Favourite Movie Mum's

Mike and I would like to wish a very Happy Mothers Day to our Mum's and thank them for all they have done for us over the years. Thinking about this we thought it would be a great idea to visit some of our favourite movie Mum's that have also helped entertain us over the years, and so please find below our favourite movie Mum's:

1. Mama Fratelli from The Goonies
While Mama Fratelli certainly would't win any Mum of the year competitions, its pretty hard to go past her as one of the best screen Mum's to ever come to life. A perfect balance of cruel, intimidating, clever & funny to be the perfect kids movie villain. Anne Ramsey is a complete knock out in this role and its a real tradgey that only 3 years after filming The Goonies she passed away from throat cancer. Imagine the other roles that could have been brought to life with her talent.

2. Mrs Darko from Donnie Darko
Quite the Mum is Mrs Darko. Talk about a dysfunctional family that she has to help shepherd through a hard time whilst also being the supporter of her son as he disintegrates without alienating her two daughters. It would be a tricky balance for anyone yet Mary McDonnell does a fantastic job acting her part and being the only soul seemingly intact in this movie.

3. Sarah Connor from Terminator 2
Well, so far the movie Mum's have been fairly dark characters so keeping in line with that we move onto the most badass Mum that there has ever been: Sarah Connor from Terminator 2. Chinups in a cell block? Check. Insane knowledge of guns and weapons? Check. Ability to use those guns and weapons? Check. A touch of humanity, love and a solid moral compass? Check. Sarah Connor is really everything you need from a Mum who gives birth to the only human alive who can bring down a fully automated robot army!

4. Mrs Gump from Forrest Gump
The sweetest most loveable Mum you could imagine brought her son up to believe he could do anything and achieve anything. This led to a young man becoming the greatest table tennis player ever, showing Elvis how to dance, tells the president he needs to pee, saves many people's lives in the Vietnam war, the greatest white NFL player to live and fall in love with the polar opposite person to him. Near the end of the movie, Forrest Gump sits under a tree and cries for his Mum and every time this scene comes on it wells me up. Not only because of Tom Hanks's perfect performance but because his Mum truly touches you as a viewer and makes you feel that she is almost as good as your Mum, and Sally Field did a stellar job acting it.

5. Stiflers Mum from American Pie
Because the term MILF was coined for her. Because of Shit Break's obsession over her. Because of how much that pisses off Stifler. Because there had never been a Mum like this on screen before, or since. Because she likes her men like her scotch... aged 18 years.

Am I Truman Burbank?

So, last week I made up a funny (I thought so anyway) Aprils Fools Day post about The Goonies II being greenlit and coming to a screen near you. Two days ago my wife indicates to me that there is something on her Facebook about The Goonies sequel and I laugh and tell her that was just me being an idiot. Then she says it mentioned Richard Donner and that he had confirmed it to TMZ, and all I could think of was the scene in The Truman Show where he realises that everything seems to play out perfectly for him all the time, that all of his actions are listened to and acted upon. It was the dawn of realisation that everything that is happening in this world must be happening for me (and yes I imagine the whole thing is actually being orchestrated by Ed Harris) and its all to make a movie happen. To make The Goonies II actually happen.

And so, now that I know I have this power, did everyone know that Star Wars VII is greenlit? Oh, wait... Did everyone know that The Hobbit is finally ... oh, wait. Did everyone know that Indiana Jones ... oh wait .. oh, Ive got it! I've got it!

Did everyone know that Monty Python are re-teaming and going to do a sequel to The Holy Grail!?!?!?!?!

Goonies II is Greenlit!

Well everyone, its official, Hollywood is officially trying to ruin our childhoods even more.

A new report comes out from Deadline, Variety, and even IMDB have a page for it, reporting that Bret Ratner has signed on to bring about the much desired Goonies II movie. Normally I would be completely over the moon and excited beyond belief to be bringing you this news, but just wait until you hear about the cast.

Returning to the flick are Corey Feldman and Ke Huy Quan and Martha Plimpton, however, it appears Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen and Kerri Green have all refused to be a part of the remake stating they are either not acting any more or uninterested in the new story.

The new story comes to us from Barry Wernick who co-wrote Grandma's Boy, a movie great for drinking games but hardly something of the quality we want for a Goonies sequel. It is rumoured to be casting for younger versions of all the main cast who are all the new generation of video game playing, boring children who stay indoors all the time, and explain to them the efforts of their parents to preserve such a special outdoors adventure area such as the Goondocks by putting them through a daring adventure to go back into the underground lair of One Eyed Willy. Rumoured to be in the lair is the treasure of a second pirate April Fools who tends to write these silly news announcements each year.

