Reel Time Sign Off

To wrap up this blog, I'd thought I'd leave you with my ten favorite movies of all time. But like all top ten lists, it changes frequently, and it was difficult to pick only ten, so this might be an exercise in futility... I did my best. So, without further adieu, adieu readers and fellow bloggers, and here is the list:

Top Ten Movies (in no particular order...)

1. Brick
2. Little Miss Sunshine
3. Kill Bill Vol. 1
4. The Fountain
5. The Dark Knight
6. American Beauty
7. Amelie
8. Dogma
9. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
10. Garden State

Summer Preview, Vol. 3

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15)

Besides being a fan of the book series, I think the film adaptations of Harry Potter are turning out to be well-done. David Yates (who directed the fifth and previous installment) doesn’t shy away from the dark material that begins to emerge in the later books, which almost fully removes Harry Potter from the realm of childrens' literature (and now films).

(500) Days of Summer (July 17)

This film is about a young man, Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who falls in loved with a girl named Summer (Zooey Deschanel). Unluckily for Tom, Summer believes true love doesn’t exist. This looks to be a good quirky indie, and Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel are two of my favorite actors.

Funny People (July 31)

After a series of successful comedies, writer/director Judd Apatow brings us this more serious (but hopefully not too serious) film about George Simmons, played by Adam Sandler, a famous standup comedian who discovers he has a deadly blood disorder and only about a year left to live. In an effort to live a more fulfilling life, George becomes the friend and mentor of novice comic Ira, played by Seth Rogen. It will be interesting if Apatow can branch out a little bit, which will hopefully bolster his over-used cast (minus Sandler, of course).

Inglorious Basterds (August 21)

Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France, a group of Jewish-American soldiers know as “The Basterds” are assigned to brutally hunt down members of the Third Reich to inspire fear in Hitler’s Germany. Meanwhile, a girl whose family was murdered by Nazis learns German officials wish to screen a propaganda film at the theatre where she works, giving her and the Basterds the perfect opportunity for revenge. After being disappointed with Quentin Tarantino’s last film, Deathproof, I’m looking forward to this film. Nazis. Tarantino. Brad Pitt. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Summer Preview, Vol. 2

Away We Go (June 5)
This film follows expecting couple Burt and Verona (played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) as they travel the country in search of the perfect place to start their family, but in the course of their journey, they realize ‘home’ can be defined in more than one way. I’m excited because it’s co-written by Dave Eggers (of McSweeny’s literary journal and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), whom I love with a word nerd’s passion, and directed by Sam Mendes (the genius behind American Beauty).

Moon (June 12)
A Sci-Fi thriller that focuses on Sam Bell, an astronaut working in isolation on the Moon to gather Helium 3, a gas with the key to solving the Earth’s energy crisis. 2 weeks shy of the end of his three-year service, Sam begins to hallucinate, and after a routine extraction goes awry, he begins to realize that making it back home might’ve not been in the plans. I like the actor playing Bell (Sam Rockwell of the excellent movie Choke), and Kevin Spacey is playing the voice of the Moon computer. Creepy. Awesomely creepy.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (June 24)
What’s summer without some blockbusters? I saw the first Transformers in theatres and was wowed by the visual effects. This one promises to be just as stunning, making it not one I would probably buy on DVD, but definitely worth seeing in theatres.

The Stoning of Soraya M. (June 26)
This film tells the tale of journalist Freidoune Sahebjam’s time spent stranded in an Iranian village, where he is told by a woman, Zahra, of her niece’s violent and tragic end. Soraya was falsely accused of adultery by her husband, and according to Iranian custom, was buried up to her waist in the desert and stoned to death. Zahra tells Sahebjam this in hopes the world will finally know Soraya’s story, and the stories of many women like her. Based on a true story and surely to be intense, but hopefully good.

Public Enemies (July 1)
Based on the notorious bank robber John Dillinger and the FBI war instigated to bring him to justice in the 1930s. Dillinger is seen as a charismatic folk hero to the public suffering through the Great Depression, but to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, he’s a chance to assert authority over organized crime. He sends his top agents, led by Melvin Purvis, to bring Dillinger to justice through spectacular gunfights and prison breaks. With Dillinger played by Johnny Depp, Purvis by Christian Bale, and the whole thing directed by Michael Mann, this one promises to be entertaining.

More coming soon...

Summer Preview, Vol. 1

The school year is almost out, and you know what that means: lots of movie releases! Here are some of the movies on my radar for this summer:

Little Ashes (May 8)
This one follows young Salvidor Dali and his group of artist friends, filmmaker Luis Bunuel and poet Federico Garcia Lorca. It looks interesting… but mostly I just want to see Robert Pattinson in Dali’s trademark RIDICULOUS mustache (see picture).

Star Trek (May 8)
I am by no means a Trekie, but this one caught my eye for the sheer awesomeness of the effects and Sci-Fi grandeur. Plus, it has a surprisingly full cast- Eric Bana, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Morrison, plus Leonard Nimoy AND Zachary Quinto (Sylar from the Heroes TV show) as Spock. And Simon Pegg as Scotty. I’ll be making full use of my theatre’s digital IMAX for this one.

The Brothers Bloom (May 15)
The newest film from writer/director Rian Johnson (the guy behind Brick, one of my favorite movies of all time) focuses on two con-artist brothers, Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, who decide to do one last job- taking eccentric heiress Rachel Weisz on a whirlwind adventure around the world. But will she come between the two brothers?

Up (May 29)
The newest animated venture from Pixar is about Carl Fredericksen, a grouchy old man who finally decides to take the adventure of a lifetime by tying thousands of balloons to his house and lifting it into the air. Too bad Russell, an eight-year old Boy Scout, was on the front porch when the house took off. I’m excited for this one, as I’ve been disappointed with some of Pixar’s latest releases (I didn't really like Wall-E. There, I said it!)

Pontypool (May 29)
Based on the book by Anthony Burgess (author of A Clockwork Orange), this horror film tracks the spread of a contagious virus through the Ontario town of Pontypool that causes victims to commit bizarre and violent acts. A radio host and others must figure out what caused the virus and how to not become victims themselves. I’m into this one because Burgess is penning the screenplay, and if Clockwork was any indication, this movie should be nothing if not... interesting.

More coming soon…