Oh Bliss! Bliss and heaven!

I listen to Gamespot's weekly show The Hotspot. It helps me keep up with video game news and its funny. They often go off on vaguely related tangents and make jokes and stuff. Very entertaining. Towards the end, they have segments where they read listener emails and phone calls. There is also a weekly homework assignment for listeners. The best ones are read on the show (which is cool, because they give credit to people, so usually people write their username and/or their name and location on the bottom. For example I write "Chris from Estonia", since "Chris from New York" is kinda booooooring), and a winner is picked, who gets an emblem for their Gamespot account. I do the homework too, not for the emblem, thought I do have one.

I won it for surprisingly. The homework assignment was "worst prequel titles/ideas". I won for Left 4 Dead prequel, Left 3 Dead. It really is the worst. But I am surprised, since if multiple people have the same entry, it gets disqualified.

ANYWAYS, the reason I am giving you this information. On this weekly episode, involved with one of the tangents, as part of a sort of running gag 'if you're from like Estonia, please write in' (the joke usually just involves asking people from obscure places to write in on some issue) and the host of the show in response  said: "Chris from Estonia has written in numerous times. You know he exists."

I totally got randomly mentioned. This is how happy it made me:

 Anyways

So remember when I used to review stuff that wasn't Spongebob? Me neither. But apparently I did that, so here is a review of something.

Since I mentioned video games already, might as well review an awesome game that everybody knows and loves

For the DS

IT is really unique

No, it's not Pokemon: Black/White you silly. It's

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

(I've decided to join the Amazon referral program thingy. So if something I talk about seems interesting to you and you would like it as well, be it game, movie, etc, and you use Amazon, please use the links I provide, because that would be superspecialawesome.)

*Quick comment before I continue. This title is so long and annoying to search for. Also, after playing the game it is very misleading. Now to the review.

It's less of a game and more of an interactive novel. This means that there is a lot of reading. A LOT. Which I am cool with, since some of my favorite games, which I mention time and time again, are the Ace Attorney and Fire Emblem series which also advance the plot through text. But this goes far beyond the other games.

Blah, blah, blah

I don't want to explain the plot too much, since I still hold the opinion, the less one knows beforehand the better the experience will be. BUT I have to say something as this is a very plot heavy game. You play the game as one of the persons mentioned in the title. It is from his perspective, but the narration of the plot is in 3rd person. It is a ubiquitous narrator, so it says what the main character is thinking. This is a bad comparison, but it is similar to Saw II, which is not a good movie, so let me elaborate. You and eight other people are put in a life-death game. There is possibility of escape, but the group must work together. 

This plot offers great opportunity for the exploration of the human psyche and how it reacts to great pressure. Unfortunately it doesn't go in that direction as much as I would have liked, though the characters go through suspicions of maybe one being the villain in disguise and other such paranoia.

The characters are all very well fleshed out. The all have backstory and different personalities. Not to spoil a lot, one may come to a realization at one point that not all of you can escape [I wont go to details as to why], so it got me to wondering who I would leave behind. But the characters are all generally so sympathetic that it would be a very difficult decision. Not all characters are saints though, some characters say/act a but suspicious.

So gameplay. It is a point and click puzzle game, like Myst (which is an awesome game btw). You are stuck in a room and have to find a way out. And that's basically it. Some puzzles were pretty challenging, but not so difficult that I became stuck/frustrated and had to look up the answer. This could be due to my incredible genius though

There are six different endings, depending on some choice you make along the way. I prefer the bad endings. Coincidentally, I got them first. It probably helped that I was playing at night in the dark, but those left me with a truly chilling feeling. When I was reading the final scene of the ending, I was like "NO! That can't be how it ends." Those endings are very impactful. I don't like horror films. At all. But horror games seem cool. The interactivity makes it much more suspenseful. Playing the game, when the scene changes, I wondered what bad is going to happen now!

Game has some eye-candy, too

The true ending, which is supposed to be the correct one, was somewhat disappointing. It got too hocus-pocus-y. 

What is the hocus pocus of the end?

Magic? Dinosaurs? Time-travel? Aliens?

Play the game to find out.