The kids will undoubtedly go on to defeat such a nefarious beast as the April Fools pirate and revel in the aftermath of the fight by flying down waterslides, swinging on ropes, killing invisible octopi and stopping an evil father and son from setting up a golf course. It is with much concern I share this news and with much excitement I run home to watch the real, awesome, amazing, most perfect movie of all time: the original THE GOONIES! I suggest you all do too.

My Favourite Talk Show Skit Ever

I know this isn't really movie related but its just so amazing that I have to share it around. Jimmy Fallon is now the host of The Tonight Show in America and while I have never, ever, enjoyed the American talk show programs this guy just clicks with me for some reason. Maybe its my age and the fact he has so many 80s and 90s music and movie references in his show. Maybe its just his amazing ability to totally make a fool of himself and his guests without depreciating anyone. Maybe he is just what a good talk show host can be? Anyways, here are a couple of the best examples of my favourite skit on his show: LIP SYNC BATTLE!

Enjoy!
 

Academy Award Results

So, the awards were a week or so ago (sorry, Mike and I have been flat out at work) and so its time to see how we went with our Oscar predictions. First up let me say that I was very happy with this years choices, it seems that picking the obvious choice wasn't the agreed strategy for this year and it was nice to see the truly deserving win in most cases. So how did we do on our predictions? Lets see:

BEST PICTURE: 12 Years a Slave
Boom! The one we wanted: 12 Years A Slave. Steve McQueen is one of the best filmmakers out there and its brilliant to see him pickup his first oscar for such a strong movie. Look out for our review soon on this one.

BEST ACTOR: Matthew McConaughey
Boom! Two out two. I still haven't seen all of Matthews performance but from what I have heard its amazing. Wasn't too sure what to make of his acceptance speech, but I don't know what he is on at present with top performances also popping up in True Detective, Mud and Wolf of Wall St this year.

BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett
And the Aussie takes it out! Well done Cate, love your work in all your movies. So proud to see you up there and brilliant acceptance speech.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jared Leto
Way off the mark here, didn't even really know who Jared Leto is, but his performance does look like a knock out. And, he seems like a pretty cool dude.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong'o
I am so glad Lupita won! Only the 7th black lady to ever win an Oscar and her performance was raw, emotional and poignant. So much better than Jennifer Lawrence's was.

BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuaron
Alfonso did it! We think that 12 Years was a more deserving picture for the top spot, but actually making Gravity is a truly astounding feat. He literally had to create new technology just to allow his vision to be reality and fought for nearly 7 years to make his Sci Fi epic. Plus, he made Children of Men! Come on.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: 12 Years a Slave
Again, great to see such an amazing film take this one out, but I think the Before series deserves to win one for this category. Such brilliant writing.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Her
This was unexpected in some ways. Its such an interesting night when the best screenplay, director and movie are all from different filmmakers and creatives. I love that as it means people really cared about the winners and Spike really deserved this. What a stand out accomplishment to write his movie the way he did.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: The Great Gatsby
Think this one was pretty obvious. Quite interesting that The Great Gatsby won two more oscars than either Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle or Captain Phillips.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Gravity
Now, Im not entirely sure on the rules or way cinematography is done for animated movies, but to me this was a real disappointment. Prisoners was the most intensely shot film, done with the most perfect lighting of the year, hands down. If its harder to do that in an animated film then Gravity was great, if its a misunderstanding of the construction technique Im annoyed at this one.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Gravity
Hand in hand with what I said about cinematography, Gravity looks astounding! But its due to the visual effects, not the shooting techniques (In my opinion) so glad to see this take it out. Simply amazing how they did what they did in this movie.

So all in all we were pretty close and pretty happy with the outcome. I quite enjoyed Ellen's most tweeted photo of our overlords and loved Luipta's acceptance speech. Its a weird ceremony really, but always good to see what you love recognised. Here's hoping for a funnier leading comedian next year though.

Wolf Creek 2 Opening Weekend Box Office

Well, some good news for the Aussie film industry came out this week: Wolf Creek 2 killed its way to the top of the Box Office! It beat out Wolf of Wall Street which has been sitting in the number one spot since January and the Mark Wahlberg war drama Lone Survivor also released on the weekend, by making a cool $1,681,636.

It still has a way to go to take the top spot of Aussie made films box office, with Crocodile Dundee racking up $47 million with its run in 1986. Love that movie!

