Dean's Thoughts on Entertainment

This blog is offically retired for another joint venture. It is in development but I will include a link to it once it is completed. Thank you to everyone who came here, despite my lazy updating.

Dean

Long Overdue, my best films of 2006
As a big film fan it appears that I only saw 20 films that were theatrically released in 2006. I saw many of 2005 films on DVD but was apparently apathetic about 2006's offering. Yet I will rate them anyway. And I will include a list at the bottom of the 2006 films I intend to see on DVD this year.

20. FREEDOMLAND - Failed to be anything it tried to be. And while Samuel L Jackson is always good, this movie demonstrated that just because a movie is about racism doesn't mean it will be relevent or important.

19. PULSE - Miss Veronica Mars hits the big screen with a horror and I was interested and about 20 minutes in I wasn't anymore.

18. CRANK - I was pumped to see this, it was a great premise and Jason Statham is amazing. But it was way to trippy and made me feel ill, and the fights and actions sequences were lazy.

17. THE BENCHWARMERS - Funny but I will probably never see it again.

16. SNAKES ON A PLANE - Fun but failed to deliver anything other than Samuel L Jackson and I have over 20 of his films all of which are better.

15. SILENT HILL - I will note that this was a perfect adaptation of the video game. But the video game makes you feel like part of your soul is gone and so did the film. But it is still the best Video Game movie after Resident Evil.

14. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST - Entertaining, but the ending was so unsatisfying I felt like the producers spat right in my face as they danced around knowing we would have to watch the 3rd film just to get the bad taste out of our mouth from this one. I have never seen a sequel that didn't have its own legs to stand on and would require another film to complete it. Bad Form

13. MONSTER HOUSE - Decent Kids Flick

12. DISTRICT B13 - French Action film that was very exciting and entertaining but the scenes and storyline were not memorable.

11. INVINCIBLE - Like Rudy it is a great feel good movie, although I don't know if it will have the same replay value. Go EAGLES.

10. NACHO LIBRE - Not as funny as Napolean Dynamite but still made me laugh, and the DVD will make me laugh again and again for years. Good Times.

9. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA - Meryl Streep is the best female actress for a reason. And Anne Hathaway will definately not fade away anytime soon. Surprised me it was so good.

8. X-MEN: THE LAST STAND - I liked this more than many. It was ballsy the things they did and unlike CJ I loved the beginning murder, which almost secured this movie in the top 10 on its own. A boo though to the DVD special edition that is not special. Way to snazz up the regular edition with a comic and a cover and charge double.

7. BORAT - Was very funny, and thought provoking. And Sacha Baron Cohen deserves all the accolades but I don't think I can own this film because of its content and it makes me sad.

6. TALLADEGA NIGHTS - Worthy of many repeated viewings, going to be a must have DVD.

5. THE PROTECTOR - 2 of the best fight scenes of all time is included here, so buy this DVD it will pay for itself with just those scenes. Tony Jaa will make us all unaware that Jet Li is retiring. And he better because I love Jet Li.

4. ROCKY BALBOA - He came back well and shamed all the naysayers. And for a time I was one of them. But that last trailer proved that it could be great, and it was. Plus Tony Burton is one of the Gems of our time. He totally deserved the G.I. Joe I made of him so many years ago.

3. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 - Man did this erase the filth that was MI 1 and 2. This was one of Cruise's most entertaining films ever. Purchase.

2. THE PRESTIGE - I was totally enthralled the whole time. Made me want to do magic, and made me want to walk right back in the theatre and watch it again. I am mad they didn't drop the DVD yet. I need that 2nd viewing.

1. V FOR VENDETTA - Yeah Shut Up. It was awesome. And I have already watched it like 3-4 times so I felt it deserved to be here more than the others. Actually I may go watch it again now.

Here is a list of what this year has in store for me. Yeah this is where the intelligent ones are. I usually rent those. And by the length of it you can tell I am a DVD man now. Netflix and the pleasure of buying DVDs has almost eliminated my desire to go to the theatre. In fact only 10 of the above 20 above I saw in the theatre. This is what my Netflix queue will look like.

An American Haunting - I feel compelled, good chance to suck
Apocalypto - I still like Mel Gibson
Babel - This year's Crash, hopefully.
Bandidas - Give me one reason not to.
Blood Diamond - Should be entertaining, and will help me understand Kayne's Song.
Brick - Bought it cheap, will watch it sometime.
Cars - Can you believe I haven't yet?
Casino Royale - Its gonna show Chris what a fool he is.
Children of Men - I am actually really interested in this one.
Clerks 2 - Got as a gift, and I will get to it.
Click - Sandler is usually good enough to rent.
The Departed - I am pumped for this.
The Descent - Too many people said it was good.
Dreamgirls - Gonna win more awards than it deserves I bet.
Employee of the Month - I should know better.
Find Me Guilty - Don't know why
Flags of our Fathers - Show me a bad Eastwood film, that he directed.
Flushed Away - Looked good.
For your Consideration - I will make a point to see this, I often let his films slip through.
The Good German/Shepherd - I forget, but one of these looked good and one was crap.
Half Nelson - We'll see what the fuss is about.
Hollywoodland - Affleck redeems himself? Gotta see that. I mean I saw Reindeer Games.
Idiocracy - Have to.
The Illusionist - Norton is always, always good.
Inside Man - Should be awesome, or at least well acted.
Jackass 2 - With the power of fast forward to skip some of the parts I heard of.
The Last King of Scotland - Whitaker is a god among men in acting.
Little Miss Sunshine - Looked like every character was cliche but now I will try it.
Lucky Number Slevin - Heard some bad things, won't listen to em anyway.
Marie Antoinette - Heard only good things.
Miami Vice - CJ liked it so I will sample it. Despite my loathing of Colin.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend - She throws a shark at him on land...Brilliant. The rest doesn't matter.
Night at the Musuem - Family Fun
The Pink Panther - Chris will make me
Pan's Labyrinth - The last film I saw with the word Labyrinth in the title changed me forever.
Poseidon - Loved the original, hopefully at least like the remake.
Running Scared - Also heard bad things and don't care.
School for Scoundrels - I bet I laugh at least twice.
Slither - Next in my Netflix Queue
Stranger than Fiction - Worth a rental. Might be great
Superman Returns - I owe it to myself to know if this is crap.
Thank You for Smoking - Looking forward to this even though Aaron Eckhart is a cheap Thomas Jane
United 93 - Might as well
Volver - Looked very well done.

I thought I would update (finally) with this personality test I found on Weigel's site.



