For Christmas this year, I received the book 501 Must-See Movies

Of the films listed in the book I have seen:
15 Action/Adventure & Epic
21 Comedy
20 Drama
24 Horror
25 Musical
12 Romance
26 Science Fiction & Fantasy
23 Mystery & Thriller
3 War
0 Western (I guess I don’t like this genre - or at least the films listed) - and really? No Tombstone? Blasphemy!

This brings my total to 169. Therefore I have 332 movies left to see.

There are a few complaints I have for this book - the first complaint I have is most recent film is Troy (2004). Second, my friend Bald Bryan from the Adam Carolla Podcast and The Film Vault Podcast recently stopped by for a visit. After looking through this book he later sent me a tweet saying, “Some of the films (”The Mummy”, “As Good As It Gets”) in your book don’t exactly fall under the “must-see” category, IMO.” I would have to agree with this statement. Bryan also noticed various typos, but the main typo being Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, they called it Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - fools!

It was suggested by Christie Bishop of www.PardonMyCrumbs.com that I do a Julie/Julia experiment with this and write 501 movie reviews in 501 days - one for each movie. I would love to do this experiment, but at this time in my life I will not be able to do so. I am hoping to find a person who is interested in writing reviews for this book to help write reviews for the movies I have yet to see.

You can see my check-off list for this book by clicking here.

To create your own check list follow these steps: 1) create your user name/password
2) click the “Add/Remove Pages”
3) scroll down to the bottom of page and “Subscribe to New Page”
4) select “sirdizzy” This will add the “501″ list.
5) click on the films you have seen

Blah Hit - Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis

It is the end of times and in order to save humankind, Eli must fight his way across America to protect a book that holds the answers.

This post contains major spoilers about the movie so if you are interested in knowing, read on. If not, then stop reading here.

To keep things simple, I will tell you that the book that Eli needs to take West (for what reason, he does not know until he gets there) is the King James Bible. Along the way, gangsters try to stop him from doing this and try to take his book. The head gangster and king of the town (he who owns the water rules) wants to take the book for his own personal gain and believes that the book will bring him the ultimate power.

This film is heavily Christian in its idea and overall message. While that does not bother me, what does bother me is the heavy violence of the film. I strongly believe that if this film were not Rated R, it would have been promoted in churches for congregations to see - such as Fireproof or The Passion of the Christ. While Passion was a Rated R film, the reason this film (with the same rating) would not be promoted in the church because it is not the story of Jesus but a story that focuses on the importance of the Bible.

The characters in the film are not overly religious types, which leads me to believe that this film was trying to appeal to a larger audience than just Christians. While they talk of faith, God, and scripture, the characters hardly talk about Jesus.

Bottom Line: If you are narrow minded and bothered by any reference to Christianity in this world, you would not like this film. If you are open minded to the idea that religion can be a base of a film, then you might enjoy what this film has to offer.

Action

Rated R for some brutal violence and language.

Running Time: 1 Hour 58 minutes

Winners to be announced on Sunday, January 17th.
* This is the first year where I discovered that you can (allegedly) buy a Golden Globe. Allegedly, these awards are pretty much at the hands of the highest bidder. No one will tell you that but this is indeed insider information.*

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Nominees:
Avatar (2009)
#The Hurt Locker (2008)
**Inglourious Basterds (2009)
#Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
#Up in the Air (2009/I)

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
**The Hangover (2009)
#It’s Complicated (2009)
Julie & Julia (2009)
#Nine (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Tobey Maguire for Brothers (2009/I)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
#Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria (2009)
#Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
#Matt Damon for The Informant! (2009)
Daniel Day-Lewis for Nine (2009)
Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt for (500) Days of Summer (2009)
Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man (2009)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Sandra Bullock for The Proposal (2009/I)
Marion Cotillard for Nine (2009)
Julia Roberts for Duplicity (2009)
Meryl Streep for It’s Complicated (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
**Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Julianne Moore for A Single Man (2009)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Clint Eastwood for Invictus (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
**Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Best Animated Film
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
#The Princess and the Frog (2009)
**Up (2009)

** = favorite
# = want to see

Hit - Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong

Detective Sherlock Holmes and partner-in-solving-crime Watson engage in a battle of wits with a rival whose evil plot could harm all of England.