Oh, some negatives too:

Could have been more choices along the way and more puzzles. More is always good. As I said, the true ending and most of the game ignored the human psychological examination aspect the premise provides.

If you are a fan of Phoenix Wright or other such Japanese games, definitely play this. For those who don't mind reading and enjoy a good plot, give it a try. If you are illiterate, then how are you even reading my review?!

9/10

Gamespot: 8.5/10 (Critic average: 8.4/10 [out of 11 reviews])

(It came out last year actually, so it won't be on this years top games of the year, but it would have taken a high place on last years)

Well that was lengthy as hell. If only I could put this much effort into my school papers.

Fails of some period of time

There was a Pokemon thing going on, but I was like fuck it. It's kinda hard to explain why some pokes are awesome. So instead I'll post some random pictures that I have taken myself. Original content, homeboy!

I just visited a Gamestop where they had this epic sale:

When you see it...

And for those of you slower viewers:

This looks like a normal US map puzzle right? Teaches kids geography, yay!

WRONG! Upon closer inspection there are two grave errors.

Firstly,

No state capitol for YOU!

And maybe you can find the second thing. (Click the map if you are having trouble. Then you can zoom in 'n such)

My photo collection isn't only of epic fails. But it also includes a win.

In the greatest game of Bananagrams ever played. I won with this as my final standing.

Notice the long-ass word it based on. And who cares that juxtaposition isn't a verb (juxtapose is) and that technically juxtapositioned isn't a word. At that point it doesn't matter. (To fix the problem, move quote to the O at the right of it [U left over] and move the ED and everything attached to it to the end of quack and place the U above the S in juxtaposition, so with very minimal change it is valid).

And for those of you not good at I Spy, here is the second error in the USA puzzle.

Movies of 2010

So now, that it is March, I can recap my favorite films of the previous year. I could say this is because February is full of crap releases and now I can finally look forward in the year, but it is more to do aboot laziness. I finally watched all the "good" movies and now I can do a proper list.

Do some of the Oscar nominees and winners make it into my list?!

Read more to find out.

Yes, yes they do.

SOOOOOOO here is my top 5:

1. Scott Pilgrim vs The World- My opinions on this have been made clear. It is my #10 favorite film of all time. Epic is epic is epic.

10/10

IMDB: 7.8

RT: 81%

2. Toy Story 3- I literally just explained my opinion on it on the last post. It is #22 on my all-time list. And the only other movie to get a 10.

10/10

3. Shutter Island- Somewhat hypocritically, this was released last February. It is a psychologically thriller featuring Leo DiCaprio going crazy. He is a US marshal looking into a missing patient from a high-security insane asylum. Things start going weird. There is a lot of tension. And the ending is awesome as it sure be for this genre. The last line....well penultimate line.... of the film is very awesome and resounding. The ending could have been a bit more ambiguous, but w/e. Also Mark Ruffalo is there, and he's a cool guy. But this is Leo's film as with any movie he is in. He should have totally gotten an Oscar nom.

9/10

IMDB: 8.0

RT: 68% (Whaaaaaaat?)

4. Inception- Also, discussed this yesterday.

9/10

IMDB: 8.9

RT: 86%

5. Black Swan- I totally mentioned this movie earlier.....when could it have been?

9/10

IMDB: 8.5

RT: 88%

Also, these:

6. The Fighter- Mentioned yesterday.

9/10 

IMDB: 8.1

RT: 90%

7. Kick-Ass- Nick Cage is actually awesome. Crazy violence that I wasn't expecting honestly. 

9/10 

IMDB: 8.0

RT: 76%

8. Easy A- A high school comedy that was actually great. Emma Stone is cooli-o. Has some great jokes and dialogue.

This scene problably wins it:

Parents that are actually funny, whatddaya know...

8/10 

IMDB: 7.2

RT: 86%

9. The Kid's Are All Right- I totally had a separate review for this, go find it.

8/10

IMDB: 7.3

RT: 94%

10. 4.3.2.1.- I will discuss it in the following section.

Guilty pleasures of the year:

Movies that maybe aren't so great, but I enjoyed.

