Day 146

Movie: Shame
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan
Genre: Drama
Year: 2011
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: A man living alone in New York battling sex addiction has his life thrown into chaos when his younger sister moves in with him. Soon the two are threatening each others sanity.

This film is sexual without being sexy.  The first 6 minutes feels like a time loop, as it sets the plot of the lead character's life with the same scene inter-cut of him walking around the apartment naked.
It's a brave film on many levels, one being the obvious, which is the full frontal nudity for most of it.
On the surface, this film seems like it's about the addiction itself, but after a few minutes, you realize it's a love story between the two siblings; one that is never completely explained.

It's confusing and grown up but dark and cold at the same time.  Fassbender plays his scenes with Mulligan with the strangled discomfort of a man who is thrown into a dark tunnel. There is a creepy sense of controlled passion between the two siblings, which comes through most when Mulligan's character climbs into bed with him and he screams at her to leave, but does not physically remove her.  It's as if he's terrified to touch her.

The undertone of this film just kept reminding me of the movie American Psycho, there was just the same cold mask of control to it.

What do I think I learned from this film?
We're all in the dark looking for a light and a soft spot to land. 

Day 145

Movie: The Man in the Iron Mask
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons,
Genre: Action, Drama,
Year: 1998
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: The Musketeers have been pulled back into action in order to save France once again, this time from their own king.  They know about the king's twin brother who's been held prisoner for the last 6 years, and begin getting him ready for the throne.

This is based on the novel.

Not a lot to say about this, other then beautiful costumes, some nice sword fights- I'm a sucker for a movie with sword fights- and a killer performance by Jeremy Irons.
I know everyone seems to go ga-ga for DiCaprio, and I have to hand him the credit of being able to pull off two very different characters just with a look in his eyes, but it seemed to me that the spine of the film was held up by Irons.

What do I think I learned from this film?
You're past will always come back to haunt you, and sometimes it really is the devil you don't know vs the devil you do know.

Day 144

Movie: The Dead Will Tell
Starring: Anne Heche, Kathleen Quinlan
Genre: Thriller, Drama,
Year:2004
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: After getting an engagement ring, a woman starts to see a murder that happened thirty years before, and starts to investigate it. 

Made for tv movie.

This started off confusing with it's opening few scenes in order to cover the thirty year gap and move the story along into the bulk of the couple's relationship.  I don't understand why they couldn't have just shown the murder then jumped to the scene where the couple got engaged?

After that, the film starts to smoothly begin to tell the story. 

What do I think I learned from this film?
Sometimes when you see things, you really are seeing them. If more people were open to what's around us on all levels, then maybe we would be less likely to hurt each other on this level.  Passion can not be stopped, not in art nor in love.

Day 143

Movie: The First Wives Club
Starring: Diane Keaton, Bette Midler
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1996
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: Three women who've been dumped by their husbands for younger women, take revenge by taking back the companies they helped to build.

Classic.  Don't we all want to be able to take revenge on an ex?
The way the three women go about getting even with their ex husbands is funny and still humane. Unlike some films that tackle the topic of getting revenge, this one keeps it clean, the men loose money but not blood.
Which proves there is a right way to get revenge and start over.

What do I think I learned from this film?
At some point it seems like everyone is a "first wife" even when you're not married.

Day 142

Movie: She's out of My League
Starring; Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve
Genre: Comedy, Romance,
Year: 2010
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: When a nerdy guy starts dating a hot girl, his friends and family can't believe it.

I love Jay Baruchel.  If he's the poster boy for nerds then they've come along way since I was in high school.

this is one of those films that is believable and not at the same time.
You're cheering for the couple throughout the film, but always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
There is this big scene where he stands up to his family only to be put on hold with his plans of freedom, literally.

What do I think I learned from this film?
This storyline isn't that far fetched, but you'd never really see it in real life in the reverse.  Any guy no matter what "level" his looks are can end up with a woman who's better looking then him, but not so much the other way around. Men never seem to go for women they think are less then them.

Day 141

Movie: Age of Innocence
Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer,
Genre: Drama, Romance
Year: 1993
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: At the turn of the century in New York, a society scandal keeps two would be lovers from marrying.

This is based on a book.

The topic here is love over duty.  The leads are trapped in marriages they don't really want to be in.  Jealousy follows.
It focuses mostly on a lawyer who falls in love with a woman who wants to get a divorce from her first husband. Whom is talked about but I dont remember seeing in the film.
There are some big traits that are common now in society still, even though it's set in the 1870's.

