Can't wait 2008

2008 seems to be a good year so far, These are the five films I am most excited for.

5. Wendy and Lucy(Kelly Reichardt)Wendy and Lucy which comes out later this year is a story about a young woman and her dog, and the financial struggles of life. When I saw brokeback mountain, I realized what a phenomenal actress Michelle Williams was. This movie looks beautiful and her performance seems impressive from watching the trailer.

4. Revolutionary Road (Sam Mendes)

I wasn't so excited when I heard about it first but then I saw the trailer and was instantly excited! Adapted from a Richard Yates novel, the film is about a married couple in connecticut living the american dream, but things aren't as perfect as they seem. Something about this subject of marital problems draws me to this one. I'm hoping Kate can finally fet an oscar.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher)
Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) ages backwards? I can't wait!! It seems so epic and beautiful, I love storys that go through peoples whole lives. Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses and I'm looking forward to seeing the complications of their love story as the 2 characters meet in the middle of their lives at the same age. I expect this to be one of the best films I see this year.

2. Milk (Gus Van Sant)
Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California. I think with all of the seperation in our country about homosexuals which is currently happening we need films like these to tell human storys of real people who made a difference. The cast is great and Gus Van Sant is the kind of director that can make this movie great. I'll probably see this one sometime this weekend and write a review.

1. Hunger (Steve McQueen)

There is no movie coming out I am more excited for. Hunger is about an IRA member names Bobby Sands who leads a hunger strike while inprisoned. The film focuses on the last six weeks of his life, and the lives of the strikers who join him. I reccomend if you haven't seen either of the trailers that you do, this looks visually striking and powerful in its message and I cannot wait.

I just saw Australia and will give my review on that next.

Check out these movies!

My Top 15 of 2007

2007 was a pretty good year to me, that is if I don't pay attention to the fact that all of the highest grossing movies were recycled material with no new ideas. But there were some great films to me that I was so impressed with. So here we go...

15. Knocked Up (Judd Apatow)

I personally am not a fan of mainstream vulgar comedies which have been dominant in film for a decade or so, but within that genre comes diamonds in the rough like Knocked Up. I don't care who you are this movie is hilarious and strikes something in most of the younger generation. The comedy is actually the type of stuff people talk about with their friends. It gets a little slow after the middle point of the movie and picks up again at the end, but I appreciate its message. This stood out to me as a gateway to better comedy in film.


14. Sweeny Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton)
Bloody, dark, Tim Burton directed movie musical? Amazingly entertaining. I think Tim Burton is great and adapts stories that he can improve on instead of change them to be something worse. Its like he puts his spin on anything and usually it works. Although very gorey, I wasn't repulsed by it because the nature of it all was so much fun. Helena definitely stole the show for me and gave a great performance as always. The best Musical of 2007


13. The Darjeeling LTD. (Wes Anderson)
Wes Anderson is a great director, and I will check out anything he does for the rest of his career. There is a spirit to his films which I think a lot of directors go for, but little achieve it like he can. I think this is easily the weakest of his films, but still far better than most movies of the year. I did however enjoy the dynamic of the three brothers characters a lot and I felt the location and the train really added extra characters to the movie. Very Funny but I hope Owen Wilson co writes the next project, Jason Schwartzman doesn't really write with Wes as well as Owen.


12. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (David Yates)

David Yates took the longest book in the Harry Potter series and made the shortest, most put together movie in the franchise. The first fifteen minutes of the movie set a tone to me that took you out of that boy wizard childish fairy tail element that all the other films have, and took me into a film that stands apart from the rest. I think it is the best looking harry potter film and I also am glad David Yates is finishing the rest of the Harry Potter films.


11. Juno (Jason Reitman)
Juno is so funny! This photo is actually my favorite shot in the movie. There is nothing greater then a pregnant high schooler eating lunch with her best friend in a trophy case. I found some of the critical acclaim this movie got to be a little excessive and uncalled for. I don't think it takes away from the good time you have when you watch this sarcastic, emotional, hilarious movie.

10. A Mighty Heart (Michael Winterbottom)
This film is very realistic and in a way feels too real at times. I know it was very hard for a lot of people to watch but I think this film is underrated. Angelina Jolie gives the performance of her life, its so embarassing to portray someone still alive and known by people, but to put everything into it the way she does is impressive to say the least. Angelina was snubbed by the Academy for sure.

09. Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck)

I have never really like Ben Affleck until I saw what he did with this movie. Casey definitely proved his leading man status in this film as well. It felt slightly too long but overall I was captivated by the story, as well as Amy Ryan. I Hadn't really seen her before this but she stuck out as the most fascinating part of the story. The Character she plays is Funny, Scary, Evil and Misunderstood but when you don't know how you feel about the person it is obviously a good performance.

08. Away From Her (Sarah Polley)

Suprisingly one of the best movies of the year. Sarah Polley is a good actor as well as a good director, but she is a brilliant writer and that was showcased in this one. I think the dialogue carries this movie from start to finish with the amazing aid of Julie Christie's stellar performance. She however is evenly matched with Gordon Pinsett who played my favorite Character in the film. Set in Canada, the shots are breathtaking and realistic. It was shocking to me how much I could like a movie about alzheimers.

07. There Will Be Blood ( Paul Thomas Anderson)

Initially when I saw this movie I felt a strange groundhogs day type feeling of "where have I seen something like this before?" And then it hit me...Kubrick. The music, the way it looked, the really long movie that isn't really about much. But after watching it a second time I took that element out of my mind and saw how different it was. It is a bold movie that makes no apologies and I respect it a lot. Daniel Day Lewis is over the top in the best way imaginable, and I mean that as a compliment

06. Atonement (Joe Wright)

A great looking picture, a great cast, and a five minute one take shot that makes me want to lose my mind! Atonement was daring and aesthetically pleasing in all ways. The ending hit some people hard but I was ready for it and I am nothing but impressed with this one. Kiera Knightley always seemed like such a bitch to me, but I knew she could act. Then I saw Atonement and have nothing but love for her obviously.

05. Into the Wild (Sean Penn)
This movie made America look so pretty. I just wanted to take a road trip after. This story was so amazing and refreshing to watch. Sean Penn is a very passionate person and I think you could see that in the way he directed this film. Catherine Keener's Character was so cool and I wanted to have a conversation with that woman. I feel this movie was over looked at the oscars, but its also a very youthful movie which I think some people might not be able to identify with.

04. No Country for Old Men (The Coen Brothers)

Three men on a chase for each other, and none of them ever meet face to face. Money is involved as well as a shotgun with a silencer, a serial killer, and an old man trying to keep the peace. But in this day with how crazy people are, its definitely not as easy as it used to be. I think that's basically what this movie is about and that is such a refreshing concept. Incredibly well acted, and funny, and scary, No country is an exhilarating ride that you have to be apart of. The best film on this list (but not my favorite).

03. La Vie En Rose (Olivier Dahan)
Marion Cotillard has been one of my favorite actresses since I saw her in Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement. I love her in everything I've seen her in. But then this movie came along and blew my mind. There a couple flaws with the story but I think the way it jumps around Edith's life is perfectly set. Marion gives one of the best performances I've ever seen in my life and I thank her for showing these young american actresses how to win a fucking Oscar. I don't think any 32 year old actress in America is close to being at her level. Edith Piaf is also very important to me as I am such a fan, Marion did it right and Made this movie one of my favorites.


02. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
Not a big Clooney fan but definitely a Michael fan. This movie gave me the sensation that I was reading an awesome murder mystery novel and unfolded before my eyes as a masterpiece. A very Human story about corruption and deceit. Tom Wilkinson gave me a Peter Finch in Network flashback and I saw a mad man lose everything all over again. I want to read Realm and Conquest so bad even though it doesn't exist. I wish Michael Clayton would have won best picture just cause its the shit! The only negative I have is I wish Tilda Swinton was in the movie more.


01. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel)
One of the most beautiful movies ever! Mathieu Almaraic is a fine actor who took on a chalenging role and did it well. However I don't think anything matters when dealing with the directing of this movie. I'm so impressed with how it all came together and can only imagine the work that was put into this movie. Every female character was beautiful, and to see them through his eyes made you feel personal attraction and affection for these women. To see first hand what that experience of being locked inside your own body is like is something you never expect to see when watching a film. It took me there and impressed me more than any other this year, the groundbreaking techniques and visual amazement make this my favorite movie of 2007
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I want to do this for every year I can so this is the beginning and I will see you in 2006

My Top 5 of The Year...

..SO FAR!! I've seen some really good and some slightly lame films this year. I don't think I saw anything that I hated completely (closest thing to the worse was Indiana Jones actually) but I found some gems in a weird year for movies. So here are My favorites of the year so far.