4.3.2.1.- Take place over 3 days. But follows 4 friends, who are attractive ~20 year old girls as evidence of this poster. Also, they're British.....thought you'd like to know. They do they're own thing, and you see some of them in passing in interesting situations. When the plot-line of one character reaches a certain points, the film goes back to the beginning, but then follows another person. It is very entertaining. There is an overarching action-y plot, which isn't all that impressive, but the things that happen in between is interesting. Also, all of the girls find moments when they need to be scantily clad, which is always cool. It is entertaining, and that's all I need some time.

8/10

IMDB: 5.9

RT: 36%

Repo Men- A great action movie. Jude Law's character repossesses artificial organs. Then in brutal irony he gets an artificial heart and falls behind on payments. He goes on the run! Intense fighting. And the cool thing is that there is a twist at the end. Maybe I should have seen it coming if I payed more attention, but it was still pretty awesome. Just sort of mindless action for the most part, but I had fun with it.

8/10

IMDB:

RT: 22%

Disappointment:

Date Night-  Stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey so it should have been epic. But it was just mediocre. Oh well.

6/10

IMDB: 6.4

RT: 67%

Also, I was really excited for True Grit, so, eventhough it was good, I was hoping for a lot more.

Whatcha reading there?!

Picture is not related, but I think it is hilarious.

Also, Hot Tub Time Machine (7/10). Watch it!

Also, as well include the top 3 for the last decade:

2009:

1. Watchmen 10/10 (#32 all-time)

2. World's Greatest Dad 10/10 (#38)

3. Up 10/10 (#52)

Also, Mega shark vs Giant Octopus  10/10 (#57)

Such a great year

2008:

1.  Wall-E 10/10 (#28)

2.  Moon 10/10 (#43)

3. Bender's Big Score 10/10 (#47)

2007:

1. Sügisball (Autumn Ball) 10/10 (#42)

2. Jan Uuspõld läheb Tartusse (127 Kilometers) 10/10 (#56)

3. The Bourne Ultimatum 9/10

Estonia FTW!

2006:

1. The Prestige 10/10 (#2)

2. Stranger Than Fiction 9/10

3. The Departed 9/10

2005:

1. Sin City 10/10 (#34)

2. Kohtumine tundmatuga 10/10 (#37)

3. Corpse Bride 9/10

2004:

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 10/10  (#1)

2. Anchorman 9/10

3. Der Untergang (The Downfall) 9/10

Also, Mean Girls 9/10. Guiltiest pleasure.

2003:

1. Underworld 10/10 (#30)

2. Kill Bill Vol. 1 10/10 (#41)

3. Love Actually 10/10 (#46)

2002:

1. About Schmidt 10/10 (#15)

2. Catch Me If You Can 10/10 (#20)

3. The Bourne Identity 10/10 (#48)

Also, Cheats 10/10 (# 50). Another guilty pleasure.

2001:

1.  Battle Royale 10/10 (#7)

2. Amelie 10/10 (#11)

3. Monsters, Inc. 10/10 (#31)

2000:

1. American Psycho 10/10 (#40)

2. Meet The Parents 10/10 (#59)

3. Memento 9/10

All right already!

The toy king's 3rd speech (titled "Social black swan fighter network! " on the 127th hour in this truly gritty winter was all right...... .Inception!

So I guess I hinted at it enough, I am starting the process of watching all the Oscar nominees for best picture before the show in two weeks. I have already seen Black Swan, Inception, and Toy Story 3. I don't have much interest in Winter's Bone, so I'll probably skip that one. This leaves me with 6 films.

I started with

The Kids Are All Right

It's a comedy with some drama. Probably the most light-hearted movie out of the Oscar nominees for the most part. The children of lesbian couple seek out their sperm donor aka their dad. This movie shows that even a non-traditional family still has issues, like any other.

Annette Bening and Julian Moore play the moms. Initially, their romance thing was in your face. I was like, I get it, they're lesbians. I guess maybe I'm a prude on the inside, but whatever- luckily that didn't persist. Moore's character is sort of the free-spirit, doesn't have a consistent job, etc whilst Annette Bening is the somewhat uptight, strict worker. Her performance reminded me of her role in American Beauty. She is not a very nice person or likable really, but in the end you see her more sensitive side.

