Top 10 Tuesday - Pixar Movies

NOTE: Pictures are not uploading right now for some reason, so I will add them as soon as I can...


Sorry everyone for taking a couple of weeks off without notice, but these posts take a little longer than you would expect. I actually do some research. The reviews take a little less time, but the Top 10s are researched for quite a long time. I search and read other people's lists so that nothing gets left out that I might have forgotten and in instances of a Top 10 that is ranked, I mull over what goes where for quite a bit.

Today's is no exception to that last bit. It is hard to rank these beyond the top 3 and #10. The middle of the pack was terribly difficult, but I think I've made my choices wisely. I fully expect to get some flak for a couple of these, but too freakin' bad.

In honor of "Brave" coming out next Tuesday on home video, I thought I'd rank Pixar movies. "Brave" won't be on here, not because it isn't good, but because I haven't seen it yet. There will be two other glaring omissions, not because I haven't seen them, but because I really didn't like them. They just don't fit into Pixar cannon for me. There's something missing to them. I think it is the heart.

Speaking of heart, that's what is so endearing to the Pixar movies. They're so full of heart mixed with genuinely funny humor. And other than a few lines that I thought were a little inappropriate for smaller kids in the "Toy Story" movies (I'm looking at you Bo), the humor is appropriate for all ages and more importantly funny to all ages, which is a feat unto itself. All of these are good if not great movies, so don't think that because your favorite isn't higher on the list that I don't care for it (unless it didn't make the list at all, then you're an idiot LOL).

Let's start the show:

Wall-E

I know there were loads of people who loved this movie, I just wasn't one of them. I think it was a little slow and missing some of the humor. I applaud them for making a movie that was really beautiful and taking the risk on having virtually no dialogue to drive the story which worked very well, I just didn't quite connect with Johnny 5, I mean Wall-E.

When the short that preceded it was better than the movie, there's a problem.

Toy Story 3

A fitting end to the Trilogy for sure (though they're working on #4, sigh), but just didn't quite have the magic of the first two. No I didn't cry when they all (SPOILER ALERT) join hands, it just seemed a little bit forced as opposed to the #1 on this list which tugged at your heart strings in a much more subtle and endearing way. Animation was as flawless as we've come to expect, but I felt we were re-treading much of the plot of the first two. Andy's older, we're forgotten, we have to get back to Andy. Rinse. Repeat. Blech. 

Toy Story

The one that started it all. Yes it is funny and heartwarming with wonderful sight gags that we hadn't seen in a while from Disney, but it was the first feature length film for the company and it shows in many respects. The pacing is a bit awkward and some of the movements aren't quite as fluid as they should be.

Toy Story 2

Absolutely the best in the series. It hit on all cylinders and added characters that fit in very well with the story. Jessie is a great counter to Woody's overwhelming optimism because she has been forgotten. Can't say I didn't get choked up a few times during this one. Definitely one of the highs of the Pixar family, but I just never got into the "Toy Story" franchise as much as some of the others here.

Monsters, Inc.

To me, this is where it all gets a little tougher to rank. Monsters, Inc. is actually probably the funniest of the bunch (well, maybe save for #3) because of the star power behind it. The premise, like all Pixar films, is brilliant and the animation is breathtaking (look at how Sully's fur moves!).

Finding Nemo

Embodies all the best of a Pixar film. This one's probably at the top of most people's lists and is definitely worthy of the title. I just found more balance and style in the ones to follow. Plus, no matter how endearing Dory was (and those damn pelicans!) I found someone more endearing in the one's left on this list. My major complaint of the movie is that it could've been cut down by 10-15 minutes and been just a little more stellar. Basically, this is a road movie set in the ocean so some the gags had been tread before.

Ratatouille

Although the thought of a rat in a kitchen made my stomach flip when I heard it, I really loved this movie. Though it isn't quite as funny as some of the other ones, it is so incredibly charming that I can't help but place it high on this list. I also see Gusteau as a sort of Julia Child who I fondly remember as a child. Cooking always strikes the right chord with me, so this one just hit all the right notes for me.

A Bug's Life

This movie is where my actual love affair for Pixar started. Released about the same time as "ANTS" (which was really "Meh" to me), it has this dry humor that I just love. Talk about a stellar comedy cast! Dave Foley, Richard Kind, Dennis Leary, Bonnie Hunt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey, and the late great legends Madeline Khan and Phillis Diller...what's not to love! The music, the story, the art. STELLAR!

