The Italian Job

2003 - 4.2/5

It had been a while since I saw this movie, so everything seemed new to me watching it the second time. The first 20 minutes of this movie truly set the tone for what followed. It had a good pace, and there wasn’t any unnecessary filler. There were some great transitions between shots and pretty good cinematography as well (particularly in Italy). I did like the scene in which the bullets were going through the water (at the beginning) even though I read that that could never actually happen – either way, it looked good. Throughout the entire movie the music pumped the viewer up. It was very well incorporated into whatever was on screen.

This movie already has 2 things going for it in my books: Edward Norton and Mark Walberg. Charlize Theron was a good addition as well as Jason Statham, Seth Green and Mos Def. I find that in heist movies, there’s always a group of people, each with their own specialties. I think each actor/actress fit their character very well and they were all very believable. It was a perfect team and each ‘specialty’ was well thought out. I wouldn’t say that any of the character traits were exaggerated like you’d see in some movies.

I think this movie had it all. A high-speed boat chase through the narrow water canals of Italy, high-speed car chases, and some very cool helicopter scenes. Overall, great acting, a good plot and a good script.

If any movie needs to have a sequel it’s this one! I’ve heard that the sequel is supposed to be The Brazilian Job, but I know I shouldn’t hold my breath.

Oh, by the way, didn’t this movie make you want a Pepsi? Product placement much?

***SPOILER ALERT***
Right off the bat I got a feeling that there was something fishy about Steve…probably had something to do with that mustache. Edward Norton always portrays a villain, which is fine because he always does a good job.

Although I didn’t remember that Charlie (Walberg) and Bridger (Sutherland) cracked the safe underwater, I didn’t believe that the safe fell into the boat without damaging it.

One thing that I didn’t really get was that it seemed as if Steve ended up with the whole $35 million. The group ended up stealing back $27 million; so $7 million was gone. My issue (if you can call it that) is: wouldn't Steve have had to pay the people that helped him steal the money? I'm sure they got a cut, but wouldn't they have known what it was, and more importantly, how much it was worth? Clearly Steve had spent some of the money himself. I guess it wasn't mentioned how it was split between Steve and his crew, but obviously a good chunk of it needed to remain in Steve's possession in order for it to be worth it for Charlie's team to steal it back - although it was never about the money.

Bad Santa

2003 – 3.6/5

FINALLY, a Christmas movie for adults! The movie starts out with Willie (Billy Bob Thorton) narrating how shitty his life has been up until this point. From this point on, hilarity ensues.

He’s a run-down guy who has nothing going for him 11 months out of the year; however, when December rolls around, that’s his time to shine (well, I’m using the word ‘shine’ very loosely here). Willie is the Santa Clause at a mall and Marcus (Tony Cox) is his Elf. Nothing unusual here – except the fact that they steal money by breaking into safes on Christmas Eve.

This movie is about a sex-craved Santa who is rude, drinks, smokes, swears, pisses himself, breaks into house, and steals. And who better to play a drunken slob, but Billy Bob Thorton. His portrayal as this character was spot on. I read on IMDB that 3 other people were considered for this role, but had to turn it down due to other commitments. I’m glad they did because Thorton did an amazing job with this role.

Oh the Kid, the Kid, the Kid! We don’t even get to know his name until just after an hour; and even when we find out his name is Thurman Merman, he’s still referred to as ‘The Kid’. He is naïve and adorable! It’s rare when young kids are actually really good, so props to Brett Kelly for pulling it off! It’s also pretty cool that he’s a Canuck too!

The plot was original, and like I said earlier, it is nice to watch a Christmas movie that isn’t rated G or PG. The acting was really good and the screenplay was well written too.

Best & Worst : 2011

I made a video about the movies I've seen that were released in 2011.

I came up with 8 categories:
1. Favorite movie
2. Worst movie
3. Movies I still want to see
4. Movies I want to avoid
5. Pleasantly surprised with
6. Expected more from
7. Honorable mentions
8. Dishonorable mentions

Big Daddy

1999 – 3.1/5

One day, a 5-year-old kid shows up at the door of Sonny Koufax (Adam Sandler). The kid actually belongs to his roommate who just happened to leave the country on a business trip. Although Sonny has graduated from law school, he doesn’t seem to care about the responsibilities that come with adult life. In an attempt to show his now ex.girlfriend he is responsible, he decides to keep the kid, Julian (Cole & Dylan Sprouse).

