Les Misérables

Les Misérables
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Tom Hooper [IMDB]

I will start this review out with a disclaimer: I am not a fan of musicals. The only musical I like, that I can think of, is Little Shop of Horrors. That said, Les Mis didn't hold much promise for me, but as an open minded dude, I thought... Sure, why not.

Synopsis: A guy jumps parole and is hunted by a lawman through France during the Revolution.

First and foremost, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway are amazing singers and performed above and beyond what I expected of them. Les Misérables is also a technically sound and visually pleasing film. Now that all of the pleasantries are out of the way... this was one of the worst movie going experiences of my life.

It was brutal. I was so bored throughout this film, I couldn't wait for it to end. There is maybe 3 minutes of actual dialogue, the rest is singing. I found myself tuning out and eventually all the songs just started to sound the same. It got to the point where I wasn't even sure what the hell was going on... Is this guy dead? Is he sleeping? Why is Hugh Jackman lurking on this girl in the woods? Why is Hugh Jackman sick? I'm sure the answers are in there in the songs, I just lost interest. Russell Crowe was also pretty bad, I think they could have cast a stronger voice if that's the main focus of this film.

I don't know, call me uncultured or whatever, but I need some down time in between all the music to ground everything. Maybe a little character building and exposition... ugh... never again.

Curtis' Best of 2012

Here it is folks, the best films of 2012 ranked by your friend Curtis, that's me. I've decided to give you my top twenty films, top 5 documentaries, and then at the bottom I'll include a link ranking all the films I've seen this year (there's over 40 of them.)

1. Django Unchained 
2. Amour
3. Killer Joe
4. The Master
5. Looper
6. Beasts of the Southern Wild
7. The Grey
8. The Hobbit
9. Seven Psychopaths
10. Moonrise Kingdom
11. Cloud Atlas
12. Magic Mike
13. Cabin in the Woods
14. Prometheus
15. The Dark Knight Rises
16. Dredd 3D
17. John Carter
18. Skyfall
19. Chronicle
20. The Avengers

Top Five Documentaries
1. The Imposter
2. Bones Brigade: An Autobiography
3. Indie Game: The Movie
4. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
5. The Queen of Versailles


My complete movie ranking of 2012

Django Unchained

Django Unchained
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Quentin Tarantino [IMDB]

Django and The Hobbit were my two most anticipated films of the year and I knew when I heard the release date for this where I'd be Christmas day... at my house opening up presents. Well, that and at the theater to lay my eyes on Mr Tarantino's new baby.

Synopsis: A German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) frees a slave  named Django (Jamie Foxx) who he enlists to help track down felons. The two then team up to help Django free his enslaved wife.

I had a real good time watching Django Unchained tonight, it's an extremely fun movie. Waltz and Foxx work so well together on screen and their dialogue is something you would come to expect from a Tarantino film, but the two of them really sold it well. Django is a hilarious film, but then the next minute it's serious and then the next minute after that it's brutally violent. It's a hard line to walk but one Quentin does very effectively. I loved the score and cinematography, as I normally do with most his films. Leonardo DiCaprio played his role perfectly... it was actually one of my favorite performances from him. It was also nice to see some cameos in Django, especially Walter Goggins from The Shield and Crockett from Miami Vice. I can't really think of anything bad to say about the film, it won me over and I would highly recommend it.... unless you're offended by bad language and the killing of slave owners.

The Bay

The Bay
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Barry Levinson [IMDB]

The wife and I spent Christmas eve with our good friends Shawn and Doug. We decided to get into the holiday spirit with a great Christmas classic... The Bay.

Synopsis: A small town on the Chesapeake Bay starts to get infected with a mysterious plague.

It's hard to believe the same guy that brought you Rain Man, Sleepers, and Good Morning Vietnam is responsible for this film. It's a 180 from any of those and pretty bad by comparison.

The Bay employs the use of the "found footage" genre which is so hot these days. I enjoy a good found footage film as much as the next guy and The Bay does a good job holding to that aesthetic. It also delivers some great practical effects work... the hives people got and the little trilobite critters were pretty awesome. That's about it for the good stuff.

The science in The Bay is really wack and the way these events come to play and the way they are resolved are really unbelievable. The acting was pretty bad, but in a unique way, everyone seemed to be real enough but there was no emotion behind anything. Levinson also kept using these flashbacks to try and help the viewer piece the narrative together... the film's only 80 minutes, I think we can figure it out.

