Quick movie update

I've been staying on top of the latest movies to roll through Anaconda, as usual, and figured I would give you all a quick update on what I've seen over the past few weeks.

300 - awesome film. Highly anticipated. Everyone in our section had been pumped about this movie for weeks, and 300 did not disapoint. Graphic, brutal, bloody, violent - everything a guy could ask for. Zach Snyder is the genius who puts this pretty picture together. Probably not the best date movie though. If you're a fan of epics like Braveheart, Gladiator, etc. you will love 300, for sure.

Blood Diamond - this movie was superb. Really opened my eyes to how diamonds come to be. My new favorite actor, DiCaprio, turns in an Oscar-caliber performance. Well cast film that keeps you enertained throughout. Highly reccomended.

Children of Men - a visual masterpiece. The movie itself is so-so, with decent acting and an intruiging storyline. The beauty of the film itself is what sets Children of Men apart. If you're a fan of movies as an art form, you will dig this film. Not for everyone though.

Apocalypto - wow. This movie blew me away. My brothers had seen this film over Christmas 2006, and came back impressed. I finally got my chance to check it out and left the theater telling anyone who would listen what an epic expierence it was. Mel Gibson presents a violent, sometimes touching film following the tale of an American native who is torn apart from his village in brutal fashion and is forced to deal with the captors who have killed his father and destroyed everything he knows. One of the best films I've seen in the past 6 months.

Top 10 Movies of 2006

With the movie awards season in full swing, I figured I would throw my own two cents out there and share with you all my top 10 movies of 2006. These are the 10 movies that I enjoyed the most, that captured my attention and wouldn't let go, that left me leaving the theater talking and discussing with my friends. I was going to break this list down by genre, but decided I would keep it simple and list out for you my top 10 overall favorite flicks of 2006. Needless to say, I suggest you check out each of these as soon as possible, if you haven't' seen them all already. (For a full list of the movies I saw and reviewed here in Iraq, click here).

Honorable Mention (in no particular order): The Pursuit of Happyness, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The War Tapes, United 93

