Wednesday, January 15, 2014
My Picks for the top 30 movies 2000-2012 day 5
Well since I'd done my top 15 movies of the past year, I decided I would give my picks for the 30 best movies spanning from 2000-2012. Picks # 10-6.
10. Source Code-(2011) Science fiction thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Army helicopter pilot Captain Colter Stevens, last aware of being on a mission in Afghanistan, wakes up on a commuter train to Chicago, at 7:40 am. To the world around him—including his traveling partner Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) and the bathroom mirror—he appears to be Sean Fentress, a school teacher. As he comes to grips with this revelation, the train explodes, killing everyone aboard.
Stevens regains consciousness inside a dingy dim cockpit, leaking oil. Communicating through a video screen, Air Force Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) verifies Stevens' identity, and insists he stay "on mission" to find the bomber before another larger "dirty bomb" hits downtown Chicago in six hours. Inside the "Source Code" experimental device designed by scientist Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), he experiences the last eight minutes of another compatible person's life within an alternative timeline. (I cut and pasted that synopsis from Wikipedia, because it was much easier that trying to figure out how to explain it myself.)
I am a sucker for alternate universe/time travel stories/movies, and I really enjoyed this film. Glylenhaal is really good in this as a soldier trying to prevent something horrible from happening, bus getting frustrated because he has only 8 minutes to find the bomber, before the bomb in the train goes off and kills everyone on the train, then he has to start all over again, like a crazy mini version of Groundhog's Day. After awhile he begins to try to save the people on the train, although he's told that they've already died and cannot be saved.
It's story reminded me a little of the movie, Deja Vu, with Denzel Washington, with it's story of time travel and trying to prevent another terrorist attack, and also trying to save someone that's already been killed.
I will not say anything else as not to spoil the movie, but it's definitely worth checking out.
9. Constantine-(2005) A supernatural thriller starring Keanu Reeves based on DC comic character John Constantine. Constantine was born with the powers to see angels and demons, as a teenager he tried to kill himself because he cannot deal with his visions. He is brought back to life but during the two minutes he was dead, he was in hell. Knowing what his future holds for him, he tasks himself with returning demons to hell to get in good with God so he will be allowed into Heaven. He is told by the angel Gabriel, that he'll never be allowed into heaven because his motives are selfish. He is also told by a demon that when he dies, all of Hell is waiting for him, and that his is the only soul that Satan himself would come to get. He also has recently found out he has lung cancer and has very little time left.
Constantine takes on the case of a police officer trying to find out the truth about her twin sister's suicide. It ends up involving the Spear of Destiny, and the son of Satan attempting to take over the Earth. I really enjoyed this movie, I thought the story was very interesting and I enjoyed the special effects as well. It's always a movie I recommend, yet no one I know has ever told me they've seen it. Fans of the comic lamented the casting of Reeves, since the comic portrays Constantine as a blond Brit. Sting was the original model for the character, in fact. Overall, not really having any baggage myself from the comic, having not read any before the movie, I was able to take it as it was.
Notable mention, Tilda Swinton portrays the androgynous angel, Gabriel and did a great job in my opinion. One of my favorite character actors, Peter Stormare, plays Satan, and I love his portrayal, even though it is a tiny part.
8. District 9-(2009) A science fiction/action film about an alien race, who crashes on Earth in South Africa, malnourished and near death, rescued, then forced to live in slums. The story is told in a documentary style at the beginning, following around goofy bureaucrat, Wikus van de Merwe, played by Sharlto Copley-his first time professionally acting in anything. Wikus starts off as a pretty unlikeable character, insulting and degrading the alien race, while trying to relocate them from the slums they live in to an even worse place to live with smaller living quarters. After something happens to Wikus, that I won't spoil, he starts to become more and more sympathetic until you really start to like him. Sharlto Copley was brilliant in this and the fact he'd never acted before, just shows how talented he really is.
The movie cost $30 million to make and it looks EASILY to have cost about 5 times more than that. The special effects, from the weaponry, to the spaceships and lastly the Aliens look absolutely terrific. Great detail on each and every one. I also love how the movie switches from the documentary style it started in and then abandons it seamlessly I thought.