There's some unintentional funny moments throughout The Bay's run time, but I'll save them for now until you see the film... ok? Cool, email me when you're done.

The Man with the Iron Fists

The Man with the Iron Fists
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: RZA [IMDB]

Back in high school I was quite fond of the Wu-Tang Clan, who wasn't? 36 Chambers changed the face of hip hop, spawned tons of clones, and also put the names... Method Man, Raekwon, RZA, GZA, Ghostface, U-God, and Old Dirty Bastard (RIP) on the tongues of youth all across the world. So when I heard RZA was directing a Kung-Fu flick with the help of Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth, I was a bit intrigued to see if The Scientist could bring his directoral game like he can his rap game.

Synopsis: A blacksmith in feudal China teams up with a prince, Lucy Lu, and Russell Crowe to defend a village from the onslaught of the Wolf Clan.... or Lion Clan... I'm not really sure.

The Man with the Iron Fists is pretty much exactly what I expected. It's a glossy looking film that rides the line between classic and modern martial arts flicks. There was lots of wire works, well performed fights, and blood, but nothing that stood out as new or unique. It was fun and entertaining, but from a technical stand point there are some major flaws.

The score is very bad... and seemed really out of place in a lot of parts. I had a feeling RZA would add hip hop into the fold, but it just doesn't work here. His narration is pretty awful too and took me out of the film every time. The story is kinda shitty too and seem overly complicated.

I had read about RZA's acting being really bad, but you know what... he was ok in my book and seemed to get the job done.

I'd say go ahead and pass on this, unless you're a die hard kung-fu fan... but then again maybe it'd be worse if you are really into that genre... who knows.

Holy Motors

Holy Motors
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Leos Carax [IMDB]

This year is coming to an end and that means "best of 2012" lists are popping up everywhere. In preparation for putting my own together, I figured I'd pop on Holy Motors, a film which has been making its way into many "best of" lists this year. So... here we go.

Synopsis: A guy in a limo drives around Paris and is given assignments where he takes on the lives of different characters.

I'll start by saying if you're looking for some kind of narrative in your movie going experience and you wanna check out Holy Motors... you're gonna have a bad time. This film has zero storyline and is more like a group images and events linked together by the protagonist and his limo. It's a beautiful looking film and there are lots of stunning visuals (like the dog in theater at the beginning.) What do these cinematic paintings and their sporadic dialogue interlaced throughout them mean? This enigmatic title's main point is to question the viewer. It's confusing and basically leaves you scratching your head. For me, there are other movies that do this much better (Synecdoche, New York), but I still applaud the film maker for trying to do something different. It just didn't work for me... mainly I found the movie tiresome and a little slow.

I don't think Holy Motors is horrible and it's something that I'd like to revisit, but if you're not into artsy films... you will loathe this.

Sinister

Sinister
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Scott Derrickson [IMDB]

I miss Ethan Hawke, seems like you don't see him in much these days. Then, out of the blue before my screening of Prometheus, I see a trailer for Sinister, starring your boy Ethan Hawke. I must admit, I felt the trailer was extremely effective and left me wanting to check out Sinister... guess what?  I did.

Synopsis: A struggling writer and family moves into a house that was the site of a ghastly group murder. Shit goes south quickly as he starts to unravel the mystery behind the killings.

This film is worth checking out if you're into the horror genre. It infuses your standard film making with a found footage element, which I felt was a unique spin on things. This was achieved with the use of lost home movies that Hawke stumbles across, which are really successful in the arm hair raising department. The tone of the film is dark and ominous, verses gory and in your face. I also really liked the score, which I felt was creepy but also a little strange and different from your standard horror scores.

Sinister's main flaw is the believability of it. Some of the actions of the characters seem unrealistic, like moving into a murder house and not sharing that with your wife. Speaking of the wife, she's pretty bad and the character development of the family overal is pretty sparse. There's a few other cliches but nothing that ruins the film.

Beyond the Black Rainbow

Beyond the Black Rainbow
(2010) [Trailer]
Director: Panos Cosmatos [IMDB]

I watched the trailer for this title earlier in the year and thought it looked extremely interesting. After seeing some good and bad buzz about it, I noticed it popped up in Netflix on demand... so here you go.

Synopsis: A young psychic girl escapes being held captive by a crazed doctor in a secretive commune.

Beyond the Black Rainbow has its ups and downs, I'm going to address them both right now...