Also look at these extra bits

"risk taker, easy going, outgoing, social, open, rule breaker, thrill seeker, life of the party, comfortable in unfamiliar situations, appreciates strangeness, disorganized, adventurous, talented at presentation, aggressive, attention seeking, experience junky, insensitive, adaptable, not easily offended, messy, carefree, dangerous, fearless, careless, emotionally stable, spontaneous, improviser, always joking, player, wild and crazy, dominant, acts without thinking, not into organized religion, pro-weed legalization"

I especially like that last one. I think the site might have an agenda if that even comes up. And under favored jobs the first one is "Dictator". So if you know of any small countries wanting to be explioted, look me up.

I thought I would throw out some quick media bits as well while I am updating.

Shows Currently Enjoying (D+J means I watch with my wife, otherwise I sample alone)

Battlestar Gallactica Season 3 - Best show currently airing on TV. Don't gotta be a nerd to like it, although being a nerd will help you become obsessed. I am a little under obsessed, I yearn for it every week but I don't build shrines. But the show is worth of obsession. Excellent acting coupled with some of the best drama every captured on TV. This and The Shield are the best things TV has going.

Heroes Season 1 - I was very skeptical of the show at first but it has gotten stronger each week. But some of the characters bug me, hopefully they will straighten that out soon.

Lost Season 2 (D+J) - Actually I am waiting to borrow this from Kibler, but as soon as I get it we can finish the season which we got halfway through last year.

The Office Season 2 - Courtesy of Chris (Borrowing) Funny, and the best sitcom on TV

Rescue Me Season 1 - Engaging but a bit too much of the show rotates around the sex lives of the characters. I may not finish the series as a whole but I will give them a season since I have so much respect for Denis Leary and his friends after The Job.

Scrubs Season 4 (D+J) - Me and Julie have been plowing through this show which is very enjoyable. I will be sad when it ends after the season that is currently airing.

Star Trek TNG Season 3 (D+J) - Julie is slow going getting through this since she is more enticed by the other series. But it is one of the great shows of TV history so I will make her watch it. Eventually.

Veronica Mars Season 1 (D+J) - Courtesy of Dave Weigel who made it an early Birthday present. Started a bit dark but has been getting better as it lightened up the mood.

Top of my Netflix Queue (movie wise)
1. Freedomland - Sam Jackson need I say more
2. Empire of the Wolves - Jean Reno stars and I have a history of liking French films with the word Wolf in the title.
3. Inside Man - Looks like a good Acion Thriller.
4. Slither - Should be funny and I love Nathan Fillian.
5. The Matador - I like Pierce Brosnan, not sure I have any more reasons.

Ok, my short stint as a Car Salesman is over. I thought that having a moral and trustworthy person selling cars would interest people and they would respond positively. I was wrong. People like to be swindled and lied to. The whole thing was a disaster, but I learned many things. First, things I learned and then I will pass on to you the best methods to get a good deal from a Car salesman. You know the things that really pissed us off.

Like I said things I learned first.

1. Car shoppers are worse crooks than the salesmen by far without a doubt. I was so surprised at how ruthless and coldblooded the people were I was selling to. They will not buy a car unless they truly feel that we are going to take a huge loss on the vehicle. I have never shopped for an item and asked the clerk. "How much did this cost you?" "Oh 12 dollars, I'll buy it for 5 dollars and I get to sleep with your wife." Salesmen are not sharks like shoppers are, and unless you bleed out in front of them they will find a dealership who will commit Hari Kari for them. And people who make appointments will only actually show up 12% of the time. I was astounded how people would blow off appointments and not even call. I had a few good customers but most of them devalued my opinion of mankind. And I believe in total depravity.

2. All cars (not trucks) are relatively the same. You have Hyundai and Kia at the bottom. And the big names like Lexus, Cadillac, etc up top. Everything is almost the same. Japanese cars don't last longer it has just been ingrained in people's minds by good advertising. With proper maintenence your Ford will last just as long as your Honda. Nissan ain't got much on Chevy. They are all very similar. And if you look into it they are often owned by the same company. "Oh my Mazda is way better than this Ford Focus!" Ford owns Mazda, and Mercury, and also Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo. You pick a car based on its appeal to you. Is the wicked expensive Lexus really better than a Lincoln Zephyr? In your head more than anything.

3. Trucks are quite different. This is where Ford excels. When you look at their craftsmanship and durability Ford dances on the heads of all the other trucks. If you really don't want an F model Ford than Dodge is next best. Chevy, Nissan, anyone else will sell you a fancy looking truck that will cost about the same but be half the truck. I used to like Chevy but I wouldn't touch a Chevy truck now. If you need a truck it has to be Ford (or Dodge).

4. The dealership does not really make much money off of a new vehicle unless it is a top name or it is in high demand. Every new car I sold netted the dealership less than 500 bucks and was often a zero or a loss. Used Cars is where money is made. Most people assume we are raping them on the price and I just want to smack them because I am not going to make a red cent and they want to make me feel bad about the price I gave them.

5. Full Commission Sucks.

6. The best deal is going to be on a barely used vehicle. It will usually be a few thousand less than a new vehicle that is the same. New Vehicles depreciate quickly after purchase and now you made the last guy take that hit instead of you.

Ok now the fun part. Here is an 8 step process to get you the best deal on a new car.I'll give some tips for used cars at the bottom.

0. Before you even start make sure you can even afford a new car. Figure out what kind of monthly payments you can handle. If you are thinking 300 a month with nothing down, stop thinking about the Jetta and start looking at the lovely Kia, or a Focus, or some other small little car. The estimation is 20 bucks for every thousand a vehicle costs. If you are looking at a 20,000 vehicle that will cost you around 400 a month with nothing down. Once you know your monthly payment you can figure what kind of cars fit that range. And with extended terms 72 months, you can stretch you bucks a bit more.

1. Your trade is not worth Kelley Blue Book. That site should be shut down it is crap. Don't buy a car at Blue book value, and don't expect to get what Blue Book tells you you should. The reason, Banks don't care about Blue Book and ultimately they are buying the car for you. They use NADA, and so should you. Also, SUV's and trucks are worth less now because of gas prices. If you are trading one in expect to feel it more than usual.

2. Select the right vehicle. If you really like the Nissan Altima, check out the Ford Fusion and other similar vehicles and make sure you picked the right one. You might like the Styling and find that the other company is similar but also comes with another feature you like standard. Like I said before they are all pretty close to one another so you are really picking on features.

3. Look up the car you like online. You can find out what the invoice price of the vehicle is online. When you go to the dealership you start with that price and go up, not from the MSRP and down.