What do I think I learned from this film?
Society's structure and it's expectations will always have a hold on even the most honest people.

Day 140

Movie: Blades of Glory
Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder
Genre: Comedy, Sports
Year: 2007
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: Two male figure skaters are banned for life from the singles division but find a loophole when they decide to work as a team.

This is one of those it's so stupid it'll work films.
I'm not much of a fan of Ferrell nor of skating for that matter, but this movie managed to keep my interest long enough. It's slapstick humour plays well for the topic at hand.

Given I saw this on tv, it still managed to hold it's storyline and make enough sense, if a Will Farrell film can make sense.

What do I think I learned from this film?
If we all work together, together it will all work or something to that effect.

Day 139

movie: Chronicles of Riddick
starring: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban
genre: Action, Sc-fi,
year: 2004
format: Shaw Video On Demand

plot: After being captured by bounty hunters, Riddick is taken to a prison planet where he's joined by the girl he saved years before as they fight to save a planet from the Necromongers.

This is the sequel to Pitch Black.

Vampires.  Once again we see a the vampire as a metaphor, only this time it's taking on the religious crusades.
You can not sugar coat this film's subplot. 

what do i think i learned from this film?
There will always be someone who thinks they are superior and try to convert others, even when they have no right to. It's how you stand up for yourself that matters.

Top 5 best Superheroes

 With the release this spring of the new Avengers film, I thought I would give a run down of some of whom I think are the best superheroes.

1) Batman

2) Blade

3) Superman

4) Spiderman

5) Wolverine

I'm going with the Christian Bale {movie series 2} version of Batman here, even though, the Micheal Keaton version was good,  the George Clooney and Val Klimer { movie series 1} versions sort of sucked, and it's the series in this case that counts.

Day 138

Movie: Iron Man 2
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke
Genre: Fantasy, Action,
Year: 2010
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: Billionaire Stark has to keep a rival scientist from using the knowledge he has to build the Iron Man suites.

Comic to film.

As someone who has not read the comics or seen the first film, I wasn't too sure I was going to be able to follow the story at first; as there is nothing in the first ten minutes to catch up the random viewer.
The first ten minutes of the movie, doesn't feel like it could be a stand alone, but then it begins to flow and it is indeed a stand alone film.

What do I think I learned from this film?
That anything  in the wrong hands will lead to nothing but destruction.  

Day 137

Movie: Star Trek remake
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Action
Year: 2009
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: After being sucked through a black hole, a Romulan ship begins a personal war  on Spock, and the planets Vulcan and Earth.

This would be film #11 in the series, but the first in the new wave of films.

This movie departs from the others by taking us out of the original timeline and into an alternate reality.  One where the lead characters have slightly different lives up to the point of joining Star Fleet.

I have to admit, this set up is brilliant.  It opens up a whole new idea as to the back stories.

What do I think i learned from this film?
You never ever want to be the one in the red shirt/suit if you want to make it to the second act.

Day 136

Movie: The Good Witch's Garden
Starring: Catherine Bell, Peter MacNeill
Genre: Family, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Year: 2009
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: A young woman  is about to turn her house into a Bed and Breakfast, just as a stranger comes to town and claims it's not her's and soon moves into her family home with documents that back him up. As the small town becomes divided between them, evidence appears to prove the stranger might not be who he says he is.

This is not the kind of film you would think from the title.  It's a straight up made for tv film, that is more in the vein of a an episode of Touched By An Angel then anything else.
It's also the second film in the made for tv movie series.

 what do I think I learned from this film?
This is one of those "you know in your heart right from wrong"  message movies, it's pretty cut and dry as far as why you're going to take away from it.

Day 135

Movie: Today's Special
Starring: Aasif Mandvi, Harish Patel
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Year: 2009
Format: DVD

Plot: After getting fired from  his job, a French  chef decides to help run his family's Indian restaurant, only he has no idea what he's gotten himself into.

This is a lovable story.  It's got some universal ideas going on here- wanting to be independent of your family to follow your own dreams but having to bend to the responsibility of family.
It's also a love story on a few levels.  There is a new romance for the lead character as well as him repairing his relationship with his family and in the big picture his own culture.

What do I think I learned from this film?
Time and measurement only go so far then you have to lead with your soul

Day 134

Movie: Before Sunset
Starring: Ethan Hawk, Julie Delpy
Genre: Drama, Romance
Year: 2004
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: 9 years after they first met, Jesse  bumps into Celine again in Paris and spend the afternoon together remembering the night years before that Jesse wrote a book about.

