365 Movie Challenge - Week 47

Week forty-seven included movie number 500 for the year. When I first started this challenge I was unsure if I would even hit my original goal of 365.

Below are my movies of the week:

November 17

               Nitro Circus: The Movie (Directed by Gregg Godfrey & Jeremy Rawle) This was a fun movie to watch. It reminded me of X-Games meets Jackass. The stunts pulled in this movie are crazy and the crew is pretty enjoyable to listen to as well. Some of them were funnier than others but it was still a lot of fun to watch. The interview clips from X Games athletes and Hollywood stars were a nice addition to the movie.

               Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (Directed by Jay Roach) When my brother and I were growing up this was one of his favorite movies. He watched it so many times I am pretty sure he could recite the movie verbatim without any trouble. It has been at least 7 years since I last watched it and I still found myself laughing throughout. Some of the jokes feel dated and aren't as funny but overall it is still an enjoyable movie.

  

November 18

               What Women Want (Directed by Nancy Meyers) I remember liking this movie when it first came out but now I just find it boring and very cliché. Even the one-liners I previously laughed at didn't do anything for me.

 November 20

               The Beaver (Directed by Jodie Foster) Just last week I referenced this movie in a joke to a friend and they told me that they really liked this movie. Having never watched it I decided to give it a shot and I now realize I was completely wrong in my previous comments about this movie. This is a very good movie that shows the effects that mental illness have on people and also how it is handled differently by people. The casting was very strong and I especially enjoyed Anton Yelchin's performance. He and fellow co-star Jennifer Lawrence are two of my favorite young actors in Hollywood.

November 21

               Clerks II (Directed by Kevin Smith) I love this movie. Like other Kevin Smith creations it has little moments that make you laugh but at the same time make you yell at yourself for laughing at something so inappropriate. My introduction to Kevin Smith was Clerks and it was nice to see the old characters back on screen.

               Bernie and Ernie (Directed by Jason Hehir) This was an interesting ESPN 30 for 30 special about former Tennessee Volunteer teammates and later NBA stars Bernard King & Ernie Grunfeld. I knew nothing about these two guys before watching this documentary but it was very interesting to see how two people from the completely opposite side of the tracks became great teammates on the court and lifelong friends off the court.

November 22

               The Green Lantern (Directed by Martin Campbell) I picked this as movie 500 for the year because it reminds me of my grandmother. She passed away two and a half years ago and on that day I was at a loss of what to do. My mom told me to go see a movie because she said my grandma knew seeing movies made me happy and she would want me happy. So that day I decided to see The Green Lantern that just opened that day. The movie is not very good but that doesn't matter because it will always remind me of her and that puts a smile on my face.

November 23

               Back to the Future Part III (Directed by Robert Zemeckis) Growing up I really enjoyed Back to the Future Part I & II. Also, while growing up I tried to forget about Back to the Future III. This movie felt like it was put together following a night of drinking while watching a really cheesy western on TV.

               The Terminal (Directed by Steven Spielberg) I forgot this was a Steven Spielberg movie, for some reason I always thought it was from Robert Zemeckis. It isn't the best Spielberg has delivered but I still really enjoy this movie. I think that is because Tom Hanks is a great actor and even he can make a guy trapped in an airport for months exciting.

               Batman Returns (Directed by Tim Burton) I had forgotten how dark and weird this movie was, it is Tim Burton at his best. If you took out Batman as the hero of this movie it would still be very enjoyable because all the other characters have their own personalities that could help carry the movie.

Movies Watched: 503

Movies To Go for 2.0: 0

Bonus Movies Watched: 3

365 Movie Challenge - Week 46

Week forty-six included more than a couple bad movies but I made sure to include some extra good ones to balance it out. Challenge Goal 2.0 looks to be finishing up this week.

Below are my movies of the week:

November 10

               Outbreak (Directed by Wolfgang Petersen) Not sure why I decided to watch this movie but I woke up and as soon as I saw it in my DVR I knew it was the one to watch. This movie is filled with a great cast of characters. What makes it different from other movies filled with big name actors is, it doesn't suck. It has a good plot along the lines of Contagion in which it is very plausible and thus very scary to think it could happen.

               Straight Outta L.A. (Directed by Ice Cube) Growing up in Denver I've always been a Denver Broncos fan. In turn I have also despised the L.A/Oakland Raiders and Al Davis. This ESPN 30 for 30 was interesting because while I can't stand the Raiders I was very interested to learn about their influence on west coast rap in the late 80's. I also didn't know where the term 'Gangster Rap' came from until seeing this.