4. Check all the features you want and then find that vehicle on someone's lot. The dealership wants to sell from their inventory so if you wanted a Blue Mazda 6 with a 6-Disk in dash cd player and a moonroof check and make sure they have one before you bother to go there. Ordering/locating a vehicle will always cost more. Unless you really want puke green or something weird, then you settle for whatever.

5. Research rebates and incentives before you arrive. Like I mentioned most dealerships that don't sell high end cars don't make much money so the only thing they can do is hold back on your rebates, or steal your trade. If you know about them you take that card right out of their deck.

6. When you go to a dealership be kind to the salesman, he has worked a hard day and doesn't always deserve what you are going to do to him. Tell him/her you are going to shop several dealerships and take the best price. This is Kryptonite to sales people, it essentially means you are going to gut me and then buy somewhere else. Most people get a price from 1 dealership, go to another and get the same price. But the next guy can slash 50 bucks and get them to buy then and there. No one comes back because they realize no one will be different I might as well save time. Sitting in dealership #2 they just shrug and buy from that guy. So when you tell a dealership this they will do 1 of 2 things. One, let you go with a low-ball number which no one else will touch or be able to beat. Or Two, try to let you go without a price and dangle a reason to come back. "Sir, our Appraiser (Who is eating a donut 12 feet away) isn't in right now. Why don't you check out some other places and then return tomorrow when we can get you the best rate on your trade in vehicle." That way they get to be dealer #2. They would only do this if they think you like them and might actually be kind enough to return.

7. You are going to make them give you option 1 and get a price. If you did indicate that the price they give you will be shopped around they aren't going to hold anything back and will usually give you the best price they can do. You will affirm? "Is that the best you can do on the vehicle?" and they will agree or go back to the manager to get the real number. The common tricks are for the salesman to get you to focus on the Monthly payment but you don't care about that (To Him at least) You care about the price of the vehicle and the value of you trade if you have one. Once you feel they have given the best price, leave. The manager will probably come over and try to figure out what will get you to buy today, just tell him you aren't buying until you try at least one more dealership and then get out.

8. The price you hold in your hand is probably the best you can hope for. If you want you can go to another dealership and let them try to beat it (If they have the car you want) but if not you can just go back the place you were (even the same night who cares), hit up that same salesman and tell them if they can move anymore that you will drive away in it. They will probably scrape a few more bucks your way if they can and you got yourself a sweet deal. You can buy extended warranties if you want, thats all your peace of mind.


Used cars.

Same negotiation tactics as for a new car. Don't talk monthly payments talk price and trade. Leave and come back, to ensure you got their best offer. Check everything on the vehicle before you buy it. Often people will have stupid crap broke that you could have had them fix for free if you had found it. Especially check windows, make sure they roll up and down, you know stupid stuff. If it is over 100,000 miles be very afraid and don't pay too much.

A good deal is a frame of mind, more than anything. If you like the car and the payments you got a sweet deal. I hope these methods make you feel even better about your next purchase.

I have ended my tenure as a Cable Guy, in related news references to the movie The Cable Guy are funny again. As such a maneuver requires the re-acquiring of a job I have moved into Auto Sales.


I work at Carman Ford on route 13 and should be allowed to sell sometime this week probably on Wednesday when we have a big used sale. Anyone looking for a new car can come visit me, or give me a call.

It is a very interesting job and it is making me into a car guy which I had avoided up until know in my life. Check this out.



We are selling one of these for around 200,000 dollars. Can you believe people spend that much money on a car.

Back to the usual updates.

Murderball

A Documentary about the Quadripalegic Rugby Team Championships and the players that play on the teams.

This was an excellent documentary which was very interesting and engaging. Their were a few dirty parts but all-in-all a stunning film. If you get the DVD the Jackass feature is pretty funny too.

Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

I buy very few cds anymore. But I broke down and bought this. If you enjoy - Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul or Funk you must buy this album. Cee-Lo the greatest funk master still making music teams up with ultra producer Danger Mouse (Jay-Z's the Grey Album, The Dangerdoom Album, and the Latest Gorillaz album) and makes a wonderful thing. Cee-lo + Dangermouse = Gnarls Barkley is only part of the equation. Cee-lo + Dangermouse = Sonic Delight

Silent Hill

Based on the Playstation 1 and 2 series of a dark town that is not quite right. A Mother and Daughter get caught in it and terror ensues.

If you enjoyed the game this movie is for you, if you have never played/enjoyed the game avoid at all costs. I think the average person will gain almost no value from this film. It is creepy and wonderfully directed but utterly void of any happiness if even temporary. As far as being a game adaptation it is by far the most accurate it is a completely true rendering of the game's style and methods.

I should have few more soon. Hopefully sooner than my usual soon.

6 for 6

I was a perfect 6 for 6 for the main categories for this year's Academy Awards
(Picture, Actor/Actress, Supporting Actor/Actress, Director). And it could be noted I got both Screenplay awards correct as well. The Awards for those who don't have access to better sites for coverage are=

Best Picture - Crash
Lead Male - Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Lead Female - Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line
Supporting Male - George Clooney - Syriana
Supporting Female - Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener
Director - Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain

Adapted Screenplay - Brokeback Mountain
Original Screenplay - Crash

For getting the most points out of my friends I won a jumping high five which I cherished.

I would like to thank the Academy, My wife Julie, all my friends, and God. Also my agent, Ari, my lawyer Michelle, and my Cats Wesley and Oz. Ok 5 seconds left. I would like to thank Hulk Hogan for telling me not to do drugs, without him I wouldn't be a real American, Thank You goodnight.

Movies I have enjoyed/watched thus far this year.

Hustle and Flow
A pimp begins to resent his lot in life and tries to pick up and produce a rap album with some friends to get his life back on course towards his dreams. Starring Terrence Howard, DJ Qualls, Anthony Anderson, Ludacris, and Taryn Manning

An interesting film with very memorable performances from the cast most notably Terrence Howard and Anthony Anderson. The ending took me by surprise and I was impressed by the movie as a whole. Recommended

Four Brothers
Four adopted Brothers unite to avenge the death of their loving foster mother. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Andre 3000, Tyrese, Terrence Howard, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Would have been a great 80's movie. I was entertained but I have little interest in seeing it again anytime soon.

Ong Bak 2 (Sort Of)
Somebody takes Tony Jaa's elephants, and he will destroy anyone on the planet to get them back. Elephants are like family in Thailand in case you thought that was silly.

Tony Jaa will take over the depleted Martial Arts world, it is almost assured with how good these fight sequences have become. I could rewatch them all day. As soon as Jet Li and Jackie Chan move on Jaa will step in and we will all be satisfied.
* This was a bootleg of his movie which has yet to be released, I will buy it once it comes out so don't worry. Anyway it had some crazy title so they put Ong Bak 2 on the cover to sell it.