10. Jackass Number Two In a strong year for comedies, this film might have made me laugh the hardest and the longest out of them all. I went in with low expectations (as you have to for most sequels) but left highly entertained and pleased with the second effort from Johnny Knoxville and crew. Definitely not a movie everyone will enjoy, but the lengths these folks go to in order to get a laugh must be appreciated.
9. Wordplay My choice for documentary of the year (with apologies to The War Tapes). I somehow managed to drag Nicki down to the excellent Ross theater in Lincoln to see this film when I was home on leave, based on some of the excellent reviews I had read in the press. Wordplay did not disappoint. Who thought a movie about crossword puzzles could be so entertaining? I thought learning about how these intricate puzzles are created was fascinating, and seeing how dedicated some folks are to the life of crossword puzzles was amazing to watch.
8. The Prestige This film features one of my favorite actors of today, Christian Bale. If you haven't seen any of his work before, you are missing out. The strong cast (Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine) helps carry this movie along and overcome a few plot holes along the way in an entertaining film that was good, but not quite as good as I think it could have been.
7. Clerks II Another crude comedy that I really enjoyed. I am a big fan of Kevin Smith's work, and thought that the second installment of the Clerks series returns Smith to his roots, and helps make up for recent flops such as Jersey Girl. Hopefully Smith keeps up the good work and kicks out another comedy or two soon - he has earned my respect back with this strong effort.
6. Stranger Than Fiction Will Ferrell stars in this excellent, quirky comedy, and puts on my 3rd favorite Ferrell performance to date (next to the untoppable tour de force displays in Old School and Anchorman). This film surprised me with just how good it was, and is probably the biggest surprise for me on this list.
5. Thank You For Smoking Nicki saw this before I did, and raved about it. I kept trying for months and months to get my hands on a copy of the DVD, and finally saw it in November. I loved the acting, the writing, the production - it was all top notch. Very well done film, and bitingly funny satire on big tobacco.
4. Borat I felt a little wrong for having this masterpiece so low on my list, but also felt a little wrong for having such a horribly obscene film so high. I'll just leave it here in the clean up spot and call it even. The comedy here is defiantly not going up everyone's alley, and in fact will probably cause some of you to walk out of the theater in disgust. I for one found this mockumentary to be flat our hilarious, although my internal moral high ground tells me I'm wrong for saying so. Regardless, Sacha Baran Cohen's performance is phenomenal and makes this film a must see. No comedy released this year (and possibly in the last 5 years) will make you laugh harder.
3. Little Miss Sunshine Review after review hales this film as the top comedy of 2006, so I was almost nervous to see it in fear that it would not live up to the incredible expectations I had. Thankfully, the film does not disappoint. Steve Carel is fun to watch, in a role that is a polar opposite from his work on his popular TV show, The Office. Greg Kinnear also puts on a show as the obnoxious father of one of the most dysfunctional families you'll ever see. However, my favorite performance of the film belongs to the youngest actor in the whole show, Abigail Breslin, as Olive, who is mature beyond her years. Comedy of the year? I think so, although if this is #1, Borat is 1A.
2. Casino Royale I'll admit it - I'm not historically a big James Bond fan. I think I've seen 2 or 3 movies in the franchise before and have never been too terribly impressed. I'm sure that will lead some to question my status as a "guy", but oh well. However, my opinion of Bond was blown away after seeing Casino Royale, the newest installment starring Daniel Craig as a new, unproven 007. I was mesmerized by the glitz, the glam, the explosions, the fast cars, the tremendous action scenes (the opening scene in particular is jaw dropping) and of course the beautiful Bond girls. Craig is perfectly cast as 007, and his cool, calm demeanor personifies everything Bond should be.
1. The Departed Sometimes, a film comes along that is just destined for greatness. The ingredients are just so perfect, so well done, that it would be nearly impossible to not achieve perfection. The Departed is one of those movies. From the outstanding cast, to the iconic director, The Departed is far and away my favorite film of 2006. Marky Mark shines as the scene-stealing loud mouth Boston detective, Jack Nicholson intimidates as the gruff mafia crime lord, Matt Damon brings it as the fresh faced cop playing both sides of the fence and Martin Scorsese pulls it all together with amazing skill and grace. The owner of this movie, however, is Leonardo DiCaprio, who jumps off the screen as the undercover cop who is forced into making everyone happy but himself. I was sky high for this movie going in, and left knowing that I had added a new film to my favorite of all time list. If you appreciate film making and story telling at it's finest, combined with tremendous acting and masterful directing, then The Departed is your movie. You will not be disappointed.

Random musings

Quick movie update:

• Turistas I won't go into this one too much, simply because it really isn't worth my time. SGT Kane has already done a nice little job on this movie over on his site (read about it here). I think Turistas might end the year as the worst movie I've seen. I've seen a decent amount of flicks, so that's saying something. Don't waste your $8 - don't even waste your $2 at the late run theater. I would recommend visiting the dentist over seeing Turistas. Seriously.
• The Pursuit of Happyness An unexpected winner. I have always like Will Smith's work, but this is definitely different than your usual flashy, showy, Smith blockbuster (Independence Day, Men In Black, etc.). This movie is stripped down, and doesn't feature a star-studded supporting cast or expensive special effects. This film is all about Smith, and he delivers in spades. His co-star is his real life son, who makes a nice film debut. The movie is "based on real events", although I'm not really sure what that means these days in Hollywood. Happyness (the misspelling is explained, don't worry) is a nice uplifting holiday movie - something you could take the family to on Christmas night, for example. I highly recommend. And kudos to Smith for taking a chance on role that he obviously cares about, instead of mailing it in with a big-budget blockbuster. Mad props.
• Jackass Number Two I went into this leery of the sequel money grab. Shame on me for my lack of faith. Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and crew deliver with another laugh out loud, slap your thigh funny film. If you liked the first, you will love the second. I promise. One of the 2 or 3 funniest movies I've seen all year - possibly the funniest. Highly recommended.
• The War Tapes I bought this DVD at the bazaar. I had heard good things about this film last summer when it made the indie theater circuit and was hoping I could get my hands on the DVD. Nice little independent film following a couple National Guard soldiers like myself throughout their year long deployment to Iraq. This film won best documentary of 2006 at Tribeca Film Festival. Go on down to your local Blockbuster and pick this up for a quality rental and an authentic look at what Iraq is like from a soldiers point of view.
• Casino Royale SFC Kerchal bought this DVD at the bazaar and the quality was superb. I loved this movie, which is saying something since I don't consider my fan much of a Bond fan, historically speaking (I know, I know - I'm disgrace of a man for saying so). I thought Daniel Craig was an awesome choice for Bond. Much better than ol Brosnan. The action was fast and exciting, the girls were gorgeous, and I thought the plot and storyline held up well. A guy can't ask for much more than that. I believe this film is coming to our theater soon, and I'm already looking forward to seeing it again, in all of its big screen glory.
• Rocky Balboa I haven't seen this one yet, but I'm including it on the list simply to let you all know that I'm really looking forward to it. I've read enough good reviews to warrant getting my hopes up, and after reading this article from the Sports Guy I went right on over to my favorite store and ordered the Rocky Anthology on DVD. I hope to time it just right so I can receive the boxed set, watch all 5 movies on DVD and then have Rocky Balboa show up in the theater. Wish me luck.

Well that's all for now. Merry Christmas to everyone and I will check in after the holidays with some thoughts on the big Husker bowl game match up.

November Movie Wrap-up

Nothing too new to report on this end (other than that crushing defeat at the hand of the Sooners last night in the Big XII Championship Game, which I would rather forget) so I'm gonna mail it in with a new movie post. Enjoy.

• Deja Vu This movie stars Denzel Washington. Denzel is usually a pretty reliable bet to act in quality movies. His body of work (Glory, Malcom X, Philadelphia, The Hurricane, Training Day, Man on Fire) supports this theory, from my vantage point. So when a new Denzel flick comes to the local cinema, I usually consider it worthy of my hard earned dollar. Factor in that my current local cinema is free, and that makes any Denzel show a must-see. I went into Deja Vu with zero knowledge of the premise, story or cast (other than the star). I must say that I wasn't overly impressed with this movie, nor was I overly disappointed. I would have to say I'm fairly neutral on it overall. I think Denzel does a fine job, and the set-up is decent, but the movie suffers from a few flaws that pretty much kills everything for me. About half way into Deja Vu the audience is basically asked to suspend reality, accept that what we're being told is true (even though everyone is scratching their heads and muttering about how impossible this is) and then the rest of the way out we must continue to just enjoy the movie for the entertainment, and not for any real substance or meaning. After leave the theater, SGT Kane and I discussed a few alternative endings that could have made the movie more interesting or might have made you think a little more, but the folks in charge instead decided to stick with a fairly Hollywood ending. I can understand what they were thinking - they didn't want to leave the audience upset, and wanted to stick with the safe play. This may bring the movie a few more dollars at the box office, but if they really wanted to please me the audience, I think Deja Vu should have ditched some of the physics lessons and worked harder on a meatier plot with a less contrived ending. I think the risk would have paid off. All in all, Deja Vu is a decent flick and Denzel doesn't disappoint, but nothing here is worth remembering.
• The Black Dahlia On paper, The Black Dahlia packs quite a punch. The director is a proven winner, as he was at the helm for gems like Scarface, The Untouchables, Carrie - heck he directed the first Mission Impossible, which was alright. The cast (Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank) is loaded with big names. Throw all of this goodness into one melting pot and you should come out with a sure-fire gem, right? In the case of The Black Dahlia - wrong. Poor execution, shoddy acting, a confusing plot and a slow pace kill whatever high hopes this movie may have had. I'm not familiar with the story of The Black Dahilia (if you want to know, go here) and I'm not sure if that may have helped or not, but I'm guessing I'm not the only one who waltzed into the theater with no prior knowledge of the story. The movie is put together well, with 1940s era clothing, cars, and everything else. The problem for me was that the story just didn't flow right, and the ending left much to be desired. A little too long and weird for my tastes, and a good example of a well known director and good cast not always being able to deliver solid results. I can't even recommend this for a rental. If you really want to see De Palma run a quality show, go rent this or this. You will thank me.

