence (Directed by Robert Butler) This is one of those movies that takes all forms of common sense and throws it out the window. The actions of the characters make no sense and if only it were that easy to make a U-turn and land a plane.

             Cop Land (Directed by James Mangold) This was an interesting movie about police corruption trickling down in to a small community. I really liked all of the actors they got together in the morning.

             Broken Arrow (Directed by John Woo) John Travolta makes a very good bad guy. Christian Slater on the other hand doesn't make for a very convincing good guy when it comes to an action movie.

             King's Ransom (Directed by Peter Berg) This ESPN 30 for 30 documentary was about Wayne Gretzky leaving the Edmonton Oilers for the Los Angeles Kings. I wasn't a huge hockey fan when I was younger because we didn't have a local team. I never knew there was so much drama involved in his leaving Edmonton. It is very normal to see players jump ship on a regular basis now.

August 4

             The Substitute 2: School's Out (Directed by Steven Pearl) I still like the original Substitute movie more but for a DTV movie it wasn't horrible. It does have the a similar flaw that all DTV sequels have, it has the same original plot except for a couple differences

August 5

             Bolt (Directed by Byron Howard & Chris Williams) I hadn't see this Disney animated film in a few years but it was still enjoyable. I wonder if they did a sequel now would the little girl have grown up and have a lifestyle resembling Miley Cyrus still?

August 6

             Shooter (Directed by Antoine Fuqua) This is one of my favorite Mark Wahlberg movies. I like the general plot of the movie and I think he fits the character perfectly. This is also the movie that introduced me to the beautiful Kate Mara.

August 7

             The Birdcage (Directed by Mike Nichols) This was the first time I ever remember watching this movie, it was HILARIOUS. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a couple are great.

August 8

             The Sentinel (Directed by Clark Johnson) Jack Bauer joins the Secret Service and needs the help of a Desperate Housewife to stop a presidential assassination while Michael Douglas hooks up with the first lady. How is that for a synopsis?

             Radio (Directed by Michael Tollin) Hard not to enjoy a good football movie was a strong back story. Ed Harris totally looks like an old school football coach.

             Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (Directed by Edward Neumeier) The producers of this movie should really talk to the people working at SyFy to learn how to make a somewhat tolerable movie. They really should have stopped with the first Starship Troopers.

             The Battered Bastards of Baseball (Directed by Chapman Way & Maclain Way) I love this Netflix documentary about the first independent baseball team that was formed back in the 70's. It was a very interesting story and the footage was great to see. I look forward to the Hollywood movie and seeing Kurt Russell play his own dad.

August 9

             The Warriors (Directed by Walter Hill) This was one of my brothers favorite movies when he was a teenager. He watched it all the time and somehow I didn't watch it until now. James Remar was a great asshole in this movie.

             Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) (Directed by Jonathan Liebesman) This is officially the worst movie I have seen this summer in theaters. I was not expecting much going in but I got a lot less than I was at least hoping for.

             Fire with Fire (Directed by David Barrett) This direct to video movie was good. I liked the cast and the story was plausible.

             Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (Directed by Michael Pressman) Not the greatest movie in the world by far but still so much better than the newest Ninja Turtles movie that I watched earlier today. These will always be my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Days Watched: 221

Movies Watched: 402

Daily Special: Week 31

Well July is now behind me and boy did I watch a lot of movies last month.

Below are my movies of the week:

July 27

            The Karate Kid, Part II (Directed by John G. Avildsen) For some reason this movie used to be my least favorite in the Karate Kid series. Watching it now though, it is one of my favorites. There is a lot more of an overall story presented.

            Getaway (Directed by Courtney Solomon) I don't like bad movies. I really don't like bad movies that make very little to no sense, this was one of those movies. The setup made no sense, the characters made no sense and end goal made no sense.

            Choke (Directed by Clark Gregg) This movie was not what I expected but it still told a good story. Sam Rockwell is always so much fun to watch.

            The Very Best of WCW Nitro (Directed by Kevin Dunn) I really like that the WWE Network is streaming a number of their documentaries. I used to be a fan of WCW Nitro back when WWE was trying to get their shit together. Once the Attitude era in WWE started it went downhill fast for WCW and Monday Night Nitro.

July 28

            The Proposal (Directed by Anne Fletcher) Ryan and Sandra have great on-screen chemistry. I also like pretty much any movie with Craig T. Nelson in it, I have always liked him since his Coach days.

July 29

            The Usual Suspects (Directed by Bryan Singer) This is always a fun thriller to watch. There are enough twists to keep the viewer guessing until the very end.

            Kumail Nanjiani: Beta Male (Directed by Marcus Raboy) Kumail Nanjiani is one of my top three favorite comedians right now. Anything he is in I try and find a way to watch. I hope he gets to do another stand up special in the near future.

July 30

            Dutch (Directed by Peter Faiman) This was the only thing I was allowed to watch growing up with Ed O'Neill in it. There was no way my parents would let me watch Married with Children. They didn't want my fragile innocence to be tarnished, oh well it was worth a shot.

July 31

            Journey to the Center of the Earth (Directed by Eric Brevig) I really wish Brendan Fraser would have stayed with this series after this movie. His goofiness is a perfect fit for this movie.

Movies watched in 31 of 31 Days. 61 Total Movies in July. 380 Movies in 7 Months.

August 1

             Sharknado (Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante) The surprise SyFy hit of last summer is still really cheesy but oddly loveable. SyFy knows how to make bad B movies.

             Sharknado 2: The Second One (Directed by Anthony C. Ferrante) They did it again! SyFy found a way to "jump the shark" even more than they did last year when it comes to cheesy B movies.

August 2

             Grandma's Boy (Directed by Nicholaus Goossen) I love this movie. It reminds me a lot of what old Adam Sandler movies were like. Lots of funny characters and a creative plot.

             Blue Streak (Directed by Les Mayfield) Martin Lawrence teamed up with Luke Wilson made for a pretty enjoyable Buddy Cop movie. It was left open for a sequel or two but sadly we never got one.

             Simon Sez (Directed by Kevin Elders) I was a huge Dennis Rodman fan when I was a teenager. I wore his Rodman shoes for all of high school. This movie makes me question my frame of mind back then because Dane Cook and he are horrible actors.

             Guardians of the Galaxy (Directed by James Gunn) This movie made me feel the same way I did when I first saw Iron Man. Seeing a whole new world with endless adventures created right before my eyes. I was in complete awe.

Days Watched: 214

Movies Watched: 386