The Incredibles

Anyone who knows me shouldn't find these last two a surprise. "The Incredibles" being this high on the list will probably irk the masses, but I don't care! Everything in this movie pushes my Geek Buttons. It's part Bond, part Fantastic 4, and even has a little Batman thrown in for good measure. It is smart, funny, and is one of the best action movies ever made. It stands out from the rest of Pixar as being entirely driven by humans, but they're outsiders in their own right so it fits. The style, art, and music are an absolute high for the studio in that they mesh so well with the story.

Up

No surprise here. I fell in love with this movie the first time Dug spoke. That was it. Best personification of a dog ever. The things he says are exactly what you would expect a dog to think and how they would think. The most endearing character in animated history to me (but I'm a dog lover). Beyond that, the montage of Carl and Ellie's entire love story had me all choked up. That's how you show a love story Hollywood. Film students should be studying that. Great humor, imaginative story (that I was really wary of going into it), and just the right blend of everything that makes Pixar great. Anything coming from them in the future is gonna have a tough time topping this.

So that's it. There are some new projects on the horizon that sound intriguing. "Incredibles 2" is supposedly in the works (YAY!) and a Dia De Los Muertos themed one that I hope doesn't rip too much from "Grim Fandango". If you don't know what that is, look it up.

Ta-ta for now.

Game First Impressions - Dishonored

First things first. I didn't finish "Borderlands 2" yet. As I said before, if "Dishonored" came out before I was done I was switching over and would go back when finished. That's what has happened. I played quite a bit of "Dishonored" over the weekend, so here's a quick first impression.

First of all, let's get out of the way that this is like "Splinter Cell", "Hitman", and "Bioshock" rolled into one. At least the way I'm playing it feels that way. You see, you can play each mission a great variety of ways; killing and not killing as you see fit, run and gun or stealth. I can see this as a sign of great re-playability. Supposedly the main story only takes about 6 hours to complete, but I'm at least that far in, but haven't even finished the first official mission. Let me clarify that. I'm playing it the absolute hardest way possible, playing non-lethal ghost (you can't kill anyone and no one can be alerted to your presence, like "Hitman") and in order to get a really high achievement I'm not upgrading or buying any powers, so there's been loads of restarting parts and even the prologue. I enjoy that type of gameplay and it isn't ever the same way twice because the paths of the guards changed every time I would reload. Also, if you want low "chaos" you have to hide bodies so they aren't discovered which can be a chore in some areas a la "Splinter Cell".

The visual style isn't like either of those games, though. It is much more like "Bioshock" with a kinda Steampunk/Victorian style and directly apes that game in that the "snacks" and items that are strewn about the areas faintly glow gold when you are near them and curser over them. Another thing that reminds me of "Bioshock" are the audio logs that you'll find in different areas that give you some back story. Don't think I'm bashing it for these things, it actually does them quite well and I really liked these touches in "Bioshock". Character models are as good as "Bioshock" and movements & mannerisms are relatively realistic. The only thing that kinda gets me is that the environments are really nice to look at until you get up close to walls, rocks, or ships, the textures are not rendered very detailed. There's so much detail in the world itself that these "out of focus" looking textures kinda stand out and bug me a bit (I'm playing on the 360, btw). Overall, though, I really like the game so far and would encourage pretty much anyone to play it.

Freaky Friday - Rosemary's Baby

WARNING: Minor Spoilers May Occur!

I'm trying to mix it up some, but basically October is going to be Horror Month. What's funny is, you might think, then, that December will be Christmas month, but I like horror way more than any Christmas movie save one. Anyone that knows me will know what that one is.

Having just watched my yearly viewing of "Rosemary's Baby," I thought it appropriate to review that one. Yes I know it's an old one, but dammit, it's a good one. The review will get into this in more detail, but this is subtle horror. You don't really see anything, but it is that claustrophobic atmosphere and impending gloom that hangs over the movie that just makes it so good.

Summary courtesy of IMDB:

"A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life."

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063522/

Technical (4.5) - Roman Polanski's pièce de résistance. Although he's done some amazing work since ("Chinatown") this is definitely his defining movie. Its full of subtle nuance that could have easily been over worked and over blown. Michael Bay was working on a remake a few years back that thankfully got cancelled, you can imagine what kind of overblown crap that would have been ("and then we can make the car EXPLODE!!! 'splosions, 'Splosions, 'SPLOSIONS!!!"). He made the right decision to make it character and actor driven more than anything. Most of the movie takes place in the apartment and Rosemary (Mia Farrow) is in every scene. It is her movie and how she's dealing with the conspiracy against her is central. There are some odd things surrounding the "conception" scene that are very avante garde, but given the time this was filmed I think it was very contemporary and it may have been in the novel this is based on, so I have to overlook it somewhat. The half point deduction goes for the camera work that sometimes gets a little shaky. I understand it wasn't shot on a soundstage (it was in an actual apartment so they couldn't make tracks everywhere to do it conventionally) and stedicam hadn't been invented yet, but it gets really distracting at times.