The dad is played by Mark Ruffalo, who is a cool dude. And he plays a cool dude, who rides a motorcycle,  owns a restaurant and has his own organic garden.

The children didn't really seem that important in the movie. The daughter, played by Mia W-something polish-ska (who played Alice in Tim Burton's wonderland film) is decent. The son however, who is named Laser (yes, weird names and handwritten opening credits....seems sorta like indie movie design here), is odd. I don't really understand what they wanted from that character.

The way everyone interacted was realistic. Especially the scene when the kids meet their dad for the first time. It is full of awkward pauses n stuff.

All in all, the performances were good and very believable. Especially the adult characters, the kids were ...wait for it... 

....

...

..

.

alright.

I. Am. Hilarious. 

Even Hugo Weaving agrees.

I didn't really like the ending, it was blandish and nothing really happened....

It is labeled a comedy, but there aren't really that many laugh out loud moments. But it isn't too serious to be a drama, it is like in between, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It wanted to show real life, and it did it realistically.

8/10

Medalists

3. Léon (The Professional) (1994) -

So in true hypocritical fashion, where I don't like war movies and mobster films in the last post, because of the despicable protagonists, this movie is aboot a hitman Leon played by Jean Reno. It also features a 11-year old Natalie Portman.

Someone's crazy happy!

*This scene isn't in the theatrical cut.


And also there is Gary Oldman as the antagonist dirty cop. He is an enigma for me, as an actor. I am unable to recognize him in any film. I don't know it's him untill I look it up or sth. He looks so different in Nolan's Bataman movies, The Fifth Element and the lots of other stuff he's been in. Maybe it's just me.....

So Mathilda's (Portman) family gets murdered (not a spoiler, happens in the first 20 min....basically the introduction). So she seeks refuge with Leon and wants to also become an assassin like Leon to get revenge. It is an interesting relationship. In some aspects Leon is more of a child than Mathilda. Also, there is some odd sexual tension between them. Initiated more by Mathilda. This is more apparent in the director's cut.



It doesn't actually go thaaaat far.


Why this is so high on the list? I guess it's just because of its interesting, compelling story, great performance by all the leads (Jean Reno is badass to the max), and moments of great humor.



Interestingly, this movie has many references to A Clockwork Orange... also Full Metal Jacket. I guess Luc Besson (writer/director) liked Kubrick, as everyone should.

Sorry for the poorer quality. Also, I wanted to edit a couple of clips together to make like a Kubrick film v Leon comparison, but windows movie maker was being a bitch.

So all I have is text

Leon drinks lots of milk like Alex and his droogs in  A Clockwork Orange
Oldman's character mentions Beethoven an important figure in A Clockwork Orange
Mickey Mouse bullshit a line both used in this film and Full Metal Jacket
IMDB: 8.6
RT: 78%

2. The Prestige (2006) - I actually had a spoilerific post about this movie, so I'll just keep it short.
Chirstian Bale and Hugh Jackman are rival magicians who sacrifice much for their art. Their porformances are superb, especially Bale, who may have a terrible batman voice, and is a jerk, but is still one of the greatest actors. Unlike the other higher movies on my list, it lacks humor. It is pure drama and suspense.

Told you I'd keep it short.

IMDB: 8.4
RT: 75%

And soon the winner will be revealed.

I don't feel like coming up with a title

you ARE the DEMON (3:24-3:56) ....just watch the whole thing

WHY?!

Because WYNAUT!!!!`

Ahem....

5. Full Metal Jacket (1987) - Kubrick was like, da best. It's hard to pick a best movie from this, A Clockwork Orange (my #22), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (my #24), The Shining, and 2001: A Space Odyssey ....for pretentious jerks.
The reason this is my favorite out of his movies, was the successful combination of sirius subject matter and great humor.
Like this:

Full Metal Jacket suffers from the opposite flaw as Scott Pilgrim: it doesn't end. It is divided into two parts: part one being boot camp, and part two the Vietnam War itself. This movie would probably be at the top of my list, in the one spot, if those parts were considered separate. The first half had great humor as shown before. As well as one of my favorite lines - the "jelly doughnut scene" that I have posted before, and shall do again:

But the first part ends dramatically and shockingly. The movie could have ended there. Of course it would have only been 45 min long, but epic nontheless.