Mike and I would like to congratulate the filmmakers and cannot wait to see it! Our tickets are purchased for the Sat night session and we will probably back it up with 12 Years a Slave if that's still showing as well, so look out for our thoughts on the films next week.

Apologies for not writing much in last couple of weeks, I have been flat out with work, sons birthday, editing an advertisement and some study, so in watching terms all I have managed is a few Downton Abbey episodes with my wife as she is rewatching them. Might do a post about that soon too as its surprisingly good.

Box Office stats came from the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia

Academy Award Predictions

Hey All, with the Annual Academy Awards coming up shortly Mike and I thought we would have a guess as to what we think will come out trumps. We have highlighted below both what we think deserves to win and what we think will, in reality, win. Sometimes this is both and we will make note of it by colouring the row in both colours.

And so, for the sheer fun of it, here are our thoughts:

Yellow is for what we think will win
Green is for what we would like to win

Best Picture
American Hustle - Guys Prediticion is a little different to Mike's on this one
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her- Mike's prediction
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle - With Guy's prediciton of best picture I think this will win
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave - Mike is pretty sure Fassbender will win too, and I hope he does
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Best Director
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity - Mike's wish here for best director
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave - Guy's wish here for Steve to finally get one
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Adapted Screenplay
Before Midnight - Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
Captain Phillips - Billy Ray
Philomena - Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
12 Years a Slave - John Ridley
The Wolf of Wall Street - Terence Winter

Best Original Screenplay
American Hustle - Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
Blue Jasmine - Woody Allen
Dallas Buyers Club - Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack
Her - Spike Jonze
Nebraska - Bob Nelson

Best Production Design
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her
12 Years a Slave

Best Cinematography
The Grandmaster
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Prisoners

Best Visual Effects
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness

So lets see how it plays out on March the 2nd. Please note we have only tried to guess those categories we know enough about, and have in fact not seen all the movies in them either, which makes it a bit hard. But with knowledge of how these awards have been given out in the past we feel we can make a pretty sure bet given what we know about them.

How about you? Do you agree or disagree?

Guys Most Anticipated of 2014

So the year of 2013 is done and dusted and we already half way through January 2014! It’s time to look ahead at the year that is to come and see what is on offer. The following 10 movies are the ones that already have my attention and I am eagerly awaiting their release date to get my ticket, grab some popcorn (or for some of these movies: Ritalin) and line up to see them.

1. 12 Years a Slave
Though this film has already been out in the U.S. it’s only set to come out this year in Australia. From everything I've seen and read about I’m pretty sure it will be making my Number 1 spot for 2014. Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor it looks to be a harrowing account of what slavery was like.

Released on January 30.

2. Interstellar
Christopher Nolan's next film. 'Nuff said. Oh, and it’s about: A group of explorers make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage. Boom!


Released on November 6

3. Transcendence
Christopher Nolan has always used Wally Pfister as his cinematographer and I think a large portion of his success in film can be directed towards the style and look, derived from the skill of Wally. I therefore cannot wait to see the directorial debut of Mr Pfister with his movie Transcendence.


Released on April 24

4. Gone Girl
Directed by David Fincher, starring Ben Affleck, and Rosamund Pie and based on the bestselling book. It centres around the mystery of a woman disappearing on her wedding anniversary, and I am hoping like mad Mr Fincher will call back to his Zodiac making skills for this one.

(No trailer available yet) Released on October 2

5. The Monuments Men
Clooney, Damon, Murray, Goodman and Blanchett as art dealers convinced to head into the middle of the Second World War to recover the art stolen by Nazi's. It looks to be a wonderful conglomeration of comedy, tragedy and war action.


Released on March 13

6. Tracks
A story about Robyn Davidson who walked from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean on her own through the desert! It stars Mia Wasikowska and is a South Australian film production that looks simply epic. The cinematography is gorgeous and this will definitely be one to see at the cinema.


Released on March 6

7. Nymphomaniac
I really don’t like Lars Von Trier movies, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever made it through to the end of one, but how he has the likes of Shia Lebouf, Charlotte Gainsburg, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe & Christian Slater to be involved in a movie with unstimulated sex scenes just calls out to be seen.


Released March sometime

8. The Wolf of Wall Street
Again, it’s already out in the U.S. but another good ol Scorcese film starring Leo has got to be amazing. Also, I'm hearing that it goes pretty explicit in showing the excess that Jordan Belfont went through so it’ll be interesting to see Scorsese take it to the extreme.