The Jacket
A man with some brain damages finds that he can travel into the future during one of his most intense treatments from a possibly deranged Doctor.
Starring Adrien Brody, Keira Knightly, and Kris Kristoppherson - I screwed that spelling up

Interesting idea that was done better in other movies such as The Butterfly Effect. They definately just threw together a story to attach their time travel idea to. Pass

Crash
An ensemble drama exploring several racially charged incidents within a day in L.A.
Starring Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Michael Pena, Brandon Fraser, Terrence Howard, Ludacris, and Thandie Newton

Excellent film about racism with wondrous acting and some very hard hitting scenes. A few points felt contrived but overall an excellent ensemble piece. I don't think anyone from it deserves an Oscar though, Dillon and Cheadle were good but not that good. Actually if anyone was really convincing it was Michael Pena, who had some of the strongest points of the movie on his shoulders.

Sideways
A middle aged pair go touring through wine country the week before one of them is set to be married. Starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haydn Church, Sandra Oh, and Virginia Madsen

Downed this last night, I was entertained and impressed by the story and characters, but as CJ put it "It had that Indie Film feel". Not sure that is entirely bad, or even what would give something that feel. Maybe it is the reliance on dialogue or slightly lazy camerawork which seems to always infect indies. Anyway I enjoyed it and am glad to have it among my collection.

Some side notes.

After a discussion of Christian films on Russell Brown's site he posited that maybe we should build a blog that we could dedicate to critiquing films from that perspective, and so forth. I do not necessarily wish to create this site myself but if one of you were to wish to create one I would gladly contribute my thoughts, opinions, and allow the borrowing of my films to those interested. On a similar token if people would like to get together on some sort of basis (once a month or so) to watch and discuss a film I would be game. Feel free to post your opinions on this matter.

I have set forth in this blog to provide spoiler free reviews which really boils my points down to - Star Wars - Good
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Bad

I am contemplating a change up, or I may retire from the bloggin business and become a poster on other (actually visited) sites. If a lot of you are interested in the forst note point I may in fact create such a site to bring more dialogue to this lonely site of mine. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Dean

Finally an update. And its a whopper. I have ended every year with a movie list breakdown of the best films I watched that year (Watched being the key word many of these were released in 2004, plus I added Memoirs of a Geisha because it was watched before I made this list) 50 new movies were viewed and the list begins now.

Last - Resident Evil 2 – Nemesis

Not even deserving to be ranked, this will be known as last. I loved the original and this one could have ripped it off entirely and been better off than this horrid nightmare of a movie.

48. Alien vs. Predator

I hyped this on my blog, and I was soooo betrayed. I thought it would take effort and strategy to ruin this movie and they schemed it well. “Take two of the coolest villains from sci-fi and have them battle mindlessly with no cool action sequences. Add people whom we never even come close to caring about and sprinkle a useless story with a sickening Predator 2 rip-off ending. Ah yes this will truly suck.”

47. Hide and Seek

Similar to Secret Window but far worse. The multiple personalities thing is so abused that when I started thinking that was where they were going I thought ‘No Way, DeNiro would know better than to do a Multiple Personality Reveal at the end” So I dismissed it, but after I saw the alternatives be eliminated I turned to my wife disgusted and said “They didn’t actually make it Robert DeNiro did they?” And minutes later the shocker of an ending came down and surprised no one. I swore off movies for awhile and cursed DeNiro for making me think he was better than this.

46. The Bourne Supremacy

I hated the first one and for some reason I watched this one anyway. After vomiting from the lousy shaky camerawork I realized that once again I was routing for the hero to die. He didn’t and I did inside. 1 decent car chase saves this from being lower on the list.

45. Hellboy

I never cared about the characters, which made everything else, as lousy as it was anyway, even worse.

44. Grand Theft Parsons

I thought this sounded like a great silly caper movie. With Johnny Knoxville at the lead I thought I was assured that, but it was far more dramatic and unfunny. Not horrible but I was fooled and I therefore punish this movie with 44th.

43. Open Water

Wait, Dean ranked a shark movie in his bottom 10? Yes and I will tell you why. No action, almost no sharks. The dialogue was lousy although I wouldn’t have bought anything else they could have said because of their circumstances. You wait the whole movie for the big finish and it whimpers. Boo

42. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I didn’t get it. It was funny once or twice.

41. Robots

Worst kids movie in years. Mostly for the ending, they really hammed it up for cheap gags like the Britney Spears routine in the middle of a battle. After the arrival of Pixar I don’t take this garbage anymore.

40. Without a Paddle

This was funny yet stupid everything I expected it to be. It wasn’t repeat viewings funny though so…40.

39. The Man with the Screaming Brain

Bruce Campbell in a ridiculous B-Movie, with everything you would expect from Bruce Campbell. Some corny dialogue, silly acting from his peers, and a prosthetic forehead for his real head. They Might be Giants would have been proud and I was too. But like Without a Paddle I don’t know about repeat viewings.

38. Paparazzi

I really like Cole Hauser so I wanted this to be great. It was good. But Tom Sizemore was a perfect jerk. You wanted his pain so bad, so for delivering on that note gets kudos. Otherwise nothing special.

37. White Noise

I was entertained, but it was boring at points and didn't have enough truly scary parts.

36. Kung Fu Hustle

I liked Shaolin Soccer and the idea of his humor in a martial arts movie was wonderful, but this was not as good as his first movie which ranks higher on my list. The story was awkward and the ending was too much. A few funny moments save the movie, I just didn’t like the progression through the acts.

35. Secret Window

Stephen King is a favorite of mine, but his movies lately all really feel like they would have been great books and were ok to lousy movies. Dreamcatcher was the last to make me think that and it ranked about the same place in my list that year. This was saved by Johnny Depp and Maria Bello, Dreamcatcher had no such luck.

34. Envy

Jack Black is funny, even in this sub-par movie. But throw in Christopher Walken, ah beautiful sillyness.

33. Constantine

The villains were great and the effects were cool. Everything else. Meh

32. The Machinist

Christian Bale is mind-searing in his emaciated role, but the story never quite hit me right, and you close thinking. “Who Cares?”

31. The Cooler

William H. Macy was brilliant in this movie, and with great support from Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello this was a good film. Kind of a bummer at points, but the ending makes it better. If the pacing would have been raised I would have loved it more.

30. Layer Cake

Watched this today and was entertained, although the ending soured the movie. Was a few editing choices away from being at least 10 higher on my list.