The second half isn't bad, it's just mediocre. I am not a fan of war movies in general. Maybe similarly to my general dislike of mafia/mob movies that are so popular. I am not a fan of depicting such killers as "the good guys". There are exceptions like this.
The second half starts out strong with this scene, which has some very famous lines:

The rest is bland enough that there isn't much to talk aboot. Just showing the horrors of war 'n stuff.



All in all the epicness of the first overrides the second half, and it falls into the 5 spot.

...le sigh... so much potential

IMDB: 8.4
RT: 96%

4. Fight Club (1999) - Well unlike the previous movie, which has some serious undertones, this one.... not so much. It's just more a bunch of entertainment from beginning to end.

Features Edward Norton as an insurance guy who meets Brad Pitt and then his life gets flipturned upside down. Mahem ensues.
It has a lot of very well known lines. Especially the rules of fight club:

Also, Helena Bonham Carter is the love interest. Personally I think she's hot in a weird sorta way. In this movie atleast

Maybe I just have weird taste...

But I guess the hottest of the film has to go to Brad Pitt.

Now that's a man.

Or maybe Meatloaf instead?

BOOBIES!

This movie also has one of the greatest twist endings. The kind, unlike Usual Suspects, that you can watch the movie again to notice clues. Sadly, it was spoiled for me the first time I watched it, but it was still superb.


It tries to have some philosophical questions asked- the whole issue of people not living their life to the fullest, potential...... but I don't really care when watching this its just a fun, entertaining movie, with great actors.

IMDB: 8.8
RT: 81%

Candy & Bloodshed

Let's dive straight into the chocolate river:

More like the chocolate river of BLOOD!

7. Batoru rowaiaru (Battle Royale) (2000)- If a movie has opening credits like this, greatness is apparent:

That also saves me explaining the premise of the movie (why shit is happening). What is happening is this: a bunch of high school senior equivilent students are but on a desrted island. They are given weapons. And the last one alive wins. Japanese be crazy! It's actually somewhat similar to the new-ish book series aimed at Hunger Games [First one is solid, second one is decent, haven't read the third one]. I guess this plot is done a bunch, not sure what would be considered the first one. Anyway, let's let this lady explain the rules in more detail:

This movie is basically filled with over the top violence. It should be a sirius movie, but instead Battle Royale  is hilarious.

So even though there is this over the top violence, people dying left and right, and humor, there is also the sense of drama. A connection is formed with the main characters and you hope for them to survive. The movie also includes some side characters with their own compelling plot lines. Also, there are flashbacks and backstory 'n stuff.
The movie is goddamn entertaining. Isn't that whats important?

Some people even find time to relax on this island of death.

Battle Royale is actually based on a book of the same name by Koushun Takami. The book is actually better in sense. You don't see the over the top violence. But the collars are more relevant and more characters have personalities. Also the ending and part of the main plot is altered for the movie, and I prefer the book version. Also, the book's cover is better than the movie's.





Sadly a Hollywood remake was scratched because of the Virginia Tech shooting and the sensitivity about killing high school students. A country of prudes I say.


IMDB: 7.9
RT: 82%

6. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)-
FF (fun fact...or frivolous ferrets or w.e): The oldest movie in my top 20. Actually, it's tied with three other movies for oldest in my top 50 (the other two are A Clockwork Orange at #22 and Viimne reliikvia (The Last Relic) at #29)

A large contrast to the previous movie. 5 children, along with their guardians are locked in a crazy man's mad house and are killed off one by one off screen by painted midgets.....wait, that may give you the wrong impression....

AAAANyway, this movie is based on Roald Dahl's (one of the greatest authors of all time) book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  It is a fantastic tale full of wonders, as per usual with his books. It makes the movie transition very well. The set design is superb.

