Top 5 Films of 2012.

So here it is...my top 5 favorite films of 2012.


The Master- Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
I was fortunate enough to see The Master in all it's epic, 70mm glory. PTA's follow up to There Will Be Blood doesn't offer the same instant gratification fix as it's predecessor, but it's still a marvelous film in it's own right. Every shot is breathtaking, the cast (Phoenix, Hoffman, Adams) delivers the best acting performances of the year, and the soundtrack is untouchable. The Master's plot might be foggy, but the overall experience of the film is anything but.



Silver Linings Playbook- Directed by David O. Russell
A lighthearted take on the serious and often somber topic of mental health issues in America, Silver Linings Playbook was my pleasant surprise of the year. I laughed and was generally more entertained during David O. Russel's quirky romantic dramedy then I had been in ages.  I'm also now sold on both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence's acting chops.



Zero Dark Thirty- Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
The hunt for Osama Bin Laden could have easily been depicted as a "glorious" pile of pro-Western propaganda. I'm glad Kathryn Bigelow took a different approach with Zero Dark Thirty. The film is cold and clinical, like it's Type A personality protagonist Maya (Jessica Chastain). The tedious and often  horrific nature of the espionage/political world take center stage. The film may be dark and exhausting, but it's almost cathartic as well.



Prometheus- Directed by Ridley Scott
I don't understand the anger over Prometheus. Aside from looking absolutely gorgeous on the big screen (and I usually loathe 3D), Ridley Scott's latest film is easily the most ambitious sci-fi film in years. Was the film perfect? No. Was it entertaining and leave you craving more? For me, the answer is a definite yes! Introducing "The Engineers" and expanding the Alien mythos into a separate but equally enthralling cinematic universe was right decision. The sub-par Alien VS Predator franchise sort of killed the whole chestburster thing anyways.   



End of Watch- Directed by David Ayer
David Ayer has officially come into his own as a filmmaker. He may have written the script for Training Day, but his subsequent directorial work (Harsh Times and Street Kings), although entertaining, were less than stellar. End of Watch crushes any remaining doubts I had about his directing. Ayer's latest cop drama is, gritty, fast paced, even hilarious at times, but most of all, it's one of the most heart wrenching films of the year. Jake Gyllenhaal and Micheal Pena's chemistry as gang busting LAPD officers is uncanny and is the heart of the entire film.


*HONORABLE MENTIONS*
Some pretty rad movies I dug from 2012 that were just shy of the final cut:

The Avengers
NERDGASM OF A LIFETIME. The most fun I've had at the movies. EVER.

The Sessions
John Hawkes performance as a sexually and spiritually frustrated polio victim/quadriplegic is awe inspiring.

Dredd.
Absolute carnage. I haven't enjoyed such awesomely relentless violence on the big screen since the lobby shoot out in The Matrix.

Spaceballs 25th Anniversary

image taken from filmdrunk.uproxx.com a far superior site than this here blog.

So in my Prometheus review I posted the other day, I made a Spaceballs reference without even realizing it. Not sure if anybody picked up on it either (comments section made no mention at least) but it was later that day, as I read this article at Filmdrunk.com that I realized what I had done.

The filmdrunk post gushes over the 25th anniversary/milestone of Mel Brook's legendary comedic spoof of the sci-fi genre, Spaceballs. If you've never seen Spaceballs before, stop what you're doing and hunt down a copy now! It's literally one of the funniest movies ever made. I was only two years old when this film was first released but thanks to the power of VHS I probably watched it like 5,000 times as a small boy in the early 90's. In fact, I'm pretty sure I watched Spaceballs more times than Star Wars and Alien combined. So when reviewing Prometheus the other day, I said something about Michael Fassbender's character David making all the other assholes in the movie seem like major assholes in comparison, I subconsciously made a reference to this awesome Spaceballs scene:
 


Dear lawd that still gets me every time. I'll be 75 years old watching this with subtitles and still laugh my ass off. So here's to Mel Brooks and Spaceballs. Thanks.

Movie Review: Prometheus

Ridley Scott's triumphant return to the sci-fi genre is here! Scott's work on Alien and Blade Runner from the 1980's (yeah I know Alien is from 79', I'm rounding up) have pretty much defined the science fiction genre for the past 30 years and now, after spending most of the last two decades on epic period pieces (Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood), military flicks (G.I. Jane, Black Hawk Down) and dramas (Matchstick Men, American Gangster), Ridley Scott is back where he belongs...in scary futuristic fucked up space travel genre!