The ups: It's a visual heavyweight and takes notes from cinematic masters like Kubrick, Jodorowski, and David Lynch. There are a couple of really mesmerizing scenes... I don't do the drugs, but If I did I would imagine it would blow your intoxicated mind. The score sounds like something right out of a John Carpenter flick, which helps bring the tone of this movie into an eerie place. I also got delivered some great practical effects/make up work that was a pleasant surprise.

I had read a few reviews claiming this film didn't have any kind of plot... I would disagree. I think the story takes a while to roll out and it's very sparse at times. Black Rainbow tells it's tale more through pictures and sound, than through tons of dialogue. I can see that being a turn off for some, but at the end of it you get the general idea of what transpired.

The downs: The film is shot digitally and you can tell in a lot of places when it gets overly grainy. The worst thing is the ending, it was a bit of a wet noodle. I think they could have wrapped it up in a more satisfying way, I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just leave it at that.

If you're into films like Altered States, 2001, Eraserhead, Videodrome, or Suspiria... check it out... it definitely puts out that vibe.

The Hobbit

The Hobbit
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Peter Jackson [IMDB]

Little known fact about Curtis Williams: I took my wife to see Lord of the Rings on our very first date. I am an extremely huge fan of that trilogy and when I found out Peter Jackson was returning to crank out another three of these bad boys, I only had one thought... dear god... please don't let me die until I've seen them all.

Synopsis: A hobbit is recruited into an adventure of epic proportions by a Wizard and a group of dwarfs.

This movie is exactly what I thought it would be. I don't know if that's good or bad. On one hand I want more of the same and I got it. On the other, should Jackson have tried something different... nah, this is fine. That said I am going to rate this against the other films.

The Hobbit is very explosive and I felt like there was a lot of action. It's continually moving and there are not a lot of slow moments surprisingly... maybe a few here and there... but not many. The action set pieces are fantastic and I was a huge fan of the goblin fight scene in particule. I loved the execution of The Hobbit as well, it looks stunning. The visuals are seriously immense and awe inspiring. The CG and practical work are flawless and it's hard to tell which is which. The score is also just as good as ever and from that very first tune you know you're in for a good time.

The film does have one negative. I felt like it was unfinished, which obviously it is, but the ending was extremely anti climatic.

I really enjoy these films and they're perfect for just getting lost in and tuning out for a while. In a nut shell I'll end with this... If you were into LOTR, you'll probably like this, if you weren't, avoid it.

Amour

Amour
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Michael Haneke [IMDB]

I've been reading a lot of buzz about this film. It picked up the Palme d'Or at Cannes, has been atop many "best of 2012" lists, and almost gave the folks over at Gawker a heart attack. I decided to finally give into the hype machine and check this bad larry out.

Synopsis: An aging couple's love is put to the test when one of them falls ill and starts down the path towards death.

Now, if that synopsis didn't set off any bells maybe this will... this movie is bleak. It's not a feel good film in any sense and will probably make you want to have a drink afterwards... well maybe that's just me being an alcoholic. It's extremely sad and had me in tears throughout many scenes, I normally dont tear up in movies, but this one destroyed me. Wow... I don't know where to start, I was floored by this and the emotions it invoked in me. This is filmmaking at it's best and is truly worthy of terms like "masterpiece" and "a work of art." I haven't felt this moved by a film since I first saw Wild Strawberries, which actually shares a lot of the same themes. Both Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are perfect, and Michael Haneke's direction is flawless in my book.

Love is something a lot of people look for in this world and often times... think they've found. People will confuse it with lust and will lose it as quick as they found it. But when it's real, it's really beautiful and when you see a film like Amour shed light on it in a unique way, it makes you appreciate it so much more. I finished this film and wondered how many people who say they are in love would go through this, this is really love.

The Comedy

The Comedy
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Rick Alverson [IMDB]

If you follow my musings on this here website, you'll recall a review I made about Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie a few months back.... oh, you don't remember? That's cool. Well, they (Tim and Eric) are back, but this time are getting a little more serious. I saw the trailer for this a few months back and it looked pretty interesting, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Synopsis: Tim Heidecker is a bored privileged hipster who's indifferent to everything and everyone around him.

The Comedy is avante-guard and "weird." Many people will automatically hate and write it off as shit. Others, who are willing to sit through it, may find it enjoyable. It is nowhere near perfect, but I did like The Comedy and it managed to do a rather effective job at keeping me entertained last night.