Of all the Guy Ritchie films I have seen (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and RocknRolla), this is the first film that I was actually able to comprehend. Thanks Guy! Obviously, this is a film that one wanted to use in terms of sequel or perhaps more films to follow it, in which case, the first film of the bunch needs to draw the audience into the character and keep them interested. I was quite upset by the idea that the ending was so abrupt and left us with no real resolution, but my husband informed me that this is the style of how the books are written. I can appreciate Guy Ritchie and the writers for being true to the series in this regard.

One thing that bugs me about this movie (or movies in general) is when there are parts/scenes in the trailer that are not in the film. This particular movie did a horrible job of this as there are specific main trailer moments that you are looking for in the film - one being the corset outfit that McAdams wears in the trailer, the other being when she says the line, “they’ve been flirting like this for hours.” Hopefully we will see these items in the bonus material of the DVD release but it is upsetting that they were not included in the final film version.

I remember as a kid when I was first disappointed by this notion. I was watching the movie Bingo (1992) in theaters and was looking forward to the part where Bingo is spinning on a stool while bandages are being removed from him. This wasn’t in the final version of the film and I was upset about it. Re-watching the trailer now makes me think, why on Earth did I ever want to see that film? I guess that is why it is considered a kids film.

Bottom Line: Sherlock Holmes is adventurous and exciting - a movie that is family friendly for children in 4th grade or older.

Action

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.

Running Time: 2 hours 8 minutes

Hit - Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang

Before I review the film as a whole I would like to compare the synopsis of this movie to the synopsis of FernGully: The Last Rainforest.

Avatar:

A marine is sent on a mission to the moon called Pandora. Once there, he is asked to befriend the natives to help them relocate (so Americans can take their precious resources and turn them into profit) - instead he comes to love his surroundings and finds himself wanting to protect the natives and their home.

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

A rainforest called FernGully is threatened by pollution and logging by a destructive force. In order to save their rainforest, they need help from a human named Zak.

Simply put, I find that Avatar is the adult version of FernGully: The Last Rainforest. While discussing this idea with a friend, they responded, “FernGully must be the most popular film because I keep hearing about it when people discuss Avatar.” Upon this interaction, I started talking with friends and family members about my thoughts on Avatar - only to find that no one I know has actually seen FernGully. To me, this is ridiculous. Especially when I talk to people who are my age. At this point in time I believe that I am one of the only people who has ever seen FernGully.

Anyway, regardless of FernGully, this movie was quite a sight to see and experience. The CGI animation was the best I have ever seen without making things look “creepy.” I consider “creepy CGI/animation” to be movies like A Christmas Carol and The Polar Express. The creepiness comes from the idea that the CGI/animation is too close to the real thing and therefore creepy.

I am going to keep this somewhat short and say:

Bottom Line: A sight to see and experience in theaters - I saw it at a THX theatre which is an amazing experience in itself.

Fantasy

Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

Running Time: 2 hours 38 minutes

Hit - Starring Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman

An animated version of Charles Dickens’ novel about an grouchy old man who is taken on a journey of self-reflection by three spirits that represent the past, present, and future.

The opening of this film reminded me of so many Disney films of the past. They start with the book - A Christmas Carol on a table with a candle next to it. We zoom in and when we get close enough the book opens to the first chapter. This is the subsequent end of the story as they conclude by closing the book. I have missed this particular introductory style in Disney films that it is refreshing to see that it has made its way back.

This particular installment of A Christmas Carol was interesting because of the 3D animation that is included. It takes awhile for your eyes to adjust to this style but it adds a little pizazz to the film. Without this, the movie would have simply been like any other film out there. Luckily, they decided to show the film in this format which enhanced the overall viewing of the film.