Released on January 23

9. Wolf Creek 2
I've only seen Wolf Creek once, but once was enough to have it seared into my brain for ever. I’ll be curious to see if they can replicate even half of what was good about the first. And I like to support Aussie horror flicks.


Released on February 20

10. The Hobbit: There and Back Again
Readers of this site should know that I have a soft spot for this stuff, and so yes, I am already eagerly awaiting the release of the trailer sometime in June/July! And, for Boxing Day when I can get in line to see Smaug again!!
(No trailer for this one .... yet)
Released on December 26

Also, it appears that Aussie cinema will be having a bit of a boost in 2014 with a few major deals being successfully landed. I read a good piece at the IF website here about it if you are interested: http://if.com.au/2013/09/19/article/2014-A-banner-year-for-Oz-cinema/YTYEYIMNZJ.html

Maccas Top 10 of 2013

2013 has been a fairly decent, consistent year for film.  Out of 66 movies ive watched classified as released in 2013, 29 of them ive rated as a 7 or better, but only 5 that Ive rated as an 8 or better.  This shows there has been plenty of watchable, decent, fun, enjoyable films but not many that reached any real epic heights.  The real disappointment of the year was with the big budget or big name flicks.  Whilst some lived up to expectation (Mud, Prisoners, Gravity), there were many that missed the mark.  Movies like Elysium, World War Z & Pacific Rim were poor.  Others that I was looking forward to in Only God Forgives, Trance and Now You See Me had promise but failed to deliver on that potential.  It was left up to the lower budget indie flicks to get the job done in 2013 and there was plenty of gold there.  Movies such as Drinking Buddies, Europa Report, Kings of Summer, I Give It A Year were all good lower budget flicks to check out.

MACCAS TOP 10 OF 2013

10: We Are What We Are - Horror

A dark, moody horror/thriller about a family with many skeletons in the closet.  Low budget but this is very well acted, excellent at creating suspense and the director of photography did a brilliant job.  An excellent score as well.  Its a very attractive movie and one that put some bigger name thrillers such as Conjuring & Insidious 2 to shame.  One of the hidden gems of 2013.

9. Mud - Drama 

One of the best dramas of the year.  Matthew McConaughey puts in an outstanding performance as Mud, a fugitive who befriends a couple of young lads who attempt to help him out.  Its complex and hits the right notes.  Excellent acting by the two younger lads.  A lovely film and unlucky to not be higher in the list.

8. The Way, Way Back - Drama

This is a quirky comedy-drama in the same mould as Juno, Little Miss Sunshine and Adventureland.  Theres been a number of coming of age dramedies come out in 2013 and this is the king of them all.  A quiet, awkward teen with a dysfunctional family befriends a waterpark owner and comes of age, growing in confidence as the movie wears on.  Its quirky, its funny, it makes you laugh and makes you sad.  Steve Carrell is excellent, but the real star (as expected) is Sam Rockwell.  You can never go wrong when Sam Rockwell is around.

7. Blue Is The Warmest Color - Romance

This is French.  About Lesbians.  Whats not to love?  Its a controversial romantic drama about a young girl who falls in love and deals with the issues of being in a same sex relationship.  The controversy comes from the multiple sex scenes, one a 10 minute long very graphic lesbian scene which can only be described as an inch away from hardcore porn.  But take away the graphic scene and what is left is a brilliant film that is perfect at making you feel empathy for its characters.  It builds character development like no other film this year.  Its length at 3 hours is the only thing holding this back.  A bit tighter and this would be well up there for film of the year.

6. American Hustle - Drama

Bale, Cooper, Adams, Lawrence, CK and a neat little cameo by De Niro.  A big name cast and it delivers in spades.  Its a crime/heist drama with plenty of comedy thrown in for good measure.  Many have thought it to be too slow through the first half of the movie but I thought its pacing was spot on.  Plenty of exposition and its a complex storyline.  Must.  Pay.  Attention.  Outstanding acting performances.  For me, its the best performances Cooper, Adams & Lawrence have done in their careers. 

5. Byzantium - Fantasy

This is how a vampire flick should be made!  Im not hugely into vampire flicks, but this is so spot on its hard not to fall in love with it.  The cinematography, colour palate and restraint in the acting is perfect.  This leaves big name vampire brands like Twilight & True Blood for dead. 