#5 - Changeling (Clint Eastwood)
I thought Changeling was pretty powerful and told an intriguing story. Angelina Jolie is underrated in my opinion, I think she is one of the best american actresses working today. Her portrayal of Christine Collins, a mother who's son goes missing and the police won't act for 24 hours, is heartbreaking and strong. When they reunite Christine with her son, she knows its not her child and the story gets crazier from there. Amy Ryan, John Malkovich, and Jeffrey Donovan stood out as great Supporting actors and I think it was a well acted film. Based on a true story, it does go down an intense emotional road but overall I'm give this movie a high 7 low 8 out of ten.

#4 - Appaloosa (Ed Harris)2 films in a row directed by an actor/director. Ed Harris has always been a favorite of mine and I was excited for this one for months. The Story is about Virgil Cole (Harris) and his partner Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) who are hired to be the new law in a small western town called Appaloosa. The town is troubled by a man named Randall Bragg ( Jeremy Irons) and the duo fights to clean up the town and take down Bragg and his men. This was so fun and classic feeling, I loved the way they shot it with such authenticity to the genre. It wasn't too flashy and polished it was rugged and beautiful. Renne Zellweger played the object of affection for both of the leading men but was very unlikeable to me. My one real complaint would be the casting of her. My rating for this one would be a solid 8.

#3 - Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen)

First of all I love Woody Allen and I think he understands not only women but human relationships better than most. I think his style is very unique and works against him in some of his less imaginative work but this was by far some of his best. This film centers around 2 best friends as the title suggests that head to Barcelona for a life changing summer. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) was my favorite of the characters, she was very intelligent and sensible and rational, more than anything she was the perfect actress for Woody Allen to direct and I was so impressed with this relative newcomers performance. Cristina's journey to Barcelona gets a little more interesting though as she enters into a relationship with a man she meets (Javier Bardem) who's ex Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) is slightly neurotic and completely love sick for Juan Antonio. The three of them quickly enter into a relationship of desire and conflict. This fun tale of love and young adulthood was a clever and entertaining film. Penelope was the shit p.s. I give a 8.5 out of ten.

#2 - WALL-E (Andrew Stanton)

Oh my God!!!! WALL-E is definitely the cutest movie I've ever seen. Also a classic love story in many ways, and contains one of the most positive messages I think I've ever seen in a children's film. WALL-E is a robot who lives on an uninhabited earth to clean up the massive amounts of human waste so we can live on our planet again. All of the humans have been on a space voyage for years, waiting to return to a green earth. But our little robot friend soon falls for a lady robot named EVE. Eve was sent to find plant life and WALL-E is smitten. This journey goes from earth to space and is just so much fun. I can honestly say that it is arguably the greatest animated film of all time. Miyazaki's masterpiece of his career was Spirited Away to me and this film might be as good if not better but I love them both separately. However I feel that WALL-E is the same in that Pixar has been making amazing movies for years now with Disney but this one is by far at the top of the list! Its magnificent and I can honestly give it a 9.5

#1 - The Fall (Tarsem)My favorite one!! The Fall is one of the most beautifully stunning films I've ever seen. It shocks and surprises and shows you things in such a cool way. The story is about Roy (Lee Pace) Who's in the hospital after hurting himself trying to do a film stunt to impress a woman he loves. While recovering he meets a little girl named Alexandria (Catinca Untaru) Who fell picking oranges and is also staying there. The 2 bond quickly as Roy begins to tell her an epic story which she vividly imagines and you are transported back and forth between a hospital and an epic tale set in India. Roy's intentions are different then they initially appeared as he falls deep into depression and loses his desire to live. But the pair bring out the best in each other and although seems like a fun happy story has really dark and intense moments to it. I think the imagination of the director brought this story to an elevated place of pure entertainment. The underlying story of violence in film was genius and The 2 leads stole my heart and Impressed me with great performances. The Fall is the best movie I've seen this year and I will give it a 10!

One close call that almost made the list was Burn After Reading (Coen Bro's) which was a lot of fun, however i found more issues with it than changeling so it didn't quite make it. See all of these films if you haven't. Check back soon for more reviews, recommendations, and rankings that I'll make.

Introduction

My name is Joseph and I'm 21 years old, from San Diego. I want to make films and eventually be involved in writing, directing, and producing. Although I'm not there yet I am obsessive about movies and especially ones that I love. I wanted to make this Blog to share my personal opinions and let people know what I am excited for. I might stray slightly from the film genre occasionally to blab about Lost or something random but whatever, I can do what I want.

- Joseph