365 Movie Challenge - Week 26

With week twenty six in the books that means the year is half over. In the last six months I have watched some great movies. Here is to another 6 months and more great movies.

Below are my movies of the week:

June 23           

               Captain Ron (Directed by Thom E. Eberhardt) Another oldie but a goodie from my childhood. Bumbling family man inherits a yacht and needs to get it to Miami to sell it. Well, being from Chicago he doesn't know how to sail so enter Captain Ron who might be the worst yet sweetest boat captain you'll ever meet. Everything that can go wrong does go wrong. But in the end everything works out, who could have guessed. When I was growing up this was one of my dad’s favorite movies.

               Drive Angry (Directed by Patrick Lussier) This movie is not to be taken seriously at all. Once you do that it is a fun throwback action movie. Nic Cage is hit and miss at times but I thought this was a hit for him. Reminds me of classic revenge movies from so many years ago. I enjoyed the supporting cast that helped fill the movie, especially Amber Heard.

               Star Trek: First Contact (Directed by Jonathan Frakes) I was never a big fan of the Star Trek TV show, even The Next Generation. But I am a fan of this movie. I like the Time Travel aspect and the cast as a whole.

               Planet Hulk (Directed by Sam Liu) Marvel really needs to work on their animated films. The animation and storyline were lacking big time. I had hoped the more recent animated Marvel movies would be better but I was mistaken.

June 24

               Source Code (Directed by Duncan Jones) Fun technology oriented action movie about a former soldier being sent back in time to the same 8 minutes over and over again to stop a terrorist attack. The fact that Michelle Monaghan was in it made it that much better.

June 26

               Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Directed by Doug Liman) The film that broke up Jennifer Aniston's marriage is a kick ass adventure from beginning to end. Seeing Brad and Angelina go from trying to kill one another to competing for the best kills is always fun to watch.

June 27

               Finding Nemo (Directed by Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich) Finding Nemo is one of Pixar's best films and shows how creativie they can be. I wish the current Pixar would take a cue from the past and put more effort in to their movies instead of going for cheap sequels.

               Gone (Directed by Heitor Dhalia) I liked the concept of this movie, a girl who was kidnapped now hunts down for the kidnapper after he takes her sister. I didn't like the movie in general though.

June 28

               Point Break (Directed by Kathryn Bigelow) Classic, plain and simple! If you haven't seen this movie and are an action junkie then go check it out NOW! Swayze, Reeves and Busey all deliver in this presidential surfer flick.

June 29

               White House Down (Directed by Roland Emmerich) I've talked bad about Emmerich in the past but White House Down is the best thing he has done since Independence Day. Lots of action and explosions along with just enough cheesy humor to round it out. Channing Tatum has come a very long way from Step Up to be a legit action star.

               The Italian Job (1969) (Directed by Peter Collinson) This movie confused me so much. I know what it is about but I could never figure how who the different characters were and what the hell was going on in the prison. Plus it just ends with them hanging over a cliff.

               Horrible Bosses (Directed by Seth Gordon) A couple years ago I made the mistake of choosing to see Hangover 2 instead of Horrible Bosses. I still regret that decision. This movie is hilarious as each boss has their own evil traits. This was the first movie in a long time that I liked Jennifer Aniston in. It was nice to see her get away from her old "Friends" persona.

Movies Watched: 296

Movies To Go: 69

365 Movie Challenge - Week 25

Week twenty five included some good movies and some BAD ones. It also included one of the best movies of the year so far, WWZ! 365 Challenge is 77% complete for the year.

Below are my movies of the week:

June 16

               Paul (Directed by Greg Mottola) This sci-fi comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is hilarious. Seth Rogen (yes the guy I am not a big fan of) was great as Paul the alien who is trying to get back home. The cast of characters and numerous pop culture references are what really sell this movie.

               Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui) It is hard to believe that the same person wrote this movie and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Show. This movie is cheesy and reminds me a bit of Clueless, but with vampires. It is fun in parts and fast so it is easy to get lost for 90 minutes.

June 18

               Cars 2 (Directed by John Lasseter & Brad Lewis) I wanted to hate this movie because I thought it was a cheap sequel that should have been Direct to Video. I was right about it being a bit cheap, the animation seemed off and not up to Pixar standards. But, I enjoyed it in the end and laughed more than a couple times and I don't even like Larry the Cable Guy. I can see why kids enjoyed this movie, because the kid in me sure did.