4. Gravity - Sci-Fi

The best of the big budget, big name movies in 2013.  It really is an incredible film.  How they managed to shoot this and have it look so realistic, I have no idea.  As a general rule I steer clear of Sandra Bullock movies as I cant stand her acting, but this is by far the best thing shes ever done, and the best acting performance she has ever done.  The CG is beyond belief.  Get yourself a big arse tv, a blu ray player, sit back and lose yourself in this.  It not only lives up to the hype, it smashes it out of the park.   

3. The Place Beyond The Pines - Drama

A complex drama with a perfect performance by Ryan Gosling, and an incredibly mature performance by Bradley Cooper.  In fact Cooper is the real star of this and with 2 movies well inside the top 10, you could say he would be my actor of 2013.  Its a long but fulfilling movie and grips you at times like few others did in 2013.

2. Maniac - Horror

This one will polarise people.  Many will hate this, many will like it.  I found it mesmerising.  A thriller/horror about a sociopath who finds, murders and scalps girls.  The real difference in this is that its shot in first person mode.  Elijah Wood is the star and lead actor and is believable as the creepy maniac.  Like Byzantium, I lost myself in the way this was shot.  Perfect film score that really draws you in, similar to Drive.  Great cinematography.  As I said, not for everyone, and is fairly graphic in its violence, but its one I kept coming back to as one of the most interesting and enjoyable movies ive seen this year.

1. Disconnect - Drama

A complex, multi-layered drama in a similar vein to Crash, that brings 4-5 storylines together in a huge crescendo in the finish.  It shows the cause and effect of social media and being responsible for the decisions you make.  You know a movie has really touched you to your core when you're still thinking about this days after watching.  Jason Bateman was the real star as the lead character.  No other film has had this effect on me in 2013 than Disconnect.  It may not be in many other top 10 lists you'll see but its well worth a watch. 

Honourable Mentions: Prisoners, Rush & We're The Millers.  Just missed out on the top 10.

Mikes top 10 movies of 2013

My name is Mike and I'm an addict.  It has been 12 hours since my last movie hit.

2013 was a fairly average year overall however there were some terrific standouts.  For me, the top 10 list below makes it all worthwhile.   Looking over the top 10 lists for Guy and Macca I'm pleased there is about a half half ratio of same choices and different ones.  The variances can obviously come from different taste but I also think mood and experience come a lot into play as well.  Quite often watching a great movie in the wrong mood can result in a skewed opinion.  Personally this is why I love trawling through other people's top movie lists - just on the off chance of finding a movie I may have missed (heaven forbid, lol) or maybe misjudging one the first time so I give it another shot.

For movies that were initially reviewed on the site I have included a link in case you missed it.
Enjoy :)


 10. The Purge - Thriller - This one just snuck in.  I was divided between a few for this spot but in the end I think The Purge is worthy.  The movie is good but I think it was the core idea of the story that I really liked.  One night a year - the rules are off...  Brilliant.

9. World War Z - Horror - Some people will think I'm crazy putting this one in here.  I'm not going to call it one of the best movies of all time but it was a really great ride.  With so many zombie flicks bombarding the screen it's hard to find ones that stand-out and push the bar forward.  I think this one manages to stand out.  Review

8. Prisoners - Thriller/Drama - Just a great, super-intense thriller with very dark undertones.  Just how far would desperate fathers go to get back their kidnapped daughters? Not for the faint hearted :)  Review

7. The Impossible - Thriller/Drama - I don't understand how some of these tsunami shots were done.  So realistic and intense.  Combine these with incredible shots in post tsunami landscapes showing the panic, the fear and desperation.  Such a horrific event captured incredibly.  Review

6. Europa Report - Sci-Fi - A low budget gem.  The first 5 minutes may make you want to turn it off, but persevere and enjoy a great Sci-Fi flick.  A must see for all Sci-Fi fans and a must have in my blu-ray collection.   Review

5. The Conjuring - Horror/Thriller - Macca is one of the few people I know with the same thirst for horror as me.  I know he won't agree with me having this one in the top 10 but for some reason I just completely loved it.  Not sure if it was just the right night, the right mood, the right red... whatever it was I thought it was great from start to finish. Review

4. The Place Beyond The Pines - Drama - I still remember this as being one of those few exceptions where you watch a trailer and get all hyped up and then not be disappointed when you watch the film.  Brilliant story, brilliant acting and very clever transition of story and character which I had not seen before.  Review

3. Rush - Action/Sports - Just a great exciting movie to watch, even without being a fan of the sport.  Loved how they captured the 70's/80's perfectly.  Review

2. Byzantium - Fantasy/Horror - Guy may be a sucker for Peter Jackson, but I'm a sucker for vampires.  This movie was so refreshing after the years of teenage vampire shit that has been destroying the genre  *grumpy old man waves fist in the air*.   Review

1. Gravity - Thriller/Drama - Wow.  Just Wow.  I was a late comer to this one and after reading Guy's initial review it was on the list to see, just couldn't get around to it.  Last week I was pleased it was still showing in 3D so managed to catch a session.  Forget story and realism, this movie is just an incredible experience.  You are actually out there floating in space with these guys.  It is technically perfect.  Review



Bring on 2014!