29. Chronicles of Riddick

Vin Diesel is great in action roles, and after Pitch Black thrilled me I had to catch this even though I knew I would be disappointed. I was. But a few good scenes plus Alexa Davalos from Angel and I forgave.

28. Ong Bak – The Thai Warrior

Great and Amazing fight sequences. Fast forward the rest.

27. Anchorman

One of the funniest moments I have seen all year wrapped in a decent silly comedy. The cameos are great most notably Jack Black and Tim Robbins, but Steve Carell and Will Farrell are the reasons to see this.

26. After the Sunset

Just a fun movie. I had been rocking the island soundtrack for months before seeing the movie that spawned it. It was funny and interesting and what else could you want. I have high hopes for Pierce Brosnan now that his Bond days are over.

25. Chronicles of Narnia

This film was very disappointing to me. I felt the story was weak, although I direct my angst at the director who did a lousy job condensing the story. The special effects were good although not Lord of the Rings good. And Tilda Swinton was blood chilling, but a few minor changes would have really improved the movie for me. Namely a mount up type scene that would help us viewers understand how a 12 year old boy went from sniveling brat to General and Swordmaster in less than a day without training. Or how walking up a hill for 5 minutes suddenly took you into another hemisphere. The saving grace is the Centaur who wields dual blades and rocks house.

24. Ella Enchanted

Fun Family Fair, with an enjoyable story and good characters. The Romance was good in a Disney type fashion, and Anne Hathaway proved she has the charisma to leave this type of film behind, although I don’t know if Havok would have been my next movie choice.

23. Finding Neverland

Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet in a cute drama. Cute Dramas usually fill in the middle of my list but this is kind of alone this year.

22. War of the Worlds

People berated it for its ending as if it wasn’t a remake, and was trying to pass it off as original. This was an entertaining suspense movie that took an interesting perspective by sticking with the family instead of giving a global view of the chaos. I liked it.

21. Shaolin Soccer

Stephen Chow’s finer movie that was cute, and hilarious, and almost made me care about soccer. Although you must note it took slapstick humor and flaming balls to make that happen.

20. The Butterfly Effect

I shocked myself when I found myself liking this. And it made me forgive Ashton Kutcher and finally appreciate That 70’s Show. This was a good thriller that had you hooked all the way through.

19. Hitch

A charming romantic comedy made better by every second Kevin James is on screen. Will Smith played the rom-com well and might do well to revisit this genre in the future.

18. Saved

An interesting look at Christian hypocrisy and moral dilemmas. I was intrigued but I found a few of the writing choices weakened the ideas of the film.

17. Land of the Dead

Romero returns and I had to watch it. I missed his campiness until the sling-head zombie showed up and I was OK. I like Dawn of the Dead in both forms better but this was worth the money.

16. The 40 Year Old Virgin

Hilarious. And surprising moral, although the content will keep me from owning it, an edited version of the film would be worth checking out.

15. Memoirs of a Geisha

This was far more engaging than I originally though it would be. I envisioned a cinematic color show like Hero but was pleased to find a touching drama instead. Although I think my western mind had trouble with the story points namely a girl falling in love with a man when she is 12 and growing up to be with him.

14. Beyond the Sea

Kevin Spacey is excellent, and his strange path through Bobby Darin’s life was enjoyable on every front. Plus you get Bob Hoskins and John Goodman.

13. Garden State

I liked this and probably couldn’t explain why intelligently. Yup

12. Star Wars Episode 3

I was so disappointed with this film I tried for days to defend it in my mind. I have since given up. The sudden turn of Anakin will forever haunt my dreams and tarnished my memories and love of this franchise. Yet any movie with Samuel L. Jackson can’t be bad.

11. Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Lots of people loath Angelina Jolie, I am not one of them and therefore could enjoy this action comedy fully. I almost wish I had caught this on the big sreen.

10.5 Mindhunters

You ever make a list and forget something until the very end. Well a more patient man would have made this movie number 11 and bump everything else down one. I make it 10.5. This movie was a great thriller from the Agatha Christie camp of murder mysteries. And with LL Cool J how could you go wrong?

10. Exorcism of Emily Rose

CJ knew the Director from school so we had to watch it. And any opportunity to actually get my wife to see a horror movie with me is one I can’t pass up. This was not the horror movie I had wanted but it was sufficient, while the drama and courtroom battle featuring Laura Linney, who never disappoints, was good enough to make it into the top ten.

9. Million Dollar Baby

This movie will harm you emotionally. You can’t help but love the characters and the acting and it makes the ending so much more impressive. Clint and everyone involved deserved the awards.

8. Saw

Great little indie-horror film which was able to bring in some big talent like Cary Elwes and Danny Glover. The tension was tight and never let up, and the ending was great. One of the best horror films in awhile.

7. Shaun of the Dead

A wicked funny spoof on a beloved thing, Zombie movies. It was probably the first movie I saw in 2005 and it remained in the top ten even after 40+ movies tried to knock it out.

6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I’m a Harry Potter fan although I skip the books in favor of the movies (I would rather enjoy the books afterwards I think since the books are almost always superior) This could have been the best one yet, I don’t know. They are too similar to compare in my mind.

5. Unleashed

Jet Li’s finest movie has probably 2 of the greatest 5 fight scenes ever in this film. That alone would have cracked the top ten. But the dramatic storyline heightened with Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman in the mix puts this in the top 5.

4. The Life Aquatic

Wes Anderson’s best film was quirky perfection.

3. Batman Begins

A return to glory for Batman with Christopher Nolan at the helm and Christian Bale in the tights. Wouldn’t have been as good without a stunning supporting cast, and a return to the “dark” world of the “Dark Knight”.

2. Sin City

Would have been number 1 if not for my affinity for that film. This was a wholly original and unique film with memorable and brilliant characters. I can’t wait for a sequel and I gobbled up all the special features on the ultimate edition DVD.

1. Serenity

Firefly will probably remain my favorite TV show of all time and so the film sequel to the early demised show would have to conquer my film list of the year. If I had to weigh them on their own merit it would have bowed a few spots but my deep love for the show and its characters made it the most enjoyable film experience of the year and the only film I caught more than once in the theatre this year.

Posted by: Dean Mc / 8:24 PM (0) comments

Lost... and random spam.

Someone is advertising Lost on my blog, through anonymous posting. I am disabling it, but why would they do that. Especially if you read the last one it is obviously a typo ridden computer generated post. Ugh, it annoys me and makes me want to watch the show less. But only a little.

P.S.
When I disabled the posting of Anonymous people they disappeared I think. Here is the jist though, for your enjoyment.