That's a goddamn chocolate waterfall (not raw sewage)

The cast is also good. Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka. And he is fantastic. I actually don't really like him so much, as he has a tendency to yell, which is annoying. But he is a good fit in this movie. And the two main scenes where he strains his vocal chords are actually awesome.

Yes....this is a movie meant for children.....
Also Phoenix Wrong remix (6:00)

The "you lose. good day, sir" line has been remixed a bunch on youtube, btw.


The boy who plays Charlie looks like an adorable kid and plays the good, perfect little boy. Quite bland and uninteresting, as these saint-like characters tend to be. The other brats however are just that. Obviously terrible children.

The movie has great singing numbers in it (I guess this film is sorta like a musical....maybe) including four excellent songs by the Oompa Loompas (which were terribly butchered in the remake). Oh ya, there was that remake by Tim Burton in 2005 in starring Johnny Depp as Wonka. Let's just ignore that movie, since it isn't nearly as good as the old one. And lets listen to the musical stylings of midget clowns.
*Also, I guess these are pretty major spoilers, but w.e. It's not such a big deal for a movie like this.*

Also that "dance" in the last one. I'm bad at editing, so I won't point out which one specifically...I'll maybe do it in the future, who knows....

IMDB: 7.8
RT: 90%

Ummm...next week....theme....uhhhh....both movies are pretty violent. Don't live up to Battle Royale....but still...

Into the single digits we go

Let's just go for it, and not have some long irrelevant paragraph at the beginning. It just seems that at the beginning of each post I need to have some sort of joke or something. And I always manage to get off topic.... Extremely off topic. But I guess it is like in books, where the first sentence/paragraph need to catch the reader, entice them to continue on.....
......
... goddamnit! I've done it again.

9. The Truman Show (1998) - Jim Carrey is obviously one of the greatest comedy actors. It has got to be between him and Will Ferrell for the all-time best. BUT Jim Carrey also has some sirius roles, like The Truman Show. And he is so great in those movies as well. It seems a shame that he hasn't done more movies like The Truman Show, Man on the Moon, and another not-yet-to-be-named movie.
But ya, Carrey's performance is great, and considering what roles get nominated, let alone win the best actor Oscar (I'm looking at you Anthony Hopkins for Silence of the Lambs), it is astounding he didn't even get nominated. He should have won damnit!
Another movie with a very unique plot. Seems to be a trend on this list, eh? Jim Carrey is unknowingly part of a television show. A giant set has been built under a dome... well it's basically one town, with some surroundings. Truman (Carrey) lives is life, but there are cameras everywhere and all the other people are just actors. He is the only true man.... get it? HAHAHAHA. To him, his world is a stage... literally
(A Shakespeare reference!? Shit just got real).

Sounds like shows like Big Brother or any MTV reality show. But notice, that this was made in 1998. The movie makes the statement that people are too entertainment/TV driven that is only becoming more relevant as time go by. Somewhat similar to Amelie, this movie is way ahead of the curve. Obviously I'm not really listening to the message being conveyed. But that doesn't matter, as the movie is thoroughly enjoying anyway.
I may have been misleading, when I said this is a serious movie. It has a lot of comedy in it, but it isn't the usual slapstick and such that is present in most pure comedies.
It's more like the previous clip, and other such oddeties i.e. commercials

Also, the movie got nominated for 3 Oscars including Ed Harris for best supporting actor.

 

He has a beret, and he lost?! Blasphemy!

IMDB: 8.0
RT: 95%

And another story of altered "reality":

8. The Matrix (1999) -  Well, if you haven't seen it, you have to know about it at least, so I'm not going to delve into it. This movie is crazy iconic with a lot of quotable n stuffs. I'll just show a bunch of clips.

Keanu Reeves is great. Not necessarily a great actor....but he is just great, weather he is in the Matrix or on a speeding bus. But the real star of the movie, and series is Agent Smith played by Hugo Weaving. That man is bad-ass. Or maybe just has great diction. One or the other. There is just something about him. Also, he is so awesome that Agent deserves to be capitalized

These are from the first movie, the one that is so tooootally awesome:

The first confrontation of protagonist and antagonist:

Screw waterboarding, just have Hugo Weaving recite the dictionary to those terrorists:
 

These clips are from the much inferior sequels (however, Hugo is still awesome x infinity):

Best entrance ever? Yes!