Unfortunately I did not have a chance to watch the movies below - all of which I believe may have been top 10 candidates.   Also, "12 years a Slave" which may have gone number 1, Guy and I are treating as 2014 and it is not being released until March in Australia, even though was out in the states in 2013.

Philomena
Filth
All is Lost
Short Term 12
Before Midnight
Out of the Furnace
Wolf of Wall Street

If you have seen any of the above, drop a comment in and let us know what you thought.

Guys Top 10 Movies of 2013

This is interesting ... I've just gone back over the website to see what I rated each movie throughout the year and put them down in the order of top to bottom. I quickly saw that once compared to one another the original rating now appears to be inaccurate given my current view. I guess this means that things change, which is quite obvious, and having a point of perspective for comparison also changes your opinion. As does time. Re-watching Django Unchained I have found it to be not as good as that amazing day in the cinema. I think having a crowd around and being so excited to be seeing a new QT flick added to how much I loved it the first time, but subsequent viewings have shown me problems with the movie and so its dropped a few places. For now, however, here is the completely subjective list of my top 2013 films:

My top 10 films released in 2013

10. We're The Millers - Comedy - I’ve been struggling with many of the mainstream American comedies of late but somehow the creators just nailed this one. I was laughing my ass off and appreciating Jennifer Anniston's at the same time. Amazingly sexy and brave playing a stripper at 44!

9. Mud - Drama - A wonderful little Indie movie about love set on the Mississippi river in the deep south with a great cast of teenage kids, Matthew McConaughey & Reese Witherspoon. Definitely worth checking out, probably McConaughey's best acting role to date.

8. American Hustle - Thriller - A film with the biggest cast you can have in 2013 directed by a guy at the peak of his career. It’s a little Oscar baiting at times, a little confusing over all, but its characters are rich and deep and multi-dimensional and for that its worthy of a top 10 place.

7. The Impossible - Drama/Thriller - Wow. This movie is intense to the extreme. I don’t know what it is with Naomi Watts putting her characters through the wringer but few get punished as much as she does in this tale. Showing the effects of the tsunami in Thailand on a single family with a backdrop of the effects on the country, it’s emotionally charged and near horrific in impact.

6. This Is The End - Comedy - What is going on here? Two American comedies in the Top 10 and no British ones?!?! I love this movie for the simple reason it was made by a bunch of funny actors who have some pull in Hollywood, and it feels just like that. As I watch it, all I can think of is how much fun they must be having off camera and in between the scenes.

5. Django Unchained - Tarantino - As usual the Tarantino film defies being characterized as anything other than a Tarantino film. A western about a German with a black slave in a revenge exploitation flick starring Leo DiCaprio as an evil master and Samuel L Jackson as an abhorrent slave with Jonah Hill in the Klu Klux Klan? Funny, different, action packed and utterly entertaining.

4. Rush - Sports Drama - A brilliant movie about the rivalry of James Hunt and Nikki Lauda that surprised the hell out of me with how much I loved it. The driving scenes were great, the set design and car construction was spot on but the interaction between the two leads was mesmerising.

3. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug - Fantasy - Way too high up on the list for how badly put together this movie is, but I’m a sucker and I love this kind of thing. Just seeing Mirkwood and Smaug was enough to be a Top 10 but the 3D HFR experience, the barrel scene, Tauriel and the comedy placed it higher. The bad editing and useless padding stopped it going to the top.

2. The Place Beyond The Pines - Drama- Such a good movie with major focal shifting phases done better than any other film, except maybe A Beautiful Mind, that I can think of. It’s the first movie I’ve really understood the hype around Ryan Gosling and the one where Bradley Cooper really started coming into his own as an actor.

1. Gravity - Sci Fi - This movie is the reason I watch so many movies. I’m always hanging out for an experience that just blows your mind, lets you forget you are on planet Earth, and takes you to another place. For almost 2 hours I was in space. I was alone. I was fighting for my life and I was enthralled. This is movie making at its absolute best, even if the script is a little weak, the movie itself is an experience unlike anything else I’ve ever had. Alfonso Cuarón is amazing.