This is a film filled with what ifs and stinks of desperate desires, mostly on the part of the Ethan Hawk character.  He comes across like a puppy begging to be loved.
I don't know if it's because Hawk lost so much weight in the years between the two films or something else, but he does not come across as likeable in this one just creepy.

What do I think I learned from this film?
We all have that one great love that inspired us and might have even torn us down, breaking our hearts. This film is a classic version of the one that got away.

Day 133

Movie: Before Sunrise
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Genre: Romance, Drama
Year: 1995
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: A young couple meet on a train and decide to spend the night together walking around a city in Europe.

This is all talk.  There isn't much else to it.
But the talk is poetic and thoughtful.  It's a complete representative of being young in the beginning stages of desire.
It's also at times dry and too self important.  It reminds me too much of my friends and I back in college.

What do I think I learned from this film?
No matter what generation you are from, that first real pangs of truly falling in love is always familiar.

Day 132

Movie: Just Like Heaven
Starring: Resse Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo
Genre: Comedy, Romance,
Year: 2005
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: When a single workaholic woman ends up in a car accident, she can not accept the fact that she's a ghost, nor that she's attracted to the man who moved into her apartment.

Maybe I've become immune to romantic comedies, or maybe I'm just bored, but this was something slightly different and slightly familiar.
The base story is the same old same old, girl meets boy but refuses to admit there's a spark until some big bad happens.
The side story reminded me a lot of Hello Again from 1987.

What do I think I learned from this film?
There is a lot to be said about destiny and that everything happens for a reason when it does to whom it does.

Blogathon- My Movie Year

There is a Blogathon being hosted over on Fandango Groover's Movie blog.

We've been asked to pick a year that we think was great for movies and back up our theory with 5 movies from that year.




1998


The Last Days of Disco,
 Practical Magic,
 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,
Blade,
 John Carpenter's Vampires




The Last Days of Disco {was Day 14 }  and Practical Magic {was Day 10}

Maybe it was a good year for movies because three of my choices were based on novels {Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson and Vampire$ by John Steakley}
As well, Blade was based on a very popular character from Marvel comics. 

Day 131

Movie: Patricia Cornwell's At Risk
Starring: Andie MacDowell, Daniel Sunjata
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller,
Year: 2010
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: A hot shot detective is hired by the governor to solve a cold case, and ends up uncovering more then he thought.

This was a made for tv movie based on the book "At Risk" by Patricia Cornwell.
There isn't much to say about this other then it was the second in a series of made for tv movies from a series of crime novels by the author.
It had a thin plot that just seemed to be "too made for tv"  if you understand what I mean.   I have not read the original book, so I can't compare the two.

There were some flashbacks throughout the movie that gave some bones to the plot and were by far more interesting then what was suppose to be the current situation.  We have a playboy-ish detective who manages to get all the women he works with to do all the research for him with the promise of a date, of which he never bothers to remember about later.
There wasn't anything much likable about the lead character. 

What do I think I learned from this movie?
Sometimes you just have to leave the book on the book shelf and forget about how it's going to look in movie form.

Day 130

Movie: Toast
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Freddie Highmore
Genre: Biography,
Year: 2010
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot:Nigel's mother could not cook, at times it seemed like she was afraid to try.  After her death, his father remarried and his step-mother was a cooking genius.  Nigel then decides to learn everything he can about food and cooking.

This is based on the autobiography of the British Chef and food writer.
I have to admit right off, I have not read the biography to compare, but there was this element of control coming through to me from character based on his step-mother.  Her character starts off as a representation of freedom through the food, but then turns more manipulative as the story progresses. As if she's holding everyone captive by her ability to cook.


What do i think I learned from this film?
You really can have too much of a good thing.  Food has become a competition on many levels in the last few years, literally; this shows it can be a natural element in some people's lives and a force of habit in others.

Day 129

Movie: Pirate Radio {aka The Boat that Rocked}
Starring: Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music,
Year: 2009
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: In 1966 a mix match of music djs broadcast rock music 24/7 from a docked boat in the U.K.  They spend a year trying not to get shut down, while dealing with two new crew members one of which is the long lost son of another crew member.

Even though this is listed as a fictional story, it is also loosely based on events that happened in the 1960's.
The version I saw was the edited version, which is suppose to be nearly a half hour shorter. Which might explain why there were characters introduced once in the film and never explained or seen again.