To some extent this movie is along the same lines as Happy Gilmore, Billy Maddison, The Waterboy, ect; it has the typical Adam Sandler flavour to it, but I would say that this movie has a slightly different twist.

I thought that this was a very original plot and it was pieced together well. The supporting actors/ actresses were pretty good with their roles as well. I got a few good laughs out of it and it was the first movie I ever watched that I ended up with tears in my eyes.

Stranger Than Fiction

2006 - 4/5

I recently saw the short video The Landlord, so I felt like watching a Will Ferrell movie. This movie then reminded me about the painting The Son of Man, so I’ll probably blog about that soon!

I didn’t know what to expect going into this movie other than knowing it wasn’t going to be anything like Will Ferrell’s usual movies. I was okay with that because I don’t really find his particular type of comedy that funny or entertaining, but I did know I wanted to see it. I remember seeing this movie with my cousin at Tinseltown cinema. I also remember calling in sick to work to do so. It was worth it.

I want to start this review by saying that the only things in life that are certain are, Death and Taxes.

Two minutes in and the reference to my favourite painting had been made – The Son of Man (1964) by René Magritte. I think that it was pretty clever to play it into the movie and I feel that it added more behind the scenes meaning. I also wanted to mention that during one part of the movie in which Harold was sitting on a couch, it seemed as if the clouds that were painted on the wall behind him were moving; anybody else catch that?

I do understand why some people do not like this movie. I feel as if people may not have liked this movie because it wasn’t the typical Ferrell movie or they didn’t catch the reference to the painting. But to be fair, I can’t assume that everyone knows what The Son of Man is, but like I said earlier, knowing about the painting helped me recognize and appreciate the symbolism.

Some of the lines I liked:

Harold: No it’s not schizophrenia. It’s a voice in my head.

Professor JH: The only way to find out what story you’re in is to determine what stories you’re not in.

Harold: Thank you for forcing me to eat them.

Harold: I’m married to her brother. Not in this state, the one over.

My absolute favourite line had to be:
Harold: I brought you flours.

It started off quickly and everything meshed together seamlessly. It was a pretty level movie in the sense that there were really no high highs or low lows. Lets face it; obviously I’m going to like a movie whose main character has OCD. And how awesome is it that the picture on the DVD disc is a green apple? LOVES IT!

Overall, the plot was good, the script was good, the acting was really good, and the symbolism was perfectly incorporated. This movie really does deserve a solid 4 out of 5. I would highly recommend this movie – to a particular audience because it’s not a movie for everyone.

Lastly, I wanted to add something I read on IMDB that’s worth adding into my review:
Near the beginning, Ms. Eifel [narrates] "When asked by a co-worker for the product of 67 and 453, Harold drew a blank. He quickly answered 30,351 despite the answer really being 31,305." The product of 67 and 453 actually is 30,351. This was meant to get viewers to question who was dictating Harold's life. Was it the narrator or Harold himself? It wouldn't be a coincidence that the "incorrect" number given by Harold would in fact be the correct answer.

Zack & Miri Make A Porno

2008 – 3.7/5

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of Kevin Smith movies but I do appreciate what he does. This was a movie like no other. The storyline was very unique: 2 lifelong friends, Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) decide to make a porno movie to make money in order to make ends meet. Their relationship has always been platonic, so it’s obvious that there will be a certain level of awkwardness. There are several times in this movie that gets really raunchy and vulgar, but it was tasteful.

It was a funny movie and Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks make a good pair; they were defiantly my favourite characters. Every one else held their own as well. Each character had their own persona and dialogue that suited them. I thought the screenplay was solid.

Brandon Long had a good cameo, and his part was very funny – 2 of my favourite lines came from the high school reunion scene (Miri: No, don’t just thank me, fuck me! / Zach: They fight just like real people).