7. Inglourious Basterds-(2009) Quentin Tarantino's epic WWII tale. The movie was promoted as being about a group of Jewish soldiers going into Germany with the sole purpose of killing as many Nazis as they can. While they are a part of the movie, the movie has much more interesting aspects. They involve charismatic yet ruthlessly vicious Nazi Colonel, Hans Linda nicknamed the "Jew Hunter"; a young jewish girl whom is spared by Linda after killing her entire family at the beginning of the movie hiding in the floorboards, a German actress helping the "Basterds" led by Brad Pitt's character, Aldo Raine,in a plan to kill Joseph Goebbels, which ultimately ends up involving in a twist of fate, killing Hitler, himself.
There are so many great scenes in this movie: The opening scene at the farm, a scene with the Jewish girl, now living under an alias, having lunch with Goebbels about having his film shown at the movie theater she now runs, when she is suddenly face to face with the man who murdered her entire family, where she, along with the audience, wonders if he will recognize her or already does and is just fucking with her. A great scene with Michael Fassbender's British lieutenant, posing as a German soldier in a room filled with Nazi officers is probably my favorite. Great dialogue, great scenes, and an absolutely BRILLIANT performance by Austrian-German actor, Christoph Waltz, which he won the Academy Award for, which he definitely deserved.
6. Silver Linings Playbook-(2012)-David O. Russell's romantic comedy starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence as a man with bipolar disorder and a woman who is still mourning the loss of her husband. Bradley Cooper plays Pat Solitano Jr. who, at the beginning of the movie is being released from a mental health facility into the care of his parents, after catching his wife cheating on him with another man and nearly beating him to death. He goes to his friend's house for dinner and meet his friend's sister-in-law, Tiffany. They end up bonding over their damaged personalities and strike up a friendship. Pat wants Tiffany to deliver a letter to his ex, who has filed a restraining order since his violent outburst and has moved. Tiffany agrees if he will be her dance partner at a dance competition. Pat goes along, because he thinks if his ex she's him at the dance competition she will see he has changed.
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence both play their best roles to date in this. Robert DeNiro also plays Bradley Cooper's father, Pat Solitano Sr, who obsession with the Philadephia Eagles is another plot point. DeNiro hasn't been this good in years. I really liked him in this. It is a romantic comedy/drama but it is not done sappy like most of them. Not that there's anything wrong with some of them, if they are done well.
This was a close pick for me for Best Picture last year, but i had chosen Argo over this, by the slightest of margins.
OK, up next. my last 5 picks. hopefully SOMEONE is reading this, this is taking a long time each day to work on this. =)
10. Source Code-(2011) Science fiction thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Army helicopter pilot Captain Colter Stevens, last aware of being on a mission in Afghanistan, wakes up on a commuter train to Chicago, at 7:40 am. To the world around him—including his traveling partner Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) and the bathroom mirror—he appears to be Sean Fentress, a school teacher. As he comes to grips with this revelation, the train explodes, killing everyone aboard.
Stevens regains consciousness inside a dingy dim cockpit, leaking oil. Communicating through a video screen, Air Force Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) verifies Stevens' identity, and insists he stay "on mission" to find the bomber before another larger "dirty bomb" hits downtown Chicago in six hours. Inside the "Source Code" experimental device designed by scientist Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), he experiences the last eight minutes of another compatible person's life within an alternative timeline. (I cut and pasted that synopsis from Wikipedia, because it was much easier that trying to figure out how to explain it myself.)
I am a sucker for alternate universe/time travel stories/movies, and I really enjoyed this film. Glylenhaal is really good in this as a soldier trying to prevent something horrible from happening, bus getting frustrated because he has only 8 minutes to find the bomber, before the bomb in the train goes off and kills everyone on the train, then he has to start all over again, like a crazy mini version of Groundhog's Day. After awhile he begins to try to save the people on the train, although he's told that they've already died and cannot be saved.
It's story reminded me a little of the movie, Deja Vu, with Denzel Washington, with it's story of time travel and trying to prevent another terrorist attack, and also trying to save someone that's already been killed.
I will not say anything else as not to spoil the movie, but it's definitely worth checking out.
9. Constantine-(2005) A supernatural thriller starring Keanu Reeves based on DC comic character John Constantine. Constantine was born with the powers to see angels and demons, as a teenager he tried to kill himself because he cannot deal with his visions. He is brought back to life but during the two minutes he was dead, he was in hell. Knowing what his future holds for him, he tasks himself with returning demons to hell to get in good with God so he will be allowed into Heaven. He is told by the angel Gabriel, that he'll never be allowed into heaven because his motives are selfish. He is also told by a demon that when he dies, all of Hell is waiting for him, and that his is the only soul that Satan himself would come to get. He also has recently found out he has lung cancer and has very little time left.