(Yet to see Byzantium, 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, Before Midnight, World War Z, Short Term 12 or The Spectacular Now)

10 Favourite Christmas Movies

1. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Drum roll please ..... Ah, this is such great movie for when the season is a bit nipply. Did I say nipple? Oh, well, there is a nip in the air. Chevy Chase at his absolute best and my role model as a Dad. Seriously.

2. Home Alone
The opening music plays and you are hooked. This movie is perfect. Its funny, sad, scary, adventurous, has a great lead actor and scuplted a whole generation of younguns wanting to be left alone for just one Christmas! And it has the best scream this side of the Wilhelm.

3. Love Actually
Shhhh.... Mike and I both secretly love this movie. But, because its essentially a Rom Com we tend to hide our true feelings. Sexist? No, just insecurity. The main draw for this movie is its stunning writing in being able to weave so many differing story lines together on the beautiful backdrop of Keira Knightley London.

4. Die Hard
Maybe the best action movie ever, is also one of the best Christmas movies ever. How awesome is that?!? Ho Ho Ho.

5. Leathal Weapon
C'mon! It opens with Jingle Bell Rock, has a simply fantastic scene in a Christmas Tree yard and its worth being in this list just because its friggin awesome!

6. Santa Claus
The movie I watch each and every year at Christmas time. Its old school with Dudley Moore and John Lithgow and that sweet and wonderous 80' feel, comparing the excesses of the time with ancient morals. I love it. It has problems and its not perfect, but to me its sincere and captures that warm Christmas Spirit better than any other Christmas movie.

7. Gremlins!
Ah, those disgusting Gremlins, so perfectly counter balanced by Gizmo and set at the most wonderful time of the year. A precious mix of childlike horror, gross out comedy and sweetness only the 80's can produce.

8. Bad Santa
I must confess to never having seen this movie but Mike rated it highly so I will have to bump it up my list.

9. Polar Express
The only factor that makes this movie short of an all time great is the uncanny valley. That term refers to that weird vacant and uncanny expression the somewhat realistic human characters have. Avatar dimished that substantially but this film suffer from it unfortunately.

10. Rare Export
Another I had not heard about until creating this list with Mike, but another going straight to the top! Check out this trailer:

 

Mike and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Next on our movie watching list at the cinema is The Hobbit so look out for a review shortly.

#Tropfest

So last night was Tropfest 2013 and Mike and I caught up to watch it with a mate and live tweet our reactions to all of the shorts as we watched them. I will embed our tweets below for all to see. Amazingly one of them even made it onto the TV and we both chuckled that it was like in Speed: "Interactive TV, Jack. Wave of the future!" Love Dennis Hopper.

Our thoughts for the festival as a whole are that this was a particularly great year. The entries were varied in genre, scope, budget and style and that is exactly what we want from such a festival. We took a fairly hard stance on our scores for the films as we needed to differentiate them from one another, so we were not all that lenient in that if there was an issue or two, it lowered the score significantly. We ended up with all but two of the sixteen films getting a 5/10 or better and three of them scoring a 7 and another three an 8. Hopefully we get one of our films up there one day and some of you can score us and give us feedback too!

Refreshingly the film we thought was best was the one that actually won and also snagged the best actor award, so our thoughts around what type of short films to make and how to work them seem to be in line with this particular festival.

The two negatives from the festival as a whole are that there is nowhere to watch it live in Adelaide, on a big screen in amongst an audience which we feel is a tad unfair. And the second is almost all of the finalists came from NSW. We don’t quite know why. Is it just more entries from there, more people or what? But it would be nice to see other states show up.

Our thanks to the team who put on the festival for making it so polished and professional and our congratulations to all of the finalists! Mike and I are incredibly envious and even though we are putting a rating on your work we know how hard it is to even get a finished product, let along become a finalist in a festival. Well done, we cannot wait to see what each of you accomplishes next. We also cannot wait to see what the other 600 plus entrants come up with next year.

Finally, thanks to SBS 2 for at least giving us Adelaidians a way to see it. Maybe if the broadcast could be live next year instead of half an hour behind, or even better, if there was a live outdoor location to go to that would be brilliant!