November 12

               2 Guns (Directed by Baltasar Kormákur) I enjoyed this Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington team-up movie. It had a fun plot with some good action. It was also very cool to see Edward James Olmos again. It had been a few years since I saw him in a movie.

               Last Vegas (Directed by Jon Turteltaub) Saw this with my parents and while it wasn't amazing or a new classic it was still enjoyable. I was really excited to see Kevin Kline and Morgan Freeman on screen. I wish I could find out how much it cost to coat Michael Douglas in makeup because it sure looked like a lot.

November 13

               Speed Racer (Directed by Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski) Why did it take me so long to watch this movie? From the opening scenes this movie had me sucked in and I was a bit bummed when it was finally over. The story was interesting but the visuals are what really had me hooked. The Wachowski's proved yet again that they know what they are doing when it comes to movies.

November 14

               Elysium (Directed by Neill Blomkamp) This was not the follow-up to District 9 I was hoping for from Blomkamp. District 9 was a cool movie with a good message. This movie on the other hand was not. Matt Damon was solid in it but the story as well as most his co-stars were lacking. I'm not really sure what has happened to Jodie Foster but I didn't feel any emotion towards her character except boredom.

               Taken 2 (Directed by Olivier Megaton) I knew this movie was going to be bad but it was on my DVR and I have a hard time deleting stuff that I haven't watched. The only thing I can say about this movie is I would never want to travel with Liam Neeson's character. He just invited danger it seems and unbelievable action too.

November 15

               Lockout (2012) (Directed by James Mather & Stephen St. Leger) Not sure how I ended up watching two movies in a row where Maggie Grace was in danger but I did. This movie was almost as hard to watch as Taken 2 was. I think I have an idea what the producers and directors were going for but it didn't happen in the end. This movie has the worst and most unbelievable re-entry from space scene I have ever seen. If that wasn't bad enough the last 5 minutes of the movie wraps up the sub-plot of the movie with maybe 5 lines of dialogue and lots of cut scenes.

               Big (Directed by Penny Marshall) This is another favorite from my childhood that I always enjoy watching. I don't know anyone that doesn't enjoy this Tom Hanks film. Whether it is the giant piano scene or jumping on a trampoline in your living room this movie shows the fun things kids want to do but their parents don't usually allow them to do.

November 16

               The World's End (Directed by Edgar Wright) I was really looking forward to this movie because of how much I enjoyed the first two movies in the trilogy, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Sadly I was disappointed with how this movie turned out. It was a cool concept but it never seemed to fully come together and the ending made no sense at all.

               Cliffhanger (Directed by Renny Harlin) I felt like watching a cheesy action movie while cleaning house and I picked this one. The sad part is I didn't get a lot of cleaning done because I kept stopping to watch Sly climb cliffs while kicking ass and taking names.

               Jedi Junkies (Directed by Mark Edlitz) The one thing that I remember most about this documentary about Star Wars fans was Olivia Munn offering a guy the chance to feel her boobs since she thinks he's never come close to doing so. This wasn't the best documentary I have ever seen but it also wasn't the worst. I had no clue how many different fan films for Star Wars were out there.

Movies Watched: 493

Movies To Go for 2.0: 7

365 Movie Challenge - Week 45

Week forty-five felt a lot like earlier this year when I could get through a bunch of movies. I am thinking I will be able to hit Challenge Goal 2.0 on or before Thanksgiving.

Below are my movies of the week:

November 3

               The Internship (Directed by Shawn Levy) I barely made it through the first half of this movie. The second half did provide me with some laughs but overall this movie was not good. Coming from a Google fanboy they didn't have to do this. Vaughn and Wilson should have stuck with Wedding Crashers as their team-up movie. Their humor feels dated in this movie.

               Four Days in October (Directed by Gary Waksman) With the Red Sox winning their third World Series in 9 years I figured it was time to watch this ESPN 30 for 30 about the 2004 ALCS when the Red Sox came back from down 3 games to none to beat the Yankees in 7 games. As long as you aren't a diehard Yankees fan this documentary is a lot of fun to watch. It is so easy to feel the excitement during Games 4 through 7.

               Resident Evil: Retribution (Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson) What makes each Resident Evil movie stand out from one another? I am pretty sure it is the subtitle because storyline wise I can't tell a difference at all.