Movie time

Time for another movie review post as I sit here at my desk preparing for the Husker - Aggie showdown. Go Big Red.

• Stranger Than Fiction This was a perfect example of a movie that I knew absolutely nothing about until the title popped up on the calendar of movies being shown in November. My usual routine is pulling up unknown movies on imdb and doing a little research on the cast, director, etc. So when I pulled up Stranger Than Fiction and saw that Will Ferrell was the star, I was very intrigued. When I walked into the theater last night (on the same night the movie debuted in the states, I believe, which is pretty sweet) I still knew next to nothing about the film, save for the Ferrell starring role. In the movie, Ferrell's character leads a boring, non-descript life until he suddenly hears a voice in his head of a woman, who is narrating his life as he lives it. I won't go into two many details about the plot, except to say that it is definitely not your normal sophomoric comedy, and especially not your normal Ferrell comedy (Old School, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, etc) I think the best comparison I can make is that this movie is to Ferrell what Punch Drunk Love was to Sandler, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was to Carrey. Ferrell absolutely nails the role, and is able to carry the movie and create a lot of laughs, without the slapstick humor that he is normally associated with. I must also mention the outstanding job done by the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhall - she is warm and energetic and a perfect yin to Ferrell's yang. Pay special attention to the cookie scene in the bakery - awesome stuff. Ferrell and Gyllenhall are great together, and at times I just couldn't believe my eyes as I saw Ferrell come through in moments that require a delicate touch of drama - much the same way I had to rub my eyes watching Sandler steal every scene in Punch Drunk Love. I can say with confidence that Stranger Than Fiction currently tops my list as best comedy of 2006, and easily qualifies as must see material for any fan of comedies that make you think, along with fans of Ferrell's previous work. Definitely a pleasant surprise and a movie I will surely own on DVD, once it comes out.
• Flags of Our Fathers This movie rocked. I have always known next to nothing about history, which is embarrassing, but true. Iwo Jima was one historical event that I thought I understood - we kicked butt, raised a flag to signal the end of the conflict, and after that we all drank fruity drinks on the beach and basked in the glow of our victory. After seeing this movie I was harshly reminded of the facts - I blow at history. The movie (based on a book of the same name) follows the story of the Marines and Navy Corpsman whose act of raising the flag over the island of Iwo Jima was forever immortalized in one classic photo. From watching the movie, I learned a couple of things: there was way, way more to the conflict after the flag was raised; the media and the people love heroes; people don't understand what war is really like unless they've been there and finally - Clint Eastwood kicks ass. The battle scenes in this movie are expertly done, and prove once again that just like fine wine Eastwood has gotten better and better with age. His work in this movie reminded me of the jaw dropping scenes created by Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan. The story was interesting and kept me involved right up until the very end. Recently single Ryan Phillipe and the rest of the actors cast perform well, although the story presented here is much bigger than one or two actors. Defiantly a must see for a multitude of reasons, but most notably to witness a master (Eastwood) on top of his game and for the history lesson everyone should know regarding the Battle of Iwo Jima.

movie time

I did a movie review post awhile back and thoroughly enjoyed the process. After catching a few flicks in the past two weeks, I decided it was high time for another one. Besides, a movie post will help take my mind off of the recent tragedy in my life. Without further ado...