The Comedy is humorous at times, but as opposed to everything you've come to expect from Tim and Eric, it has a much more earnest feel to it. Heidecker does a good job at hopping between absurd and funny, into dark and somber. He is, pretty much, the movie... Eric is only on screen for a few scenes. Tim is also, as always, extremely adept at making the viewer feel really uncomfortable. One other thing The Comedy does well is exuding a feeling of emptiness about the protagonist, he feels like a man with no purpose and direction... which is something I wasn't expecting from this film at all.

The down side to The Comedy is some of the writing. For me, there were a lot of misfired jokes, or attempts at humor which didn't work.... who knows with them though, was that intentional? Also the film lacks plot, it really goes nowhere, I didn't mind that... but I could see that being problematic for a lot of viewers.

Re-Animator

Re-Animator
(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Stuart Gordon [IMDB]

I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid and I had honestly forgotten most of it. I remember there being lots of blood and nudity... you know what...  my memory is actually better than I thought.

Synopsis: A mad scientist invents a serum that brings the recently deceased back to life.

First, the good. The gore is amazing. You get tons of blood and guts... if you're squeamish I'd avoid this title. There's lots of nudity too, not just boobs, but like naked dead people trying to kill you... which is way better than plain old boobs. Stylistically, it's an impressive horror film with some of the best opening title credits out there and a killer score to boot.

Now, the bad. The acting is shit in many spots throughout its run time, it's a campy horror movie, so it's a little more forgivable I guess. The story is decent, but it's a bit predictable, especially the ending.

I'd definitely recommend this if you're into horror, especially from the golden age of the 80's.

The Queen of Versailles

The Queen of Versailles
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Lauren Greenfield [IMDB]

We live in a society that's obsessed with things. We are so worried about obtaining wealth and making something of ourselves. All of us are guilty of this in some way and if you say you're not you are only lying to yourself. Some are definitely concerned about this more than others, the Siegel family may be some of the biggest offenders.

Synopsis: This documentary follows the rise and fall of the Siegel family, who are responsible for operating the largest time share company in America.

I enjoyed The Queen of Versailles on a few levels but felt like it lacked in other departments. Technically it's sound and feels like a reality tv show, only better constructed. The other impressive thing that I enjoyed was how the film crew came in on the up swing then were there to see things fall apart. It's always awesome when a documentary pulls off that kind of tenure.

The family dynamic is pretty interesting and like everyone says about shows like the Jersey Shore and Orange House Wives... it's like a train wreck... you're horrified but can't help but watch. I felt like husband was a pretty shitty guy and ultimately a sad man who doesn't have a lot of depth. I couldn't tell if the wife was dumbing it down for the camera, or if she really was that clueless, she seemed like a joke.

Either way, it's a interesting watch and worth your time.

Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia
(1962) [Trailer]
Director: David Lean [IMDB]

Piggy backing on my last review, I also decided to pick up another classic on blu-ray which I had never seen before, but read many positive things about... that film was Air Bud... I'm kidding, it was Lawrence of Arabia.

Synopsis: This film tells the story of T.E. Lawrence, an officer in the British military that infiltrated the Arab army and helped them fight against the Turks during the revolt against the Ottoman empire during WWI.

Also like my last review, this movie is also substantially epic and clocks in around the 4 hour mark. It's also does a superb job and drawing you into it's universe and making you forget about time and your shit life in the real world. Lawrence was an intriguing man and Peter O'Toole does a steller reenactment of his life in Arabia. I was also pretty impressed with the supporting cast... including my boy Claude Rains.

In my humble opinion, the greatest strength of the film is it's cinematography, it's as epic as the film itself. There are too many memorizing scenes and I'd say it's one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen. It also helps that the transfer to blu-ray is perfect, this looks like it was shot yesterday.

The score is also unreal and probably won lots of awards. It's like the music and the eye candy on screen are in a perfect symbiotic relationship.

This is another classic that I'm pleased to have represented in the growing hord that is my blu-ray collection.

Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind
(1939) [Trailer]
Director: Victor Fleming [IMDB]

I don't know, you may have heard about this movie before, it's kind of a big deal? Gone with the Wind tops many people's 'best of' lists and is considered widely to be one of the greatest movies of all time... so I figured a blind buy on the blu-ray for this may have been acceptable. That's right, I flew into this film blind... as a first timer.... and I was ready to be blown away. The question is... was I?

Synopsis: A story about love, slavery, and civil war down in the Old South.