June 19

               Van Helsing (Directed by Stephen Sommers) I forgot how bad this movie was. I love the cast and the premise of the movie but the execution of the story was bad. Stephen Sommers was hot coming off the successful Mummy and Mummy Returns films but this movie stopped that progression. This was the last feature that he directed for a good 5 years and it is easy to see why.

               The Lion King (Directed by Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff) I was 12 years-old when this movie first came out and I remember going to see it with my family and falling in love with the colors, the characters and the story. Fast forward almost 20 years and I felt the exact same way watching this movie again.

               2012 (Directed by Roland Emmerich) I'm not totally sure how you decide on making John Cusack the hero of your action adventure movie but that’s why I don't make the big Hollywood bucks. The special effects in this movie were over the top crazy but that is what made it fun. The story itself was similar to most Emmerich disaster films.

June 20

               Men in Black 3 (Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld) Men in Black was an amazing movie that was so much fun to watch. Men in Black 2's fun moments were few and far between. Men in Black 3 felt a lot more like the original. The time travel storyline and new cast of characters kept me interested from beginning to end. It is a bit creepy how much Josh Brolin resembled a younger Tommy Lee Jones.

June 21

               Conan the Barbarian (1982) (Directed by John Milius) No offense to my good friend John, but this movie was BORING. I watched it again after he questioned my comments about the Conan remake that I watched a couple weeks ago. I have to say my comments made about that movie are correct, this one is worse than the remake. I just about fell asleep watching this, so I decided to re-watch the parts I was confused about after a good night’s sleep. Yep it was still boring.

June 22

               World War Z (Directed by Marc Forster) I'm a fan of Zombie films and TV shows. Up until now we've seen Zombies in one main form, slow moving. In World War Z the zombies move faster than I have ever moved in my life, maybe I should become a zombie. That made them more terrifying to me than previous zombie styles. I also enjoyed this movie because I am a fan of Brad Pitt and this is not your typical Brad Pitt movie. After seeing this film I want to go back and give the book of the same name another shot. The first time I tried to read it I didn't finish it because it didn't catch my interest right away.

               The Company Men (Directed by John Wells) Very strong cast of actors in this film about the lives of 3 men as their company is downsized and the effects it has on all aspects of their lives. The only thing I knew about this movie before watching it was who was in it. The movie is a bit depressing but I know it is honest in reflecting what a number of companies have been going through the last few years.

               Oz the Great and Powerful (Directed by Sam Raimi) Up until the final "battle" in Emerald City I was bored by the movie. I really have a problem with James Franco at times and his cocky attitude for most of this movie was the main reason. Visually the movie is beautiful and reminds me of a Tim Burton film. My other major qualm with this movie was the horrible treatment of Mila Kunis. Who in their right minds would turn such a beautiful woman green?

Movies Watched: 284

Movies To Go: 81

365 Movie Challenge - Week 24

Week twenty four saw me get under the century mark for remaining movies. Its been a fun adventure thus far. I'm looking forward to the final run of films..

Below are my movies of the week:

June 9

             Conan the Barbarian (2011) (Directed by Marcus Nispel) Watched this after talking to a friend about it and I didn't think it was that bad of a remake. It is hard to be worse than the original Conan movie. The actor that played Conan is fun to watch and as we've seen lately, he is getting more and more popular in Hollywood.

             Liar Liar (Directed by Tom Shadyac) Very fun Jim Carrey movie during the peak of his career. The one liners out of Jim's mouth as he is unable to lie are hilarious. The message behind the movie is heartfelt.

             Serenity (Directed by Joss Whedon) WWJD? What Would Joss Do? Oh he would just deliver an amazing movie to follow-up the cancelled too soon Firefly TV show. I am a big Joss fan but his killing of Wash late in the movie was a complete shocker and the most upsetting death he has delivered in all of his projects.

             Bad Boys II (Directed by Michael Bay) I posed a question shortly after watching this to why we have never seen a Bad Boy 3 and my friend John put it best. You can't top Bad Boys 2. The action, comedy and plot were all on point. Michael Bay needs to look back and see what made this movie work.

June 10

             Snitch (Directed by Ric Roman Waugh) Based on a true story about a dad who volunteers to go undercover and become a snitch for the government to help release his son from prison. The story was compelling and I enjoy pretty much anything that The Rock stars in.