As always, the story is solid, the voice acting is superior, and the pace of the film is on track. But, there are areas of this film that fail to meet expectations. 1. The movie was quite thrilling and would not be suitable for general audiences - 3rd grade and up would be appropriate. 2. The animation style (as seen in The Polar Express) is still very creepy because it looks too close to the real thing. 3. The 3D animation was good but it wasn’t as great as I thought it would be - I was expecting Captain EO-esque type 3D but I didn’t find any reason to try and grab at things in front of me like a 3D movie should inspire you to do.

Bottom Line: Enjoyable but I still prefer Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

Animation

Rated PG for scary sequences and images.

Running Time: 1 hour 36 minutes

Miss - Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

After people begin to question the Cullens about their history in Forks, they decide to leave to find a new homestead. When Edward decides to not take Bella with him, Bella is heartbroken. She finds comfort in her friendship with Jacob Black but knows that Jacob is different from other boys in Forks.

Before I begin this review, I would like to say that I also disliked Twilight. Going into this film, I wanted to really like it because I know what an impact it has had on popular culture. Unfortunately, I found this film to be better than the first but still a poor film overall.

The good aspects include: I appreciate the stray from what Hollywood considers to be the “norm” of teenage relationships. This relationship view is much more true to actual high school. So much so, that it is scary how reflective it is upon my own experiences in high school. That may be the reason that I disliked this movie so much.

The bad: It is hard to say this but the acting is just awful. There comes a point in the film where I just want to slap the character of Bella (and the actress) because I feel betrayed by her portrayal of a character that doesn’t have enough depth. I thought that Kristen might be able to do something about that and create that depth but her portrayal is simply one-dimensional. The other actors of the film follow suit with poor performances. The best performances of this installment go out to Bella’s father and the head vampire.

While I am not interested in continuing a relationship with this film, I know that it will continue because Mr. Movies enjoys vampire films and therefore, we must continue to see them. Luckily there are only 2 films remaining.

Bottom Line: If you are a Twilight freak, you will enjoy this. If you are not, you will not enjoy this.

Drama

Rated PG-13 for some violence and action.

Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Hit - Starring Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Jesse Eisenberg

In a world overrun by Zombies, two men who have found a way to survive. But can they handle taking two extra passengers on their journey?

Zombieland gets off to a great start and doesn’t slow down from there. The pace of the film is fast and gets to the point quickly. I appreciate this factor as I feel that most films nowadays are slow paced and can drag on too long. This was the perfect amount of - wham, bam, thank you ma’m.

This film is a “hard R” in the area of gore. There were many times where I turned my head because of the amount of violence/gore proved to be too much for me. While I can stomach a lot of things, this was too much for me.

The actors in this film were well cast and I found that they played well off of each other. The relationships were believable and the celebrity cameo was by far one of the best I have ever seen in a film.

Bottom Line: If you like Zombie films, you will love Zombieland.

Comedy, Action, Horror

Rated R for horror violence/gore and language.

Running Time: 1 hour 28 minutes

Hit - Starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig, J.K. Simmons

Extract business owner named Joel has a plethora of issues he has to work through, including an unfaithful spouse, workers compensation, and a criminal drifter.

After really enjoying Office Space, I have found that Extract was just what the doctor ordered. It provides the right amount of comedy mixed with fabulous musical cues for each person. In fact, I have found that the musicality of the film was one of the best aspects that enhanced the overall greatness of the film.

Ben Affleck’s character is one of the best performances I have seen him in.

Bottom Line: Entertainment served well with food flavorings.
Comedy

Running Time: 1 hour 31 minutes

Rated R for language, sexual references and some drug use.

Hit - Starring Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novack

A bloody, fantastical story of how WWII should have ended.

Wow! This movie is truly one of the best of the summer, and maybe one of the best of the year. The character development and portrayals were expertly executed (no pun intended). I enjoyed the various use of language throughout the film as well as the subtle humor that was embedded throughout. Maybe the humor wasn’t entirely subtle but it played excellently in context with specific situations and characters.

Bottom Line: A must see for movie lovers.

Action

Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality.

Running Time: 2 hours 33 minutes