• The Marine Oh. My. Goodness. This movie will probably end up challenging The Guardian in my end of the year debate over "most cliche-filled film". Wrestling star John Cena stars in this action flick, which promised big explosions and non-stop fun with the WWE's latest chosen one. I saw the previews for this flick and thought to myself, "Yes! About time we get a classic shoot 'em up guy movie!". Not sure how accurate this is, but I felt like there just aren't enough pure action movies coming out of Hollywood these days, now that the genre's mega-star is now governing instead of kicking butt. Anyways, there were enough bullets, car chases, explosions and fights to make just about any guy happy. However, if you happen to be one of those guys who needs just a tiny bit of actual acting with your action, you'll be disappointed. Or maybe you're only requirement is a solid plot line - again, you'll leave disappointed. Anyways, in case you haven't figured out yet, The Marine sucks. It's horrible. Stay far, far away. If you do go, despite my warnings, in order to satisfy your urge for action, then that's your call. Just don't say I didn't warn you...
• The Departed When you're in Iraq you tend to be isolated from the outside world. Sure, we have internet access, but that's about the limit to our connectivity with what's happening. So it goes without saying that I miss things, from time to time. The big popular pop radio song - I've probably never heard it. The sweet new resturaunt on the far side of town - I've never eaten there. The hip new jean style that everyone is rocking - umm, what? However, one of the biggest things soldiers in the desert miss out on (and the major reason we are so out of the loop) is the 21st century advertising machine - TV commercials. We get a few TV channels over here, but the commercials are limited to Army produced & designed spots that are so horrible and boring I won't even waste your time trying to describe them. So, when you don't have commercials, you tend to miss out on the hype train that drives a lot of the movies that hit theaters back home. Although we usually get most of the big movies that you all get back home, they usually arrive with little to no fanfare. However, having said all of that - there are exceptions to every rule. Despite nearly zero commercial or media advertising impact or influence, we all knew what The Departed was, and we knew when it was coming to Balad. Some movies are just destined to greatness- the combination of a fantastic cast, a big name running the show and a monster budget - you usually have the makings of a classic. So when we heard that a movie starring Jack, Damon, DiCaprio and Marky Mark - with Martin directing - was heading our way, well, we about wept with happiness. I think SGT Kane even did a little dance, but let's not re-visit that. After a minor scheduling conflict at the theater moved our premiere night back a couple days, we finally got our shot at seeing The Departed in all of it's movie screen greatness. Wow. I was captivated from the opening scene until the credits rolled. I won't delve into plot specifics or anything like that, because you need to go see this movie immediately if you haven't already and I don't want to ruin one single moment of this cinema masterpiece for you. One thing I can tell you - the actors all deliver clutch performances. One of my personal favorites was Alec Baldwin - he steals every scene he's in. Also, Marky Mark delivers nicely when called upon, as usual. Of course, Nicholson is the man, and is cast in the perfect role. The real gem of the movie for me, however, was DiCaprio. I've never been a huge fan of 'ol Leo. Maybe because the role he's most associated is from a chick flick. Or maybe because I wasted $7 and saw The Beach. I don't know. For whatever reason, I've always viewed him as soft, way too boyish, and I've never been able to wipe away his Basketball Diaries character - I always think of him as some 12 year old boy - not a tough, Russell Crowe-like movie star. (Apparntley, the NY Times agrees with me - read more about Leo's Hollywood maturation here) Well, when I saw DiCaprio in The Departed, I saw MJ dominating the Cavs. Or Tommie Frazier running all over Florida. It was just a beautiful thing to watch, and I mean that in a purely hetro-sexual kind of way. When I think of Leo now, I don't think of this. Instead, I think of a gun-toting, pill-popping Jersey tough guy who will break you in half if that's what it takes. If you don't like Scorcese, or Damon, or mobster flicks in general - you still have to see The Departed. DiCaprio is that good, and he makes this movie what it is - my early leader for movie of the year. I just can't describe how fun it is to go watch a movie as well acted, well directed and well everythinged as this movie is. Go. Now.
• Flags of our Fathers I just saw this last night, and I'm not quite ready to post my thoughts. Give me a couple days.

movies

As I've mentioned in the past, one of my favorite ways to kill the time here in Iraq is by checking out whatever movie is playing at our grand movie theater. I've had the pleasure of viewing a handful of flicks lately, and since I really don't have anything exciting to write about today, I have decided to give my own personal take on what I've watched. (Editor's note: most every movie I see has already been playing in the states for weeks, so these reviews aren't a good guide to go buy when deciding if the newest arrival at your local theater is worth your hard earned $8. For current movie previews/reviews, I suggest you go here.)