Dialogue/Story (5) - I'm not going to say much here because I might give too much away, but sufficed to say, it is very well written and the dialogue is pretty realistic. Granted they had a novel to work from, but you can cut too much or not enough and have a choppy and uneven movie. Again, it is terribly subtle and nuanced. Like Rosemary cooking a steak for about 1 second a side and then eating it. Just creepy, eerie stuff. They struck the tone just right and were able to make this whole thing believable.

Acting (4.5) - As I said above, this is Mia Farrow's movie. Her husband at the time, Frank Sinatra, divorced her for doing this role against his wishes. And she's all the more famous for doing it. She plays sweet and innocent so well, but pulls off the blood curdling screams and freakouts with the best of them. The secondary actors are amazing too. Guy (John Cassavettes), her husband, is such a shit (excuse the language) and even in the background of the scenes you can see his struggle and angst over what he has done. The Castevets (Ruth Gordan and Sidney Blackmer) are the neighbors and while Gordan won and Oscar for her role (and you can totally see why, your eyes are drawn to her every scene she's in) it is Blackmer that kinda draws the acting down a bit. You can see he's acting in many scenes. Something that I just can't stand.

Tilt (5) -  If you couldn't tell by previous posts, I love this movie. I watch it every year in preparation for Halloween.

Total Score - (4.75)

Top 10 Tuesday - Horror Movie "Villains"

Continuing with the October Halloween theme, I decided to do the Top 10 Horror Movie Villains, then I realized two things:

• I started listing and thought it would be tough, then realized I could do way more than 10. And even then, it's tough...especially trying to rank them.
• It's not always really a "villain", so I changed it to antagonist (and yes I'm a freak that way)

So today is Top 10 13 Horror Movie Villains Antagonists! Today they will be in order. And, yes, I probably left your favorite out (like Chucky who was never really that creepy to me) or included at least 1 you'll go "WHAAAAA?" with, but too effing bad. My blog, my list.

I've never actually been a big fan of the "Hellraiser" movies. Although they never seemed to get overly silly like the rest of the group past movie 3 or 4. I get the concept and it's always well "executed" (pun intended ha. ha.), but I've never been one for buckets and buckets of blood, or weird just for the sake of being weird which is Clive Barker's modus operandi. Pinhead makes the list because he's really iconic and pretty spooky too. Other icons didn't make the list, but you'll see why later.


Another icon that waned as the series went on which is pretty standard for horror, but the bludgeoning of the first victim (and the subsequent lifelessness of the body) and the following slamming of the door in the original "Chainsaw" make me shudder every time I see it. Plus this is one of the few that's based on a real killer (Ed Gein...who shows up a little later too).

Zombies. Romero style is great, but the fast moving style of the Infected in "28 Days Later" is just way scarier (and you can argue until you're blue in the face that they aren't zombies, but the style and setup is exactly the same). And the church....heebie jeebies....

"Oh yes, they float, Georgie. They float. And when you're down here with me, you'll float too!" Enough said. Except they screwed it all up in the second half because Pennywise is replaced by that stupid spider!






 Never saw the resemblance until now. Yes, I know, another clown, but dammit! Captain Spaulding is creepy as hell and funny as hell too. That scene in the car with the kid in "Devil's Rejects" is so perfectly played and eerie that you can't help but squirm a little in your seat for that kid.

You can't tell me you didn't scream (or at least gasp) at the end of "Alien" when you think she's gotten away and the Xenomorph starts to uncoil out of focus in the background. Another series that had it's low points (looking at you "Alien 3"), but never went into the realm of campy, cheesy, or bad unless you count the "Aliens Vs. Predator" movies which I don't, because I think the connection is stupid.

Michael Myers is an icon that I can get. At least up until "Halloween 5" (ok, 3 and 4 not withstanding lol) then they just get stupid, but at least he never went to SPACE! Jason! Silent and ever focused on the goal of killing his sister and anyone who gets in his way, Michael really was scary in the first too. Yeah you know he's gonna get up 100 times now, but when it first came out, that was unheard of.