What do I think I learned from this film?
Progress can not be stopped, it might be stalled once and awhile but never stopped.  Life takes you were you need to be, not always how your want it to.

Day 128

Movie: Cold Souls
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun
Genre:Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Film Noir
Year: 2009
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: After reading an article about how you can put your soul in storage, actor Paul Giamatti finds himself hunting down his own soul and forming a deep friendship with the soul trafficker.

I liked the idea that they set the story in an alternate reality.  It's a throw back to the old Hitchcock way of doing films.  Just enough mix of reality and fantasy for you to be able to believe that something like this is an every day thing.

It also gives into a slight tint of fear, as like Frankenstein, it proves that with the right mind, who knows what could really happen.

What do I think I learned from this film?
You are truly the sum of your parts. The soul is a living thing all it's own.  You can never run away from your own regrets, doubts, dreams, or instincts no matter how much you want to.

Day 127

Movie: Mad Money
Starring: Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Crime
Year: 2008
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: After her husband looses his job, Bridget takes a job as a cleaning lady in a bank and manages to talk two co-workers into helping her rob it.

This is a funny story but one that makes you wonder what the message behind it was?
Three women and their husbands manage to steal from a secured bank for over three years.  You sort of just have to sit down and forget your sense of morals to enjoy the dark humour of it.

What do I think I learned from this film?
When you have a well thought out plan, you can do anything you desire.

Day 126

Movie: Along Came Polly
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Year: 2004
Format: TV EDIT

Plot:After walking in on his wife having sex with another man on his honeymoon, an insurance agent gets into a relationship with a girl he knew back in grade school who is a free spirit.

This is the classic opposite attracts storyline.  A little too classic.
There were a few funny spots, but the over all feel of the movie was forced. There was more chemistry between Stiller and Philip Seymour Hoffman  then there was between Aniston and Stiller.
I think this would have been better as a buddy film and not a romance.

What do I think I learned from this film?
You can not be afraid of love, you have to be willing to take a chance. Life will pass you by rapidly unless you take a few impulsive steps.

Day 125

Movie: Shakespeare in Love
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes
Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy
Year: 1998
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: Shakespeare's latest play Romeo and Juliet, is about to be performed for the first time. And he ends up having an affair with the woman who is secretly playing Romeo.

It's a nice light snack.  A movie about what might have inspired the play itself, while pointing out how much of a scandal it was at that time for curtain people to be actors.  Women were forbidden, as were other higher class.
This is one of those really rare times you see Colin Firth as a semi-bad guy as well. In which he plays it with a dry deadpan humour.

What do I think I learned from this film?
When it comes to love, nothing is black and white, sometimes there is red and gold buried under it all.

Intermission #4

One of the main reasons I decided to do this whole one movie a day challenge for the year, was the conversations that movies can lead to.  The community of it.

And over the course of the last couple of months, I've stumbled on other movie blogs.  One of those fabulous movie bloggers; Fandango Groovers Movie Blog - is hosting a Blogathon on April 15th 2012. 

I'm all signed up, I have my pick all ready and waiting to be posted {yes I did my homework early on this one}

So if you want to know what year I thought rocked for movies and compare me to the rest of the gang who are joining in; tune in on the 15th {that would be next Sunday} my Spudguns! cause it will be  groovy.

Day 124

Movie: Sliding Doors
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah
Genre: Drama, Romance
Year: 1998
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: When she misses a bus, a woman's reality splits in two. One reality shows what her life would be like for the next few months if she'd gotten on the bus, the other shows her life if she missed it and how her life would change.

The first ten minutes are confusing, as the character is identical in both realities, but once a wardrobe change happens, in this case a band-aid on her eyebrow for the next few minutes before a radical make over; it becomes clear which reality you're viewing.

Paltrow's charcater(s) and Hannah's character(s) seem to be destined for each other, as they keep bumping into each other in reality #1 while having started a relationship in reality #2. 
What is so brilliant about this film is it was before it's time. And the metaphor of having to go through the doors just before every major choice in the lead character's life was subtle and almost natural.
This is one of those films that could lead to hours of deep discussion on the topics of deja vu, intentions, the paranormal,etc

What do I think I learned from this film?
You are always going to end up right where you're suppose to be no matter if you understand it or not. Two people who are destined to be together can't avoid each other. and that no one expects the Spanish Inquisition, even when they do.