• Miami Vice I had high hopes for this flick, considering the director (Michael Mann) has done a few movies I like, and the cast includes a recent Oscar winner in Jamie Foxx. I just missed seeing this when I was home on leave, as I think it originally came out around the 1st of August. Anyways, it's here now, and I came away from this disappointed. The movie was dark and moody, which tends to be Mann's style. However, the acting was subpar and the action scenes were few and far between. I found myself bored for long stretches of the movie. A couple scenes were entertaining, and most guys would agree that fast cars, boats, jets, and big explosions are ingredients to make almost anything watchable. Unfortunately, that's all this movie is - watchable.
• The Guardian If you go into this movie like SGT Kane and I did (expecting it to suck and be entertaining in a my-goodness-this-movie-sucks kinda way) then you'll be pleased. However, if you go into this with the mindset that The Guardian is going to be a cinematic masterpiece and will serve as Ashton Kutcher's rocket ship to acting stardom - well, then you might leave the theater crying. One word can be used to sum up this entire movie: cliche. This flick uses nearly every movie cliche known to man, and borrows heavily from much better films (like this one and this one). Stay away, unless your a fan of unintentional comedy.
• My Super Ex-Girlfriend Sometimes, I go to the movies for a couple of reasons: 1) It's free 2) I have nothing better to do and 3) It's free. I saw this movie based on all three reasons. I didn't expect much, and didn't get much, which is why going to the movies for free is such a beautiful thing. You don't put anything worthwhile into it (other than your time, but what's that really worth?), so if you get nothing worthwhile out if it, you don't really feel all that bad. Well, maybe you feel bad for the poor sucker back in the states who blew $40 on a date with his girl to go see this crap-fest, but oh well. Anyways, My Super Ex-Girlfriend has one redeeming quality that I think is worth mentioning: this guy, who most of you know as Dwight from NBC's comedy masterpiece The Office. Dwight's tour de force performance steals pretty much every scene he is in, and made me laugh every time. Other than that, this movie was mostly forgettable. Which is ok, because it was free.
• The Last Kiss This movie will always be memorable to me. Not because of anything I saw on the screen, but more so for what this movie stands for, and the adverse reaction it caused my roommate, SSG Johnson. I had actually been looking forward to seeing this movie, based on my purely heterosexual soft spot for Zach Braff, and his previous work with Garden State and Scrubs. When I approached SSG Johson about the idea of him and I going to see this movie together, his reaction was quite entertaining, yet hurtful. He was 110% against the idea of going to see a "chick flick" with another guy. Forgetting the fact that tons of other guys would be seeing this movie also (simply because were in Iraq, it's free, there is nothing better to do, and it's free) SGT Johson simply would not budge on his anti-chick flick stance. So I had to wait for my true battle buddy SGT Kane to return home from leave, and then the two of us went and I finally made my way down to the theater to check this thing out. The movie itself was entertaining and worth seeing, in my opinion. However, the movie - the ending especially - is not very uplifting or positive. So, if your a fan of happy cheery movies with happy endings where everyone gets along, this probably isn't the flick for you. However, if you appreciated Garden State and are a fan of Braff's work in general, you should enjoy The Last Kiss. Oh, and the soundtrack to this movie is excellent also.

That's a quick synopsis of what I've seen in the last month or so. I'm looking forward to a few movies coming out over the next few weeks, (The Departed, Flags Of Our Fathers, The Marine)so depending on the feedback I get from this post I may end up sharing with you my thoughts on those as well.