June 11

             Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (Directed by Lauren Montgomery) Solid DC animated feature pitting Superman and Batman against Darkseid on Apokolips. I know I have said it before but I will say it again, DC knows how to deliver high quality animated films.

June 12

             Air Force One (Directed by Wolfgang Petersen) Air Force One and all its passengers are taken hostage by terrorists and President Harrison Ford has to save them all while taking down the terrorists. The action scenes were good but the CGI looked like it was created by a college freshman film student.

June 13

             This is the End (Directed by Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen) The comedy starring some of Hollywood's most popular stars trying to survive the Apocalypse was funny in parts. I am not a huge fan of James Franco or Seth Rogen because I feel they play the same type of characters at times. But I do really like Jay Baruchel and Craig Robinson so that more than made up for the stars I don't like as much. The cameos in the movie are what make it though, The GIMP!

June 14

             Man of Steel (Directed by Zach Snyder) Superman is back and better then ever. Very solid origin story with a strong cast of characters, except for maybe Amy Adams. I can see why Amy was cast as Lois Lane but I felt at times her character was lacking in comparison to Superman, Jor-El and General Zod. I look forward to the already announced sequel.

             Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Directed by Brad Bird) The Mission: Impossible series continues its rebirth with Ghost Protocol. Tom Cruise is back kicking ass as agent Ethan Hunt who with his new team of agents work to stop a nuclear attack.

             Spies Like Us (Directed by John Landis) Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd star as bumbling spies working for the U.S. Government. Chevy Chase had a number of great one-liners in the movie that though it is almost 30 years old is still very enjoyable.

June 15

             The Replacements (Directed by Howard Deutch) Fun comedy with an interesting cast pf characters about a pro football league that sees its players go on strike so replacements are brought in. The movie is stupid in parts but I still enjoy watching it from time to time. This is one of those movies I remember the first time I saw it and who I saw it with.

             Jay and Silent Bob Go Down Under (Directed by J.C. Reifenberg) Another filmed Q and A of the Jay and Silent Bob Get Old podcast this time from Australia. I have heard a number of the stories previously but it is much more enjoyable seeing Jay's facial mannerisms as he tells them.

             xXx (Directed by Rob Cohen) Vin Diesel is a bad ass action star who is recruited to go undercover for the NSA. I know they hoped this movie would spawn a number of sequels and I wish it had but Vin left the series before the sequel came out which really hindered its success. The action scenes and weapons in this movie was a lot of fun to watch.

Movies Watched: 273

Movies To Go: 92

365 Movie Challenge - Week 23

I found my new Ocean's Eleven during week twenty three. I am closing in on less than 100 movies for the year.

Below are my movies of the week:

June 2

               The Goonies (Directed by Richard Donner) I have yet to meet someone my age that has not seen this classic. 28 years later it is still a lot of fun to watch. I know a few of my friends that have now introduced their children to the movie. We all wanted to have a group of friends like the Goonies growing up. If you disagree then you are crazy.

               Vegas Vacation (Directed by Stephen Kessler) This wasn't as fun as I originally remember it being. There are a few one liners that I still laugh at but overall it is a very mediocre attempt at a Griswold family movie.

               Street Fighter (Directed by Steven E. de Souza) I use to drop quarter after quarter at the arcade to play this game, I usually fought at Ryu or Chun-Li. When this movie first came out my brother and I were dying to see it. I still remember going to see it with my dad and everything that went on that day leading up to going to the movie; yes I remember the weirdest things. As for the movie it is super cheesy and makes very little sense but I still enjoy watching it every couple of years. Van Damme is classic cheesy Van Damme in this film.

June 4

               Real Steel (Directed by Shawn Levy) I really like this movie. Not because of the story about an estranged father and son coming together. Not because of character development by Jackman as he tries to pick himself back up and rebuild his life. I like this movie because there are crazy looking robots fighting one another to the death. This movie is a mash-up of Rocky and Transformers. No matter what other people think of it I still get a kick of watching it time and time again.

June 5

               Bad Boys (Directed by Michael Bay) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air plus Martin plus Michael Bay action equals tons of fun. Take out the action in the movie and you still have a very funny comedy.

June 6

               The Ringer (Directed by Barry W. Blaustein) A movie about a guy trying to cheat in the Special Olympics might not sound like a good idea but The Rigner is an enjoyable movie. The love story between the two main stars felt forced and boring but the movie really shines because of the supporting cast.