Day 123

Movie: Scooby-Doo
Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar
Genre: Comedy, Adventure,
Year: 2002
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot:The detectives of Mystery Inc break up after a job only to be pulled back together a few years later to solve a mystery at a themed park island.

The only good thing I have to say about this is that the actor who plays Shaggy got the voice perfect.
The jokes are mindless, sometimes crude and it's confusing. 
There is a set up near the beginning of the story where they meet a girl who sneezes everytime she's near dogs. But yet when they are around her robot/demon double; the group never think to question why there is no sneezing.

I know this was geared for young kids, but it feels like half the plot was left on the cutting room floor.


What do I think I learned from this film?
There was nothing to learn here.

Day 122

Movie: Super Size Me
Starring: Morgan Spurlock, Lisa Young
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2004
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: A man decides to film himself eating nothing but food from McDonalds for one month and discuss the effects it has on his body.

One of the best documentaries to ever be made.
There is no arguing with the fact that the sort of diet most people have is bad for them.
Even though, this experiment was to the extreme, it's right on the money.
I loved the one rule he has in this, that he can only "super size" his meals if he's asked, he himself can not ask to have it upgraded.  There is a scene in this where the average sizes of drinks/fries/ etc are compared not just to other fast food places, but to what they used to be over 40 years ago when the fast food companies started.  Society has upgraded by almost three times the size in that time frame.  What used to be a normal serving size is now a small or child's size in most fast food places.

What do I think I learned from this film?
You need to have everything in moderation.  We as a society have got to get back to basics when it comes to our eating habits.

Day 121

Movie: The Ex
Starring: Jason Bateman, Zach Braff
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2006
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: When a new dad looses his job, he ends up working for his father in law and his wife's ex boyfriend at an ad agency.  Soon all hell breaks loose in the office.

This might have been a really funny film about paranoia and one-upmanship, but it just fell flat.
I'd like to say it was missing something because it was a Television edit, but it was just not as good as it could have been.
The jokes were formulaic and shallow, and there just didn't seem like much chemistry with the on screen pairing.

What do I think I learned from this film?
Jealousy will get you nowhere

Day 120

Movie: Intolerable Cruelty.
Starring: George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Year: 2003
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

Plot: A divorce lawyer meets his match when he takes a high profile case of a gold-digger.

Not much I can say about this movie, other then it plays like a comedic soap opera.  The back and forth between the two leads reminds me of a couple of high school kids.
The plot was thin as tin and only had a few solid moments.

What do I think I learned from this film?
When you think you've had a moment of love at first sight, go with it.

Day 119

Movie: Doubt
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams
Genre: Drama
Year: 2008
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: In the early 1960's, a Catholic school principal suspects one of the priests of misbehavour with one of the students.

Based on the stage play.

I was speechless through most of this.  Even though, this was a tv edit, the version I saw did not loose any of it's emotion. {as sometimes a television edit is just that, edited to the point of not even being the same story}
The performance of Streep is raw and manages to do what many actors are unable to do, convince you that you are really there, really transported to the world in which the characters live.

What do I think I learned from this film?
There is a big difference between knowing the truth and hearing it.

Day 118

Movie: Casanova
Starring: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2005
Format: Shaw Video On Demand

 
Plot: The infamous Casanova is about to be hanged for his life as a playboy unless he can find a wife in 30 days who is from a respectable family.

This was just bleck. I can not believe this was listed as a Disney Family Comedy.
The sexual jokes were too many and it took a good fifteen minutes before you really got into the "plot"
Not much else to say other then for such a group of talented actors why did they do this film?

What do I think I learned from this film?
 You can't control who you fall in love with.

Day 117

Movie: Spice World
Starring: Alan Cumming, Richard E. Grant
Genre: Comedy, Music
Year: 1997
Format: TV EDIT

Plot: At the height of their popularity, The Spice Girls start a world tour only to be faced with sleazy reporters, film crews, aliens, a pregnant friend and a lot of broken promises.

It's a gimmick straight up.  Just a reason to cash in on the fame of the five women, and add their music for no real reason.
It was cute when it came out 15 years ago for the cheesy but catchy songs and it's semi-message of women being able to overcome anything.  Now it's got a sickly sweet nostalgia and coolness for it's cameos of Rocky Horror Picture Show actors.
 
What do I think I learned from this film?
When you've got something going on that has a very limited shelf life to be taken seriously, make sure you have it crammed head to toe with famous British actors