Probably the least known here, especially to a younger audience, but the Tall Man and his spheres in the "Phantasm" movies still stand as some of my earliest memories of horror movies. A tall, gaunt, grim undertaker and his dwarf zombie minions sounds like a funny premise, but actually it is quite terrifying. If you've never seen one of them, go rent it. NOW.

I truly debated on putting Hannibal Lecter on this list because I'm not sure I really call "Silence Of The Lambs" and all the sequels "horror", but settled on putting him here because of that soul penetrating stare and flowery words that are describing the most grotesque of things. Buffalo Bill was another Ed Gein wannabe, but he never was the central scare. Him you kinda pitied, but NEVER Hannibal. The most famous serial killer that never existed.


"Dead by dawn! Dead by Dawn!" and "Someone's in my fruit cellar!" Ellen here along with Linda, Henrietta, and hordes of others maim, dismember, possess, and kill everyone that Ash loves and cares for! Sure they got sillier as the series went on, but "Evil Dead" is still a flat out horror movie that is the mother of all cabin in the woods style movies. "Evil Dead 2" even has some creepy as hell parts.



Not the silly remake, and not any of the later ones (with the exception of "New Nightmare" which was actually pretty good...at least he never went to SPACE! Jason!), but someone who comes after you when you're most vulnerable and completely fucks with your head before performing the coup de grace is downright scary to me. I think 3 was the first horror movie I ever saw in the theater and it messed me up for a couple of days...or maybe that's why I'm so screwed up today.


He's had so many incarnations and you could really lump most of the vampires of movie lore into one idea: Dracula! I almost put my favorite Dracula as the pic, then realized I didn't put him in my horror movie list, so...meh. He hypnotizes, evolves, and is always mesmerizing. Every generation has had some incarnation because the idea is just too damn alluring and when it's done well, it's pure gold. I hear there's a TV show in the works, so maybe that will be this generations (and I swear if any of you say we already have one in Edward Cullen I will find you and beat you).

Any of you that said "Ohhhhhh, The Devil!" or didn't know what this was need to go find a wooden spoon and smack your ass until you bleed. No, Regan McNeil was not possessed by The Devil, she was possessed by Pazuzu (pictured above in the 5 frames he's shown in the movie). Reason why this is number 1? Opposite of the reason of Dracula. It can't be duplicated and never has no matter how many times they've tried. "Exorcist III" and "Exorcism Of Emily Rose" were the closest (I'm sure I'll catch flack for this one), but because they went at it in a very different way in that it was concerned with the effects of the possession rather than the possession itself. I'm sure someone will try to remake this and fail miserably. Yet again I stress this is the only movie that I get spooked every time I see it and make a point to watch on Halloween.


Oh, and an honorable mention goes to...

The Castevets from "Rosemary's Baby" who define creepy, nosy neighbors. Oh, and The Devil...grumble, grumble, grumble.

Freaky Friday - A Plea

Please, for the love of God, do not go see this movie. It might be good, for all I know (it won't be), but that's not my point. The first two were awful. Sure, if that crap was happening to you, you'd be scared, but after you watched the first video showing some screwed up stuff, wouldn't you GET THE HELL OUT OF THAT HOUSE or LEAVE THAT FREAKY BITCH SOMEWHERE? I understand that you wouldn't have a movie otherwise and the horror genre is full of people doing something illogical for the sake of a plot, but come on.

Besides, they aren't that well made to begin with. The acting is sub-par at best and the security camera thing was played out with the first one. And let me clue you in on a little secret...they aren't SCARY. There's only one decent scene in the first one and the second one had no scares at all. I haven't watched the third one (waiting on Netflix, because I'm not paying for this crap), but I'm sure it isn't much better. You're actually being duped by a mob mentality in a theater. Everyone expects to be scared and as the audio swells, so does the palpable tension in the room. The girls that are dragged there by their boyfriends so they can cop a feel start screaming and you start to buy into the scariness. Watch at home, and you'll go "Meh".

The fact is, they are super cheap to make (3 was $5 Million) and people go see them in droves. That's great for the Studio, but horrible for the horror movie buff. Although it is still one of my favorite horror movies, I blame "The Blair Witch Project" for this. What makes that one work, is that the forest is actively working against the group so that they can't leave. They're stuck. They've gone too far and there is no hope of escape. It's that claustrophobic atmosphere and impending doom that creeps up that makes it effective. There's plenty that can be done to remedy the problems with these "haunted houses" but they just don't. And yes, I know that's the case in movies like "The Amityville Horror" too, but I don't like that one either.

