Issue 112
News/ Movie Review: 2007 was a good year for film.
Two years ago, as I mentioned in another edition of the blog, I decided to enter a TAFFY contest listing the best actors, &c. in movies of the past year. I put Good Night and Good Luck in every category and even got note for calling Joe McCarthy's performance in the film as himself (through archive footage) the best villain of 2005. My parents hoped that I would do another one this year, although they didn't ask this last year. To Commemorate tonight's Oscars, and my purchase of the Hairspray DVD, I will list and give capsule reviews of some of my favorite films of 2007. All but the ones marked with an asterisk were viewed in the theatre.
*Hannibal Rising*. The latest entry in the Hannibal Lecter series, it is quite good, even with the fact that it has the other three movies (or 4, if one counts Mahunter), and the medically nonsensical plot device of using Truth Serum to recover memory.
* Zodiac*. It is certainly one of the most accurate versions of the Zodiac killer story I've seen. If I wasn't so sure that Arthur Leigh Allen (who's been dead for 15 years) was the killer, I'd wonder what he'd have thought of the movie.
*Blades of Glory. This was the movie that Introduced me to "My Humps" and, by extention, the message that one gets when it's played backwards: The Same as it sounds forwards.
*Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. A film based on my favorite movie, and unlike most movies based on TV shows, this is just as funny as the show, if not more, at least, for fans of Adult Swim, as I am.
*Sicko. This film turned me on to how large the health care problem is in America, since, in the only developed nation without universal health care, 50 million people have no health insurance, and millions more have shoddy health insurance. Fortunately, I'm in neither group.
*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Ordinarily, I'm ambivalent to the Harry Potter Franchise, but the plot of the main characters forming an underground resistance organization to the repressive powers that be left a more lasting impression than the other four films so far.
*Hairspray*. While I am disconcerted by the fact that some classic scenes from the original aren't in this version, and that it's not as campy, it's still good nonetheless.
*Simpsons movie. I rarely watch Simpsons, but I managed to see this movie in Door County. It's pretty good, and besides, it's shocked CAPalert, so it can't be that bad.
*Bratz*. Between strange plot points, and the obvious satire, it's safe to say that if Ed Wood were alive today, this is the kind of project he'd be attached to.
*Mr. Bean's Holiday. While I do prefer Blackadder, I do still enjoy Mr. Bean, particularly in the movies. Not many people can perform such a childish man as Bean at 50, but Rowan Atkinson does it well.
*Across the Universe. The Beatles score this Jukebox musical based on their music. In any other year after 1960, this would be the best musical of the year, but there is a lot of competition now.
*Golden Compass. The film is faithful, at least to an extent, to Pullman's works, although a future DVD cut may add deleted material to make it more faithful to the original. I hope that the other two books get adapted into film, even if they, even with religious context completely undiluted, will make progressively less and less domestically, while expanding even more abroad.
*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. After seeing the movie, and some excerpts from another production on Youtube, it's certainly one of the best and darkest movie musicals of all time.
Movies I should have seen: *Grindhouse.
*Fracture.
*Mr. Brooks.
*Evan Almighty.
*Superbad .
*Darjeeling Limited.
*Control.
*Beowulf.
*Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
*There Will Be Blood.
Band Name of the Day: Pest Trap for Pantry. It worked for Death Cab for Cutie.
Movie Idea of the Day: A film director goes insane while creating a movie based on a very thinly veiled parody of The Princess Diaries, including inserting murders, deviant sex acts, and disgusting medical conditions into the formerly G-rated series.
Quote of the Day: "Penny Pingleton is permanently, positively, punished!"
_______Prudence Pingleto, Penny's parent who purpousefully punishes Penny for Petty Purposes. I wonder if I could have added some more alliteration to fit in the description with the quote.
Link of the Day: A Resource for one of my favorite singers/Bands.
Two years ago, as I mentioned in another edition of the blog, I decided to enter a TAFFY contest listing the best actors, &c. in movies of the past year. I put Good Night and Good Luck in every category and even got note for calling Joe McCarthy's performance in the film as himself (through archive footage) the best villain of 2005. My parents hoped that I would do another one this year, although they didn't ask this last year. To Commemorate tonight's Oscars, and my purchase of the Hairspray DVD, I will list and give capsule reviews of some of my favorite films of 2007. All but the ones marked with an asterisk were viewed in the theatre.
*Hannibal Rising*. The latest entry in the Hannibal Lecter series, it is quite good, even with the fact that it has the other three movies (or 4, if one counts Mahunter), and the medically nonsensical plot device of using Truth Serum to recover memory.
* Zodiac*. It is certainly one of the most accurate versions of the Zodiac killer story I've seen. If I wasn't so sure that Arthur Leigh Allen (who's been dead for 15 years) was the killer, I'd wonder what he'd have thought of the movie.
*Blades of Glory. This was the movie that Introduced me to "My Humps" and, by extention, the message that one gets when it's played backwards: The Same as it sounds forwards.
*Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. A film based on my favorite movie, and unlike most movies based on TV shows, this is just as funny as the show, if not more, at least, for fans of Adult Swim, as I am.
*Sicko. This film turned me on to how large the health care problem is in America, since, in the only developed nation without universal health care, 50 million people have no health insurance, and millions more have shoddy health insurance. Fortunately, I'm in neither group.
*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Ordinarily, I'm ambivalent to the Harry Potter Franchise, but the plot of the main characters forming an underground resistance organization to the repressive powers that be left a more lasting impression than the other four films so far.
*Hairspray*. While I am disconcerted by the fact that some classic scenes from the original aren't in this version, and that it's not as campy, it's still good nonetheless.
*Simpsons movie. I rarely watch Simpsons, but I managed to see this movie in Door County. It's pretty good, and besides, it's shocked CAPalert, so it can't be that bad.
*Bratz*. Between strange plot points, and the obvious satire, it's safe to say that if Ed Wood were alive today, this is the kind of project he'd be attached to.
*Mr. Bean's Holiday. While I do prefer Blackadder, I do still enjoy Mr. Bean, particularly in the movies. Not many people can perform such a childish man as Bean at 50, but Rowan Atkinson does it well.
*Across the Universe. The Beatles score this Jukebox musical based on their music. In any other year after 1960, this would be the best musical of the year, but there is a lot of competition now.
*Golden Compass. The film is faithful, at least to an extent, to Pullman's works, although a future DVD cut may add deleted material to make it more faithful to the original. I hope that the other two books get adapted into film, even if they, even with religious context completely undiluted, will make progressively less and less domestically, while expanding even more abroad.
*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. After seeing the movie, and some excerpts from another production on Youtube, it's certainly one of the best and darkest movie musicals of all time.
Movies I should have seen: *Grindhouse.
*Fracture.
*Mr. Brooks.
*Evan Almighty.
*Superbad .
*Darjeeling Limited.
*Control.
*Beowulf.
*Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
*There Will Be Blood.
Band Name of the Day: Pest Trap for Pantry. It worked for Death Cab for Cutie.
Movie Idea of the Day: A film director goes insane while creating a movie based on a very thinly veiled parody of The Princess Diaries, including inserting murders, deviant sex acts, and disgusting medical conditions into the formerly G-rated series.
Quote of the Day: "Penny Pingleton is permanently, positively, punished!"
_______Prudence Pingleto, Penny's parent who purpousefully punishes Penny for Petty Purposes. I wonder if I could have added some more alliteration to fit in the description with the quote.
Link of the Day: A Resource for one of my favorite singers/Bands.
Labels: Movies
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