Also, this little diddy:

Creepy-as-hell face anyone?

BtW, The Matrix basically invented the ever parodied "bullet time," or at east made it popular. Well, mainly these two clips.

The movie combines deep philosophical discussions by the few black people in the movie (Morpheus and the Oracle) ....and Agent Smith as well.... with pure badass action among the whites ... including Agent Smith. Take what you will from that,  I was just making an observation.
And to seal this movie review, the most badass scene in the movie:

IMDB: 8.7
RT: 86%

Oh, wait. I forgot one thing: The Matrix Has You.
Props to LegendaryFrog on all of his videos.

For next time there is no similar theme...rather too very contrasting films. Very contrasting.

And then there was two

Well these are technically numbers XI and X, but i figured, with my math genius brain, that if i do it in intervals of two, then I'll have 1st place left over for a separate post.

Also, I had finals and stuff...hence the lack of updates. Now that the winter break is starting, I'll try to be more consistent.
SOOOOO.....

11. Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) aka Amelie - Only one of two non-US films to make it into my top 20. This basically falls into the slightly over-saturated genre of indie romantic comedy, though it came out, as you may have noticed, in 2001, which is years before the genre got very popular. It features a quirky lady and some odd dude, and they fall in love. So it's like almost some Zooey Deschanel movie, except it's French. And I must say,  Audrey Tautou (Amelie) is just as adorable as Zooey.

Goddamn adorable!

The movie has a great, quirky sense of humor, via narration at times.

As I said....goddamn adorable.

A warm, happy romcom featuring a serious of odd events. The perfect film in a genre that, unfortunately, has become full of just awful movies.

IMDB: 8.6
RT: 90%

starting my top ten, I actually have a movie from 2010. How exciting:
or maybe "how fun" would be better, Hans Landa?

(Ah. He was just awesome. Oscar well deserved....we-ell de-serv-ed.)


Ahem! On to the next movie

10. Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010) - I  blogged about it, when I got the DVD....yes, I actually bought this movie. That's how great it is.
A good summery about this movie could be: The worst part of it was that it ended. I would give where credit is due, since that is not my original line. HOWever, this so called fan of the movie gave it a 9/10. How he gives any movie a 10 is beyond me.

Plot: Scott (Michael Cera) wants to date Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). To achieve his goal he has to defeat her seven evil exes. Simple.
The main criticism with this movie (other than old people, who don't understand video games/comic books) is that seven evil exes is too much; it gets repetitive. To that I say Wrong! (i think I've used that link before, but it's just too great). All the fights are different and awesome. It's complete with comic book style POWs and Street Fighter-like shots, split screen, etc. And after winning a fight Scott gets some coins.

Ready....FIGHT!

OW...My stomach lining!!

It features some cool cuts and edits accompanied with some "epic" sound effects. Similar too director Edgar Wrights other awesome movies Shaun of the Dead and  Hot Fuzz.

Also, for all you Micheal Cera haters out there, who say he plays the same character in every movie- the awkward teen. Scott is not the same. At times, yes, he is quite awkward, especially towards the beginning. But at times he gets pretty hardcore (fight scenes) and is sometimes a jerk.
The supporting cast is also great. Especially, Scott's gay roommate Wallace (Kieran Culkin). He provides some of the best lines in a movie full of epic things said. To be honest, they aren't really all that "quotable", but still in the context of the movie, there is a lot hilarity.

....all in all, everything is great. Visuals, cast, script, sound effects
oh, ya, and it has a great soundtrack. indie rock n' stuff (beck, etc).

Sadly, as I mentioned in my previous post, it wasn't a commercial success. My generation (and younger) being the target audience; people who play video games and read comic books (I don't read comic books actually, but i appreciate them). We, as a collective, don't really like paying for stuff when it's on the internet for free.

AND here... is my favorite moment:

IMDB: 7.9
RT: 80%

Next time we'll look at two movies, where what we see isn't necessarily real.
OOooo....what a tease. What could they be?! I'm excited for one.