But I digress. I would ask that you stay home and don't go see this one. You're just feeding into the studio engine of churning these and all its copycats (since this is this generation's "slasher" flick) which isn't helping anyone. Go see something like "Sinister" instead (which is produced by the same people that produced "Paranormal" coincidentally). That one uses found footage too...but looks AWESOME. I hope to hell it is.

Top 10 Tuesday - Twist Endings

This week I took the advice of a coworker and decided to do the Top 10 Twist Endings in movies. I LOVE a good twist ending and the problem with that statement is the word "good". Too often they are mediocre twists or I see them coming a mile away. A great filmmaker should be able to either distract you until that moment comes or not give you any clue ahead, but when it's over, it should make sense. That's a really hard thing for many people to do.

As usual, this is my opinion and there are several movies that didn't make my list because I just don't see them as a "twist". To me "Seven" is not a twist ending. A shocker, yes, but it doesn't make you rethink the whole movie and want to watch it again to see what clues you might've missed.

I promise there won't be any spoilers except for the fact that I'm telling you there is a twist. And these are in order from #10 to #1.

"What a twist!" - M. Night Shamalamadingdong via Robot Chicken.

There are quite a few horror movies on here, but this is the mother of all slasher flicks and if you don't know ahead of time, has a hell of a twist in it. I knew the twist before I saw it, so it didn't have quite the impact, but still, it is a great piece of filmmaking.

To me, this one barely makes the cut. I'm sure everyone will cry "Blasphemy!" at that, but I just was not that impressed with the movie overall. The twist is the only thing that really made the movie, so once I knew, I really didn't care all that much about the movie anymore. I agree that it was a good twist, but everything leading up to that point just seemed pretty pointless and "filler" once the big reaveal happened.

A similar movie, I know, but this one had a much better twist than "The Sixth Sense" to me. Especially because you grew to care for the family and understand the strange dynamic then "WHAMMO". On repeated viewings other things start to become clear and more of the character's motivations and a sense of how they're dealing with the predicament they're in becomes more clear.

That's "The Game" if you can't tell. David Fincher's follow up to "Seven" was just as good, if not better. This is still my favorite movie of his and it saddens me that most people haven't heard of it. It has loads of twists and turns, but the finale just makes you go "WHAAAAAAAT?!?". It's on Netflix for streaming, so if you've never seen it, I suggest you watch it tonight.

Another one that I might catch flack for, but this seems to be Nolan's most underrated effort in my humble opinion. There certainly is alot going on plot-wise and viewers can easily get confused in the double-crossings and re-double-crossings, but the final scene where not only one, but TWO game-changing twists are revealed will leave you scrambling for the rewind button.

A heart-wrenching movie that doesn't pull any punches. I really don't have much more to say about it other than be prepared to read subtitles if you don't understand Spanish. Vaguely reminiscent of  Del Toro's (who produced) work in "The Devil's Backbone" this one isn't quite as long and drawn out. Plus it gives you some pretty good scares.

Was there any doubt this would be on the list? And not that ****ty remake from Tim Burton that tried to up the ante and failed miserably. Most people probably know the twist already, but if you don't, please see this fantastic original. Sure the makeup and special effects haven't held up well, but it is a definite social commentary that eventually reveals a surprise that makes you rethink everything.

Ok, top three and the last horror movie, I promise. This one is definitely the least known on this list. A low-budget slasher film from the '80s that easily has one of the best endings. I wouldn't usually put this type of movie only because you expect the killer to be someone you've met somewhere because it is a trope of this type of film, so movies like "Scream" are out because of this rule. "April Fool's Day" does something totally left-field and even if you think you have it figured out, keep watching, because you don't.

These last two could have been flip-flopped either way. I really can't decide. So you can actually consider this a tie. Both are too good for words, but in completely different ways.

This wasn't Bryan Singer's directorial debut, but it's close enough. And when you start out with a bang-up job like this one you're sure to turn some heads. The superb acting by a bunch of relative B-lists and unknowns just made it all the better. The story is pretty intricate and involving, but just doesn't give you any clue as to the safe that's fixing to get dropped on your head right before you exclaim "Holy Shit!".

Not to say anything bad about anyone else in this film (hey, it has one of my favorites of all time in it, Frances McDormand), but this entire movie hinges on the performance of one man: Edward Norton. He's phenomenal in it. Especially since this was his first feature film. It seems to be a straight-forward procedural courtroom drama a la "Law & Order", but just watch and see what happens.

There you have it, Meatheads, my favorite twist endings. Make sure you watch them all, they're definitely worth it.