Constantine takes on the case of a police officer trying to find out the truth about her twin sister's suicide. It ends up involving the Spear of Destiny, and the son of Satan attempting to take over the Earth. I really enjoyed this movie, I thought the story was very interesting and I enjoyed the special effects as well. It's always a movie I recommend, yet no one I know has ever told me they've seen it. Fans of the comic lamented the casting of Reeves, since the comic portrays Constantine as a blond Brit. Sting was the original model for the character, in fact. Overall, not really having any baggage myself from the comic, having not read any before the movie, I was able to take it as it was.
Notable mention, Tilda Swinton portrays the androgynous angel, Gabriel and did a great job in my opinion. One of my favorite character actors, Peter Stormare, plays Satan, and I love his portrayal, even though it is a tiny part.
8. District 9-(2009) A science fiction/action film about an alien race, who crashes on Earth in South Africa, malnourished and near death, rescued, then forced to live in slums. The story is told in a documentary style at the beginning, following around goofy bureaucrat, Wikus van de Merwe, played by Sharlto Copley-his first time professionally acting in anything. Wikus starts off as a pretty unlikeable character, insulting and degrading the alien race, while trying to relocate them from the slums they live in to an even worse place to live with smaller living quarters. After something happens to Wikus, that I won't spoil, he starts to become more and more sympathetic until you really start to like him. Sharlto Copley was brilliant in this and the fact he'd never acted before, just shows how talented he really is.
The movie cost $30 million to make and it looks EASILY to have cost about 5 times more than that. The special effects, from the weaponry, to the spaceships and lastly the Aliens look absolutely terrific. Great detail on each and every one. I also love how the movie switches from the documentary style it started in and then abandons it seamlessly I thought.
7. Inglourious Basterds-(2009) Quentin Tarantino's epic WWII tale. The movie was promoted as being about a group of Jewish soldiers going into Germany with the sole purpose of killing as many Nazis as they can. While they are a part of the movie, the movie has much more interesting aspects. They involve charismatic yet ruthlessly vicious Nazi Colonel, Hans Linda nicknamed the "Jew Hunter"; a young jewish girl whom is spared by Linda after killing her entire family at the beginning of the movie hiding in the floorboards, a German actress helping the "Basterds" led by Brad Pitt's character, Aldo Raine,in a plan to kill Joseph Goebbels, which ultimately ends up involving in a twist of fate, killing Hitler, himself.
There are so many great scenes in this movie: The opening scene at the farm, a scene with the Jewish girl, now living under an alias, having lunch with Goebbels about having his film shown at the movie theater she now runs, when she is suddenly face to face with the man who murdered her entire family, where she, along with the audience, wonders if he will recognize her or already does and is just fucking with her. A great scene with Michael Fassbender's British lieutenant, posing as a German soldier in a room filled with Nazi officers is probably my favorite. Great dialogue, great scenes, and an absolutely BRILLIANT performance by Austrian-German actor, Christoph Waltz, which he won the Academy Award for, which he definitely deserved.
6. Silver Linings Playbook-(2012)-David O. Russell's romantic comedy starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence as a man with bipolar disorder and a woman who is still mourning the loss of her husband. Bradley Cooper plays Pat Solitano Jr. who, at the beginning of the movie is being released from a mental health facility into the care of his parents, after catching his wife cheating on him with another man and nearly beating him to death. He goes to his friend's house for dinner and meet his friend's sister-in-law, Tiffany. They end up bonding over their damaged personalities and strike up a friendship. Pat wants Tiffany to deliver a letter to his ex, who has filed a restraining order since his violent outburst and has moved. Tiffany agrees if he will be her dance partner at a dance competition. Pat goes along, because he thinks if his ex she's him at the dance competition she will see he has changed.
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence both play their best roles to date in this. Robert DeNiro also plays Bradley Cooper's father, Pat Solitano Sr, who obsession with the Philadephia Eagles is another plot point. DeNiro hasn't been this good in years. I really liked him in this. It is a romantic comedy/drama but it is not done sappy like most of them. Not that there's anything wrong with some of them, if they are done well.
This was a close pick for me for Best Picture last year, but i had chosen Argo over this, by the slightest of margins.
OK, up next. my last 5 picks. hopefully SOMEONE is reading this, this is taking a long time each day to work on this. =)
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