"Yes I agree with you and your opinion, and not everyone will agree with you on that idea. Lost Season Disc is excellent place to talk about the show. "

So they agree that I want to watch the show, which is all I said, and others might disagree that I desire it. And I guess "Season Disc" is a place.

It's Been Awhile....

Married life and a new home has taken away a lot of my Blogging time, and fantasy football also gets a heavy portion of blame.

So here are some quick things just to appease my fans. All remaining 2 of you.

Movies

Serenity - Everything I had hoped for and more. Saw it twice in the theatres and could be convinced to see it again.

Mindhunters - Saw it and it is awesome. Great suspense movie.

Ong-Bak - The Thai Warrior - This movie is also excellent, It features amazing fight sequences only rivalved by...

Unleashed - Jet Li's finest movie was released and will merit many repeated viewings.

Monster - Saw a bunch of it and was intrigued, but succumbed to sleep and had the ending told to me. Sounded good. Theron did deserve the Oscar.

The Machinist - Christian Bale went to great lengths to make this movie, had to see it and I did enjoy it but it was a bit slow.

Batman Begins - Is even better on DVD, the fights scenes are much more enjoyable on the small screen.

Million Dollar Baby - Worth all the Oscars, very enjoyable and heartbreaking drama. Clint Eastwood is truly gifted.

TV

The Shield - Is still amazing and I can't wait for season 4 to drop on DVD

That 70's Show - I hated this show for no good reason, I am an idiot. This show is hilarious. I'm glad that Topher Grace's career is flourishing. Although casting him as Venom might be a bit much.

How I met your Mother - My favorite new sitcom, which is funny, cute, and original. Plus Neil Patrick Harris is brilliant.

Angel and Buffy - Julie and I are nearing the end. We are on Buffy Season 7 and Angel season 4. This will be followed by our interest in seeing Lost and Smallville

The Job - Should not have been cancelled. This show was really funny and original.

Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith



* In a Galaxy far, far away...Do I really need to premise this movie with a description?

I caught this opening night (sorry for the delay) and my first reaction was Wow!, and followed by a holy crap. The next day was filled with day dreams of the correlations between the 5 other films and this one. But the next day was spent wallowing in where the film fell short, and I found myself appreciating the movie less. Don't get me wrong this movie is great but I do think I should voice my contempt as well as my praise. Contempt will come first so we can end happy.

I went into the movie with two things on my mind.
1. Mace Windu better not die like a chump.
2. The wookies better rock house Ent style.

Lucas delivered on the first (excellently) but he totally dropped the ball on the wookie rampage. This doesn't really detract from the movie overall just something I really wanted to see.

Beyond those 2 points I wanted what I want from any other movie and here is my rating of the movie on those points.

Out of 5

Story - 3
Diminished by other elements mainly time restrictions and pacing. But its biggest flaw is that I don't buy Anakin' s turn to evil which is the premise of the movie.

Writing - 3.5
The dialogue did not suck nearly as much as it had in some scenes from the previous two, but several events in the movie were forced and in retrospect were not at all natural.

Acting - 3
Highlights were Palpatine, Windu, Obi-Wan, Yoda, R2-D2 (Totally the coolest driod ever), and Senator Organa. But since the weight of the movie was on Anakin and often Padme the movie gets demerits. I don't discredit the actors I believe the pacing of the scenes and how much drama had to be achieved in such a short period of time made it nearly impossible to act well and consistently.

Action - 4
The 5 would have been there if the Wookies wrecked house and if the Jedi hunt had been more epic. Everything else is golden.

Cinematography/Effects - 5
The world was well designed and quite immersive, the special effects were solid, especially from the animated folks like Yoda, General Grievous, R2-D2, and a crazy lizard car.

Comedy - 4
Not meant to be a comedy, several moments even within the darkest movie in the series were funny so credit is due.

Eh. Thats enough categories and if you average them you get my overall rating - 3.75

This coupled with a love for the series as a whole will of course amplify the movies significance and enjoyment but standing alone I give it that score.


The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

* A Wes Anderson film (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore) about a aging marine documetarian who goes on a mission to destroy the Jaquar Shark that ate his longtime friend.

I think this is my favorite Wes Anderson movie. You may know whether or not you like Wes Anderson films, if you liked either of the other two you will love this one, even if you hated The Royal Tenenbaums but liked Rushmore you will enjoy this I think. Wes Anderson movies almost have to be reviewed as a collective, as they contain the same style, humor, and quirkyness that most people will love or hate. I love it, so this movie is a must own for me. The new thrills that this movie adds is a better storyline than Tenenbaums but also action sequences which I described to CJ as taking a John Woo scene adding Wes Anderson humor and music and then replacing the able bodied Chow Yun Fat and replacing him with the speedo-wearing aging Bill Murray. The result is brilliant.........I keep trying but I can't really review his movie its really good if you like his stuff, thats all I can say. I'm buying the double disc Criterion, most likely at full price which, if you know my disdain for paying full price for anything, should say something.


P.S. - Mos Def is awesome
P.P.S - I plan to write some more blogs other than reviews soon. I will list them to build anticipation and to lock myself in to doing them.

1. Artists I Trust - The List of Bands who I will buy albums from before I listen to them
2. Musical Actors/Actresses - A comparitive look at the cultures of those who turn from music to film.
3. White People - My Thoughts on how white people are portrayed/mentioned/judged in rap music.

Kevin Lyttle

Me and CJ have been crazy over this Kevin Lyttle song "Turn me On" for quite some time. We discovered it on our On Demand and we would watch it every time we got together to bask in the wisdom and joy. We have decided that Kevin is the happiest person in the world and that listening to the song makes you closer to his level of satisfaction. When I was getting ready to be married I asked Julie if she would let me and CJ dance to the song at the wedding at which point I was denied. But then I found "I Did It" which could possibly be even better and it is more God-honoring as a song featured in a wedding should be. Today I checked out a local used cd joint and found the soundtrack to After the Sunset which featured 2 Lyttle songs and one of them being "I Did It". After listening to it like 6 times I decided I should praise him in my blog. Plus I have added fun pictures that let you see how much happier he is than us.

Sin City

*In a depraved city three characters embark on journeys of wild vengeance.