I knew this film was long, but Jesus-- it's like 4 hours! To use the term epic is completely fitting here. Gone with the Wind really surprised me... it didn't feel like a 4 hour long film and it definitely didn't feel like a typical Hollywood movie of that time. It's really dark and depressing, which I honestly didn't expect. I'm actually really glad I've never read/talked about this movie or had it spoiled for me in anyway.

The performances of the entire cast were memorable, but Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh own this picture. They are so perfectly cast and their tumultuous relationship unfolds in such an entertaining way... you keep wanting to go on to find out how things will unfold for the two. I think where they end up is very shocking and left me taken aback a little.

The other thing that stands out is the visuals in this bad larry. The sets and use of lighting were extremely impressive for the time. There is a scene where the camera pulls back on a field of dead and wounded soliders that is incredible... I haven't researched it yet, but I'm pretty sure it's probably a very famous scene. The shots of Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) under the tree at Tara (her home) during the sunset were also very striking.

This is a new old favorite of mine and a welcome addition to my blu-ray library.

Skyfall

Skyfall
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Sam Mendes [IMDB]

I'm not gonna go to crazy here because my brother just reviewed this on here yesterday and I agreed whole heartedly with pretty much everything he said... SO READ HIS REVIEW.

I'll start by saying the real hero of this film is Roger Deakins, the DOP, he really did an outstanding job filming Skyfall. The film looks immaculate and there's a ton of stand out scenes, especially everything filmed in Asia. Sam Mendes borrows heavily from Christopher Nolan in this movie and I kept being reminded of The Dark Knight Rises left and right, particularly with the score and lighting.

I must say though, this is a highly entertaining film, dare I say best Bond film ever.

Now here's where I get to the most important part of the review. The movie theater I watched it in. I just recently moved to Queens (better start thinking of a new blog title) and I have a local theater right down the street. It's a pretty shabby looking theater from the outside, but it was close and had Skyfall... so fuck it, let's give it a shot. The wife and I meet up with our good friends Shawn and Doug and we arrive to find that the movie is only 5 dollars! That's right, 5 dollars! Which is insane for New York. Not only is Skyfall $5, but every movie is $5, everyday... before 5PM. I love my new neighborhood. So we enter and the inside is about as impressive as the outside. There are two big screens (that were playing Twilight and Cloud Atlas) and then all the other screens including ours, which were smaller. There were smudges on our screen and you could sometimes hear Wreck it Ralph playing next door when it was quiet, but for 5 dollars... I'm not complaining. I think I'm in love with the ghetto theater in Sunnyside.

Enemy Mine

Enemy Mine
(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Wolfgang Petersen [IMDB]

This was a big favorite of mine as a child and back then it was one of my favorite sci-fi films. It has been a long time since I've seen it, but thanks to Twilight Time, it's now available on blu-ray and it looks spectacular.

Synopsis: In the future, Humans are at war with the Dracs and when Dennis Quaid (the Human) crash lands on a deserted planet with Louis Gossett Jr (the Drac) they have to learn to live with one another. Do they become friends or will their hatred grow? Watch the movie and find out you inquisitive fuck!

This movie rules very hard.... from beginning to end, it's a certified banger and just as good as I remember. Its major strength is that it takes a solid science fiction universe and instead of loading it with tons of flashy space battles, it focuses on two characters and builds them up in an impressive manner. You become so invested in these two that you start to forget that this is all taking part in the future. Their conflict is an obvious allegory for racism here in the present, but it doesn't bang you over the head with it in my opinion. I'd highly recommend this film if you're the least bit interested in sci-fi, it's a winner in my book.

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas
(2012) [Trailer]
Directors: Andy Wachowski (IMDB), Lana Wachowski (IMDB), Tom Tykwer (IMDB)

They should have hired Eddie Murphy for this movie.

Synopsis: We are all connected... each other's actions affect another in the past, present and future... or at least I think that's what this movie was trying to spit out.

I really dug this film, but I must say it's one I think I need to rewatch. It's extremely ambitious and very epic... which you might  have been able to gather by looking at the film's run time. I referenced Eddie Murphy earlier because he is the king at playing multiple rolls in one movie, which pretty much everyone in Cloud Atlas does. It's a cool idea and fairly well executed. I thought everyone also did a great job with their roles, the stand outs being Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent and Tom Hanks. The special effects were superb and are what you would expect from the Wachowskis. The negatives for me would be the interweaving story lines, they are all over the place and some felt more relavant than others to the overall plot. Again, I think on a rewatch it might help solidify everything... plus I was about 10 minutes late which could have possibly helped with wrapping my head around everything.