Micheal Bay does not make great films. He doesn't even make good films. Everything that is wrong with Hollywood is summed up with Micheal Bay. That said I'm still going to go watch Transformers.
I've watched quite a few movies at the theater this year and so far Grindhouse is the only that might make it into the top 10 of 2007. I hope. Some that I have high hopes for are
The Simpsons
The Wendell Baker Story
Sunshine
The Darjeeling Limited
There Will Be Blood
Youth Without Youth
Shine a Light
Margot at the Wedding
The Visitor
I'd watch Grindhouse only if I wanted to piss myself and all my friends off. I have a strong distaste for Rogdriguez and Tarantino. I quite like Tarantino but I feel the two have a tendency to go too over-the-top too quickly and hit a peak of ridiculous gratuitous action to early in their films resulting in a film that gets worse as it goes on. Understand, I get that they want to do over-the-top gratuitous violence, and that's fine with me. My problem is generally in how I perceive the structure of it. For example, in "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" Johnny Depp opens the film by killing a chef because he cooks pork too well. At this point, the film has gone so far into comical uberviolence the rest seems tame.
I'd watch Grindhouse only if I wanted to piss myself and all my friends off. I have a strong distaste for Rogdriguez and Tarantino. I quite like Tarantino but I feel the two have a tendency to go too over-the-top too quickly and hit a peak of ridiculous gratuitous action to early in their films resulting in a film that gets worse as it goes on. Understand, I get that they want to do over-the-top gratuitous violence, and that's fine with me. My problem is generally in how I perceive the structure of it. For example, in "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" Johnny Depp opens the film by killing a chef because he cooks pork too well. At this point, the film has gone so far into comical uberviolence the rest seems tame.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico was the worst film either of them have been involved in. I thought it was horrible when it came out and tried to watch it a few months ago. Still horrible. It was a structural mess, full of unbelievable characters and overly confusing plotlines.
The next movie I'm going to see in theaters is the movie I'm most looking forward to this Summer : Knocked Up
Currently, it has 94% positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes. However, for the first time in I don't know how long, I'm going to avoid reading all the reviews (as I've avoided the ads for the film) as I want every joke and plot point that wasn't revealed in the trailer to be new to me when I see it in the theater. I just know that this will find a place in my Top 10 Comedies list.
I'm still not convinced that knocked up will be able to compete with 40 year old virgin. I'll hold my judgment until I've seen it, but I'm a little skeptical.
I'm still not convinced that knocked up will be able to compete with 40 year old virgin. I'll hold my judgment until I've seen it, but I'm a little skeptical.
Oh, I don't think it will in terms of films you can watch and rewatch over and over. I just think that, in grading terms, it'll come pretty dang close to the grade I gave Virgin (which was an A).
Oh, I don't think it will in terms of films you can watch and rewatch over and over. I just think that, in grading terms, it'll come pretty dang close to the grade I gave Virgin (which was an A).
I think you guys are trying to compare 2 different beasts. It's like trying to compare "Old School" to "Wedding Crashers". Sure it might be from the same people....but it's whole different project altogether.
It'd be different if it was the same writers, cast, etc. like comparing "Swingers" to "Made". Then I could see the comparison.
I think you guys are trying to compare 2 different beasts. It's like trying to compare "Old School" to "Wedding Crashers". Sure it might be from the same people....but it's whole different project altogether.
It'd be different if it was the same writers, cast, etc. like comparing "Swingers" to "Made". Then I could see the comparison.
i'm going to have to say that hot fuzz is definitely the best movie i have seen released in 2007. a little slow to start and more than a bit montage heavy, (though these guys know how to make an effective montage: see shaun of the dead if you haven't already, heathen), and it doesn't hurt that the rest of the movie is hilarious and entertaining, spot-on genre parody throughout.
9/10
my number two would be grindhouse, mostly because of tarantino's piece, which (and i know how pretentious this sounds) i don't feel a lot of people got (it helps to watch a few actual exploitation films), plus rodriguez's surreal take on grindhouse cinema is as fun and funny as it is ridiculous.
7.7/10
coming in third is pirates of the caribbean: at world's end: not terrific, but a more or less satisfying conclusion to a franchise set on questionable ground thanks to the second film. this is largely due to the hyper-strange davy jone's locker sequence, which is entertaining enough to forgive the overlong action sequences and somewhat uninteresting "main" characters (though they do manage to make both bloom and knightley interesting by about halfway through:
messing with their morals for a player-of-all-sides and a pirate king does the trick
. hopefully there'll be a jack sparrow movie to make the series legitimately shiny.
7/10
fourth would be 300, but to be frank, the comic is worlds beyond the film's empty speeches and hollow morals. great visuals, terrific action, but not much more. also: accidental legitimization of american warmaking? oops.
6.7/10
and i can't think of a fifth. er, well, there was disturbia, which i didn't see, but it's unsubtle borrowing from rear window did convince me to watch that again, a definite 9.5/10 of a film.
so jimmy stewart would be 2007's big winner thus far. go jimmy stewart: fight on 'til tomorrow.
p.s. spider-man 3 was disappointing, uninteresting, and just not good. you shall get no fifth place nod, SP3. there shall be none of that for you.
1 Spider-man 3
2 TMNT
3 Rocky Balboa (yes It was 2006 in usa BUT january 2007 here in uk. I'm in uk so this counts)
4th Shrek the third
5th Ghost Rider
That kinda defeats the point of the list. I got The Man Who Knew Too Much this year, which is better than most of the films on my list, but I can't count that.
That kinda defeats the point of the list. I got The Man Who Knew Too Much this year, which is better than most of the films on my list, but I can't count that.
That kinda defeats the point of the list. I got The Man Who Knew Too Much this year, which is better than most of the films on my list, but I can't count that.