For those of you out of the loop, Prometheus is a loosely associated prequel to Alien. It takes place in the same "Alien universe" only, about 30 years before the events of Scott's original film.

awesome cast is awesome

In Prometheus, a team of scientists and their corporate financiers (Weyland Corp., yes the same Weyland-Yutani Corp. from Alien...get it?? ok done) head off to a distant planet, well a moon actually, looking for who they believe are the creators of life on Earth. Of course this is a twisted sci-fi flick so things flip turn upside down rather quickly and their planned scientific journey of discovery becomes a nightmare. The crew of the Prometheus ship were hoping to meet their makers...some do literally, but most do, figuratively.

First things first. The film is GORGEOUS. I mean it's absolutely stunning visually. I think I could watch this film with the sound off and be just as excited because there's a not a bad shot throughout. I usually hate 3D movies with a passion but I shilled out the extra cash/eye drops for Prometheus and fell in love. The opening creation of life sequence is straight up breath taking and in my opinion worth the price of admission alone! It's like one of those IMAX National Geographic Earth documentaries, but with bodybuilder aliens!

The film's cast is amazing as well. Noomi Rapace did the impossible as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, she made me forget Lizabeth Salander ever existed! Guy Pearce plays old man Weyland like a real life C. Montgomery Burns, and Charlize Theron sizzles as the beautifully evil, Meredith Vickers. She's the only actress I can think of who can be smoking hot while playing someone so ice cold. Finally, Michael Fassbender steals the entire movie with his portrayal of David the android. Fassbender continues his path to utter world domination, playing David like a the bastard cousin of Star Trek's Data and Mr. Smithers combined. How marvelous is David the robot? Well he's basically the most compelling dude in the movie and makes the other assholes on the ship seem like major assholes in comparison, especially when you remember that he's not even human!

Now some people (re: THE INTERNET) are pissed because the movie has a few problems with it's plot. I agree there are some things that happen in Prometheus that make no sense at all. Like why would a team of highly trained scientist/explorers take off their fucking helmets on an alien planet?!?!? I mean, Buzz Lightyear warned us all what could happen right?? And also, don't touch anything man! Jesus.. So yeah, some smart people do some stupid shit but it's not really the end of the world. Overall, the plot isn't that hard to follow and the movie succeeds in asking some pretty lofty questions about the meaning of life while still managing to not only entertain but leave you squirming in your chair.

Prometheus Haters

In short:
Prometheus has amazing visuals and special effects.
Michael Fassbender/David the android rules.
The film introduces a new backstory/continuity timeline for sci-fi geeks to drool over.
The Engineers are bad mofos.
Scott ponders topics like the meaning of life and yet still revels in blood and guts entertainment(in 3D!).

If any of that stuff tickles your fancy, Prometheus might be for you. I saw it twice and wouldn't shut up about it for weeks. My girlfriend originally liked the film but I kind of ruined it for her with my ranting about Xenomorphs, Engineers, androids and Greek mythology that followed...oh wells.

Awesome Photo (9)

Engineer's Gonna Engineer. Behind the scenes look at the beginning of  Prometheus (movie review coming shortly...fo real doe!).

Can't Wait...

Two awesome new film trailers took the interwebz by storm this week. Well three, but I'm only going to focus on the two that really got my juices going.

1st: The Dark Knight Rises


Hoooooly feces that got me all tingly. That kid singing the nation anthem all ominous as fuck...how cool is that?! I'm a little worried about Bane's voice and Nolan's tendency to make characters sound quasi retarded, but Bane looks pretty badass IMO...like a Mexican wrestler from hell with a cool/fashionable coat (dear Santa, I'd like a Bane jacket for Christmas please). At first I kind of didn't like seeing Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordin-Levitt in the same trailer because it made me think Inception 2 but I got over that when I realized Cotillard and Anne Hatheway are both in the this and their combined hotness already makes this one of the best films of 2012.  I'm super stoked about Catwoman's speech about striking back at Bruce Wayne and his 1% pals. Is this #OCCUPY GOTHAM? Should be sweet.


2nd: Prometheus

Ridley Scott. Alien Prequel. ENOUGH SAID. Yeah I know it's not supposed to be a direct prequel to Alien but I don't care dammit. It's in the same universe continuity wise and Ridley Scott has crafted some damn fine Sci-Fi way back in the day...and now he's got the special effects to do whatever the hell he wants! Also, the cast is top tier. Noomi Rapace, Micheal Fassbender, Guy Pearce, the black dude from Thor, Charlize Theron...sick! This is one of the few instances where I'm ok with Hollywood recycling from it's past. This isn't some desperate cash crab remake/re-imagining crap. This looks legitimately awesome.

So I geeked out pretty hard this week. The Hobbit trailer also arrived to great fanfare but it just didn't get me as stoked as these other two. Ian McKellen does look pretty rad as Gandalf though. NO! Must stop nerding out. Alright. Done.