Sin City was much the hot topic since it looked oh so good, but was feared as being oh so morally bad. But I braved the elements and with my wife, CJ, and Jason by my side and it was a good movie after all. Sin City is one of the best visual experiences I have had at the movies since Lord of the Rings, and before that probably Who Framed Roger Rabbit (that movie rocked my world). The negative elements do remain, nudity exists and the violence is thick, if you are familiar with darker anime like Fist of the North Star and Akira it would be a live action version of such things. The storyline with its three weaving story arcs that only slightly connect to one another was excellent, and I could have continued on this trail for another 2 hours before I got antsy. I have to give enormous praise to Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, and Clive Owen for their gritty portrayals, I have more respect for all of them after this movie. But also look for unique performances by Benecio Del Toro, Elijah Wood (Oh my goodness), Rosario Dawson, Britney Murphy, and Nick Stahl. I would have liked Carla Gugino more if she wasn't perpetually naked. I loved this movie, but it is clearly not for everyone, my wife liked it but I doubt many other women would. This is a man's movie, mostly because it connects with a part of the male psyche in a special way because in each storyline it established the necessary exceptions for someone to unleash the beast all over someone's face. And man does the beast get unleashed.

I'm an idiot

I did a blog on my most anticipated movies of the summer and I forgot Unleashed which is probably my most anticipated movie of the year. Let me ring it out for you.

Jet Li


Bob Hoskins


Morgan Freeman


All in a movie involving fighting, Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional) and the director of The Transporter. Awesome Awesome. The Trailer before Shaun of the Dead is worth buying itself, imagine a feature length version. Aww man. I am so ashamed I forgot this movie.

I am now married, and after settling in a little bit I am ready to update the ol' blog.

Ella Enchanted

At first you will wonder why I watched this, and I would be unable to answer. I think it had to do with Cary Elwes and fantasy, a combination that was quite pleasurable in the past (The Princess Bride). This movie was a great fun family movie, one I would recommend to anyone with children. I have a decent amount of respect for Anne Hathaway, and I think she may have a career after Disney if she so desired. Cary Elwes is always excellent, expect him to deliver.

Robots

This movie was funny, but it tried to hard. It's best jokes were subtle and clever, but the majority of the movie was going for big dumb jokes and had a 50 percent success rate. The addition of Robin Williams was good, and Ewan McGregor was a good pick as the lead, although many of the other voice actors were just average. Another good family film but not even close to the quality level of a Pixar film.

Summer Excitement

This summer I am looking forward to many of the upcoming movies I thought I would jump in with my top 5 anticipated movies.

1. Batman Begins
The origin story of one of the biggest comic heroes ever comes to screen with Christian Bale wearing the mask and Christopher Nolan behind the camera. This can only be good, and with the addition of Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson, and many others I think this movie will cause me to ruin my pants.

2. Serenity (Firefly)
As far as I know this is still slated to release this year, and since Firefly was one of my favorite TV shows I am longing for this movie heavily. It will be delightful to get some closure on the shows' many storylines.

3. Star Wars Episode 3
I think this might belong at the top, however since it is coming sooner and I just watched Return of the Jedi on Tuesday I might be overexposed and therefore weighing it more heavily. But you know this will rock.

4. Sin City (My wife said this is technically a spring movie)
I don't know much of anything about the comic book, but I am loving the visuals and will have to see this. Plus CJ is diehard on seeing it and I think I will join him opening night.

5. George Romero's Land of the Dead
A semi-sequel to Dawn of the Dead, which will provide Zombies and guns, always pleasurable.

Yeah, well now I'm busy and can't continue, hope that tides you over.

New Update!!!!!!!!!!

Holy CRAP!

Yeah I have returned from what was almost a month hiatus. Wedding planning and laziness have gotten the best of me. But if you knew the amount of times I thought about updating, well that would be something. Anyway, here's a big update to tide you over because I don't see another update happening for another week or two. Enjoy.

Saved!

* Christians are satirized as either extremely hypocritical, hatemongering, or ridiculously overzealous.

I finally watched Saved!, which I am ashamed about delaying to this point. As one who loves satire especially of groups of which I am a part (in this case Christians) I should have seen this much earlier. But Julie saw it without me, blame her. Anyway, the main criticism I have with the movie is that there wasn't a good Christian, there wasn't the guy who got it right. The character the movie kind of set up for that actually did nothing at all, and permitted and encouraged everything. I felt like the movie wasn't made by a Christian, and possibly not even for Christians. I got the impression that sometimes it was merely a mockery of our ignorance and hypocricy. However these are issues I have with how they performed the satire, the points were often legitimate. Some Christians do comprise the least intelligent group of people in the world. Most of them are in charge of schools and radio shows and for some reason lead us in the crusade of idiocy that seems to always make the news and poorly represent us. These people are ripe for satire. However they are too dumb to understand this movie, and because of the omission of a good character I feel they would be able to make clear attacks against the movies credibility as a truth upholding film. I feel that because of this the good purpose of the movie was lost and now all that remains is the open mockery of Christianity which is like shooting fish in a barrel. The opportunity was wasted, shame on them. I would recommend watching this because it is interesting, but know its shortcomings.

Alien vs. Predator

*Two Sci-Fi movie greats combat while killing useless humans in the crossfire.

Yeah, I talked about this movie forever before it came out and I didn't even watch it until CJ brought it over. It was awful. Well the action sequences were cool, and the effects were good, but the story and execution was horrid. My least favorite thing you can do in a horror movie is to kill off people with out any drama. Don't build up a character and then kill him in an instant and move on. That doesn't make the movie scary. Look at how Deep Blue Sea used it's deaths. Each was significant and scary, this movie wasted almost all of its core characters. I liked seeing the combat between the two villians but only like 2-3 scenes from the whole movie are worth watching. Another great opportunity lost.

Envy

*Two friends are divided when one of them becomes filthy rich and his buddy didn't join him for the ride.

Bobby bought this for me, and at movie night we watched it and is was enjoyable. It wasn't the best thing ever, but we laughed out loud several times. Jack Black and Ben Stiller are hilarious as always, and Christopher Walken was uncanny. I would watch the movie several times just to see him, it was his funniest role yet. Also Rachel Weisz was a pleasure. Its worth a rental, and I am unashamed of my owning. Walken will make it worthy.

Secret Window

* A writer is hounded by a man who claims he stole his story and ruined its ending.

I watched this ON DEMAND while typing this. It just ended so a review hot off the stove for you. It was good, almost very good, and you can tell the source material is Stephen King. Whats better is that it got grade A production values and the acting prowess of Johnny Depp, John Turturro, and Maria Bello. I might buy this cheap, but only because its repeat value has yet to be determined. The once viewing is great and it is a clear rental option.

Hellboy

* A demon child is discovered and grows up to lead a league of extraordinary bores.

I fell asleep, I rewound and saw why. This movie is dumb, and with little redeeming value. I wanted to find what everyone was clamoring for and I missed it. I didn't like the characters, the action sequences or the premise. Don't watch it, there are hundreds of better options.

The Butterfly Effect

* A man finds that he can return to his past to tries over and over to change the events of his past to improve his future.