November 4

               The Kings of Summer (Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts) The only press I saw for this movie was as pre-show entertainment at AMC Theaters. That was enough to get me to watch this movie and I am glad I did. It was a fun little movie about friends that are tired of their home life and want to venture out on their own. It is simple movies like this without lots of special effects that make me really enjoy my movie challenge this year.

November 6

               Under Siege (Directed by Andrew Davis) I remember that this was the first Steven Seagal movie I ever saw. All these years later there is nothing especially memorable about his movies but some are fun to sit back and watch, this is one of those. Ridiculous plot and characters make for an okay movie to have on in the background.

November 7

               Anaconda (Directed by Luis Llosa) Jon Voight is the man in this movie. I would gladly sit through two hours of just him and how he got to where he did in Anaconda. Other than that, this movie isn't very good.

November 8

               Jackass 2 (Directed by Jeff Tremaine) I realized earlier this week that this was the only Jackass film I had not yet watched this year. Like the other Jackass movies there are some stunts that are a bit uncomfortable to watch but then there are others that you want to watch over and over again. The last bit where the pranker was actually pranked might be one of the best in Jackass history.

               Exit Wounds (Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak) Steven Seagal meets Tom Arnold and DMX in this bad and cheesy action movie. Predictable from the get go but I do remember buying this soundtrack and enjoying it when it first came out.

November 9

               Thor: The Dark World (Directed by Alan Taylor) Marvel delivers another solid comic book movie. A lot more action compared to the first Thor movie but also more character development. Like Iron Man 3 it does a good job of explaining what hapopened after New York in Avengers. I know Thor will be in the next Avengers movie but I hope there is a third solo movie because the ending of this movie allows for a number of possibilities.

               Eight Legged Freaks (Directed by Ellory Elkayem) What did I just watch? I recorded this as part of AMC's Fear Fest and there was nothing to fear at all. Very very cheesy plot and acting to match make this one movie I regret watching. The only highlights of the movie were seeing Scarlett Johansson and Kari Wuhrer on-screen.

               Total Recall (2012) (Directed by Len Wiseman) Though I like the original better, I still enjoyed this remake. I like Colin Farrell as well as his two love interests in the movie. I liked that they decided to remake this movie using the content from the book and not a straight remake from the Arnold classic.

Movies Watched: 481

Movies To Go for 2.0: 19

365 Movie Challenge - Week 44

I can't believe week forty-four is now in the books. The end of the year is right around the corner. 

Below are my movies of the week:

October 28

               Turbo (Directed by David Soren) Dreamworks has been on the rise for the last few years so hopefully this turd of a movie doesn't hurt them. I know animated movies are supposed to be imaginative and out of this world but how did this make it past the idea stage. Besides the plot the voice acting wasn't up to par either.

October 29

               Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (Directed by Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath & Conrad Vernon) After Turbo I decided to watch a Dreamworks movie that I did enjoy. One thing I like about all the Madagascar films is they all follow a single sub-plot but the main plot is always different and fun.

October 30

               This is What They Want (Directed by Brian Koppelman & David Levien) Growing up I liked watching Tennis from time to time. The big names when I was growing up were Agassi and Sampras. One pro that I always heard about was Jimmy Connors. This 30 for 30 about Connors historic U.S. Open run at the age of 38 was very interesting. I think it would have been very cool to be in the stands to watch Connors come from behind to win a number of his matches.

30 Different Movies Watched in October. 467 Movies in 304 Days

November 1

               Ass Backwards (Directed by Chris Nelson) This movie was so hard to finish. I watched it after hearing about it on a few podcasts and was looking forward to it. But, right from the start I was not enjoying it. It didn't make me laugh and the plot itself was very dull.

November 2

               Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Directed by Jeff Tremaine) I am fairly certain I have watched almost everything to do with Jackass. I go back as far as the MTV show and even watched all the CKY Videos in college. The one bit that I was never a huge fan of was Bad Grandpa. All that changed after watching this movie. Knoxville, Jonze and Tremaine found a way to take a 30 second bit and turn it in to a 90 minute movie that while funny also told a good story. Bad Grandpa would not be as enjoyable as it was without Jackson Nicoll who played the role of Billy, the Bad Grandson. The solo scenes of Jackson talking to complete strangers and staying in character were some of my favorites.

               What Happens in Vegas (Directed by Tom Vaughn) This is a stupid movie and I don't like Kutcher or Diaz much but I like this movie because of Rob Corddry and Dennis Farina. Their timing and one-liners are what make the movie one that I can tolerate. Lake Bell also has some funny moments sprinkled throughout.

Movies Watched: 470

Movies To Go for 2.0: 30