June 8

               Now You See Me (Directed by Louis Leterrier) Now You See Me is one of those movies I will enjoy watching over and over again. This movie was described to me as Ocean's Eleven with magicians. I love Ocean's Eleven and this is my new Ocean's Eleven for years to come.

               Parker (Directed by Taylor Hackford) Jason Statham is a fun action star and this movie was perfect for him. It wasn't completely over the top like some of his other movies and Jennifer Lopez wasn't that bad in it either.

               Battleship (Directed by Peter Berg) The simplest description I can think for this movie is Popcorn Action Flick. Not the best thing out there but it was something fun to watch at 11 on a Saturday night.

Movies Watched: 259

Movies To Go: 106

365 Movie Challenge - Week 22

Week twenty two was a steady week of movie watching in between work and going to Comic Con.

Below are my movies of the week:

May 26         

               Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (Directed by Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg) Not as good as the original but the humor was still there. Rob Corddry was great as an overzealous Federal Agent. Neil Patrick Harris comes through again as well.

May 27

               The Toy (Directed by Richard Donner) Brewster's Millions and this were my introduction to Richard Pryor growing up. The premise of the movie is a bit weird, about an unemployed reporter who is hired to be a spoiled brat’s toy.

               Bullet to the Head (Directed by Walter Hill) Sly is back to his old ways in this action film about a hired gun teaming up with a cop to find out who hired him, and then killed his partner. I can see why this movie didn't last long in theaters, it isn't very good.

May 28

               Road House (Directed by Rowdy Herrington) This movie is RIDICULOUS!!! But that makes it so enjoyable. Patrick Swayze stars as Dalton a well-known bouncer (I didn't know they had reputations) brought in to clean up a small town bar filled with the wrong type of people. The action and dialogue is over the top but like I said, it helps make this movie a classic.

May 29

               Mr. Baseball (Directed by Fred Schepisi) Tom Selleck stars as a Major League Baseball player in a bit of a slump who is traded to a team in Japan, thus making him a fish out of water in a new land. The sub-plots in the movie are nothing new, guy loves girl, girl's father doesn't approve, guy and girl's father don't get along.

               Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (Directed by Peter Hewitt) Just because the first one was popular doesn't mean you have to make a sequel. If you are going to make a sequel to a movie featuring George Carlin make sure to use Carlin for more than five minutes in it. I didn't remember this movie being as bad as it really is; now I know.

               Cheaters (Directed by John Stockwell) I can neither confirm nor deny that I cheated in High School but if I did it was not on the scaled that the kids in this film did. Based on a true story a teacher and eleven students conspire to cheat their way through the State's Academic Decathlon. After winning the competition one of the team members becomes jealous and reveals something fishy might be up which brings on even more media scrutiny.

May 30

               Touchback (Directed by Don Handfield) Star High School QB leads his team to a state title on the final play of the game but also ends his career due to an injury. Fast forward 15 years and he is a struggling soy bean farmer married with two kids and in financial trouble with the bank. During a suicide attempt he is transported back 15 years to the week of his injury. He plans to do things differently and make it all right, but does he?

May 31

               Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (Directed by Morgan Spurlock) I watched this documentary from Morgan Spurlock in prep of going to the Denver Comic Con (which I must say was a blast) about the different type of people that head to San Diego Comic Con each year. It was an interesting look at the different things available at a Con. I found the portfolio reviews very interesting and was glad they showed two different people looking to get reviewed. Commentary was provided throughout the entire film by some of the top directors and geeks out there today, including Joss Whedon, Robert Kirkman and Kevin Smith.

44 Different Movies Watched in May. 248 Movies in 151 Days

June 1

               Mallrats (Directed by Kevin Smith) Kevin Smith's follow-up to Clerks was widely panned by critics but I still find it enjoyable to watch. I was never a mallrat growing up but I can see why some of my friends were, especially back when malls were more popular.

               Killing Lincoln (Directed by Adrian Moat) Interesting film narrated by Tom Hanks about the final days of President Lincoln's life as well as the assassination plot thought up by John Wilkes Booth that was originally intended to be just a kidnapping plot. I had never heard about in detail the other plots to kill high ranking government officials on the same night until watching this film. Billy Campbell did a very good job as Abraham Lincoln especially after seeing Daniel Day-Lewis in the same role months earlier.

Movies Watched: 250

Movies To Go: 115