Much Much Better than I thought it was going to be. Julie really wanted to see it, and I was hesistant to spend money on it because I thought it would suck. It came up ON DEMAND and so I thought sweet, free viewing at our leisure. She came over and a few friends were there and we watched what turned out to be a great suspense movie. Ashton Kutcher is still weak as an actor but he was able to pull it off enough to not ruin the movie, although I wonder how long his career will hold out. A few sequences really made the movie terrific and the non-linear elements were exciting and thrilling. Overall, a good film, and I will likely purchase someday.

Special Editions I am waiting for.

This year will see the re-release of many movies into sweet Special editions that I will crave and eventually join Columbia House to get. The first was The Fifth Element, and it will be followed by Predator 2, Heat, and Get Shorty. But I have a list of movies that I am dying to have released with features, some of which I even have features in mind.

Batman and Batman Returns - I want commentaries with Tim Burton and Michael Keaton, and a good section dedicated to adapting the comic, since these were the only two that came close. I think I might get my wish with these since the new Batman movie is coming out and actually looks good.

Beetlejuice - Another Burton/Keaton pick, i'll take another commentary from the same two people.

The Chinese Connection - Actually I would like the "Enter the Dragon" treatment for all of Bruce Lee's films, but especially this one which is my favorite.

Dick Tracy - I know it kind of bombed, but come on this would be a perfect pick for some special edition lovin'.

Dirty Harry - The whole series done up proper on DVD, with at least one worthwile feature on each film.

F.I.S.T. - This will never happen because it is the cheaper version of Hoffa starring Jack Nicholson instead of Stallone, but I liked it and I would like some features and widescreen.

The Jerk - Steve Martin's quintessential film should get its due. Maybe release it with the Pink Panther re-release he is starring in this summer.

L.A. Confidential - An excellent suspence cop movie. Should have ensemble commentary, that would rule.

The Neverending Story - Family Fantasy always needs a special edition, this is not exempt.

Office Space - A cult hit without a SE DVD this is strange, I would make a mini game where you can smash a copy machine.

Raising Arizona - I don't know what features I would put on this, but I would buy it regardless.

The Road Warrior - Mad Max got its edition and this one is better. Although they are making a new sequel and I should get my wish.

Short Circuit 1+2 - A two pack with a few featurettes on the robot. I'm Game.

Thats a good list, maybe I'll think of some more.

Movies, rocking it out consistent.

I joined Netflix, this will be my budget way to enjoy the art of films. And I have watched two movies already. They sucked, but it was something. Next movie is Collateral and Saved, which should be good. Anyway, more movies should be reviewed regularly so you have something to look forward to. Enjoy

Resident Evil 2 : Nemesis

*Sequel to Resident Evil, a zombie action film based on the popular video game series.

The first Resident Evil was a wonderul action/zombie fest with some sweet action sequences, and a simple cool storyline. This movie is a piece of garbage. The Action sequences were a waste of time, the storyline was just stupid, and the characters had no depth. I am trying to think of a single nice thing to say, but I can't. And I tried so hard to like it, I saw the DVD features and I was so excited that I almost made myself like it. Don't watch this, for any reason.

The Bourne Supremacy

*Sequel to The Bourne Identity about a dull man with Amnesia fighting people

Also sucked. I hated the first movie but after people told me this was good I thought, why not. I will tell you why not. Matt Damon does not have more personality in this film, he might have less. The action is about the same, but the jerky camera ruined it as you run to the bathroom to vomit. Actually the whole movie is jerky and I had quite a headache after it was over, its probably the worst camera work I have seen in a long time. The storyline was almost good, but fell short with a little too much needless crap and double crossing. The movie had 2 redeeming points, first the annoying girl from the first one dies, and there was a pretty intense car chase. You could rent this, but only if you can't find something better. And there is plenty better.

Somehow I missed Mean Girls in my yearly wrap up. So I am going to slip it in at 17 right behind Napolean Dynamite which I might as well add too. So the list is as follows.

1. Big Fish
2. The Incredibles
3. Kill Bill 2
4. The Passion
5. Spiderman 2
6. School of Rock
7. Dawn of the Dean
8. Walking Tall
9. Harry Potter - Prisoner of Azkaban
10. Mystic River
11. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
12. Death to Smootchy
13. The Missing
14. Buffalo Soldiers
15. Bubba Ho Tep
16. Napolean Dynamite
17. Mean Girls
18. Starsky and Hutch
19. The Village
20. Hero
21. Once Upon a Time in Mexico
22. Interstate 60
23. American Splendor
24. Dodgeball: The Movie
25. Van Helsing
26. Lost in Translation
27. Cabin Fever
28. The Grudge
29. Master and Commander
30. Dreamcatcher
31. Johnny English
32. Terminator 3
33. Two Brothers
34. Looney Tunes - Back in Action
35. Taking Lives
36. House of the Dead

And while typing this I realized I will never be a real critic because I have Starsky and Hutch Van Helsing, and Dodgeball above Lost in Translation. But I rate on enjoyment, and well maybe I'll have a job at E.

New Reviews for the New Year

Chronicles of Riddick

*Riddick from Pitch Black returns to save the galaxy from cool Ghost Soldiers

Pitch Black was one of the better Sci-Fi movies that came out in the last few years, and so I was interested in the concept of a sequel. I of course missed it in the theatre and after CJ bought it I have been pushing for a watching, which happened tonight. It's a cool action movie if you check your brain at the door, its decent if you don't. I checked mine so I was all set. As a nice bonus you get the cool Electro-Girl from Angel the TV series which was awesome. I was really hoping for her to become a regular and so it was groovy to see her in action again. I will buy it used, Vin Diesel is just too cool as Riddick not to.

Shaun of the Dead

*Slacker and friends battle Zombies and drink beer.

Zombies? Comedy? I'll buy it. And I would have bought it blind but it was nice to confirm its greatness before I dropped coin. Its great fun, and yet it takes seriously many of its zombie elements, and also takes seriously its homages to previous Zombie flicks. If you are a Zombie movie fan, this is a must own, if not you should enjoy the comedy anyway.

New Acquistions

Bobby and Sherri spoiled me and buried me in movies

Shaolin Soccer

I really wanted to see this for awhile, but I missed the screening that all of my other friends seem to have caught but now my time will come.

Envy

Said to be a lousy bomb, I have my doubts. I mean it has Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Rachel Weisz, and Christopher Walken, plus it is directed by Barry Levinson (Bandits). I bet its funny, but you know stupid funny. I guess we'll see.

Billy Elliot

I don't know much about this one, but Bobby vouches for it. Which is enough for me.