Gearing up for #Tropfest! Happy coincidence that Mike brought a second bottle of @vinomofo Art of War.… http://t.co/7p9NvI0y0o
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

First #Tropfest winner for the night is the 2009 Majella Cab Sav. Fruity, balanced, delicious. Art of War explosion up next!
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#SorryBaby on #Tropfest was a great start. Female leads is always good! Nice and basic with good story. Pity about the lighting. 6/10
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Bamboozled at #Tropfest was brilliant! Mediterranean Wash was fantastic, perfect acting, clever story. Possible winner! 9/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Sine at #Tropfest was interesting. Loved it up to the car hit. Well shot though, 5/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#TruthIs at #Tropfest was a conflicting one. Division in the ranks! Gay bikkies, over the top story, top production value. 7/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#OfftheMeter at #Tropfest was excellent. True Aussie spirit in a well written, funny story. Great mo, great t-shirt. 8/10
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

Art of War hits back at Majella. Vanilla, licorice, and Barossa bang. Boom @vinomofo you've done it again.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Ariel at #Tropfest was bit slow but very sweet in an unusual way. 5/10 from Mike and Guy.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#StillLife at #Tropfest was superb. Best soundtrack yet, Pixar level! Good story and top animation. 8/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Makeover at #Tropfest was near professional. That is both good but bit unfair. Absurd, Burton-esque, but WTF? 8/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#DarknessComes at #Tropfest was sitting up high being horror fans. Good to see the genre in the festival. BAD ending ruined it. 7/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Stew at #Tropfest .. Umm... WTF? Sickening pseudo horror, which is good for something different. But ... WTF? 7/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#HoniSoitQuiMalYPense at #Tropfest was a very "current" type doco. Lovely message but a but brownie points seeking. 4/10
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#TheSquirrelKing at #Tropfest was a finalist? Missed the point. Egotistical, boring, uninspiring. 2/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Charades at #Tropfest was a fun and silly, original comedy. The Office styles. 7/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Revive at #Tropfest was a very sweet story with the worst audio so far. Pity as it would have been very moving. 6/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#LoveInsurance at #Tropfest was an amusing good attempt at a sweet comedy, but feel the script needed polishing. 5/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

#Coping was a good #Tropfest Aussie drama but just missed out on nailing the theme. Intense and harsh. 5/10.
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

So Mike and Guy rate 1: Bamboozled 2: Off the Meter 3: Still Life. Great #Tropfest this year. Makeover was close 4th!
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

We picked it! Great #Tropfest winner, it was hilarious. Thanks for a great festival, and cheers @SBS2 for showing it. Maybe live next time?
— Guy Tunbridge (@CyT698) December 8, 2013

Movies I Cannot Wait to Watch with Bay

Well, I thought I would try my hand at a general article for something a bit different (and because I haven't watched any movies yet this weekend). I was thinking today "Wow, Bay has never seen Wayne's World! How cool will it be to watch that with him for the first time?" And that got me thinking, what else can I not wait to see with him? Now, I may have watched Star Wars with him already, but shhhh, I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember!

So what are the top of my list to watch with my little man??

• Star Wars: Ok, ok, ok, ok, I know I said I had already watched it with him ... but I mean I cannot WAIT to watch this with him when he can understand what is going on. Imagine him not knowing about Darth Vader?!? Imagine not knowing what the force can do!?!? Imagine not knowing if Luke is going to be successful in rescuing Han and Chewie and Leia .. Oh, Im so jealous of him right now :)
  I really cannot wait to see his eyes light up when the Millenium Falcon gets caught in the tractor beam for the first time, or watch him come over with sadness when Darth Vader knocks Obi Wan down with his Lightsaber. I mean, its one of the reasons I wanted to become a Dad!
• The Money Pit: This one is a personal thing as I was about 8 years old when I watched this for the first time and I can still remember it clearly to this day. There is a certain scene of a bath falling through a floor which comes after a hilarious series of comical events and is the cherry on top of the proverbial cake. By the time the bath fell through the floor I was already crying with laughter .. and what can you move onto if you are already crying with laighter? Well for me it was to fall on the floor off the couch as I couldnt even control my body any more through the spasms of laughter. This is one of the single most funny moments in my life and I have never forgotten it. I, oh so, hope that Bay does the same thing when he sees it for the first time!
• Toy Story: I dont know if the quality of the graphics in Toy Story will affect Bay's enjoyment of it, or if the story line is just so strong as to make it not matter but this is thankfully one of those films we can watch together when he is still quite small. I know I could have picked pretty much any Pixar movie for this spot, but there is something about Toy Story and the fact that we can move onto the sequels and watch them together as he grows up that made me pick this as my most aniticpated title.
• The Goonies: This one is going to be awesome. It doesnt matter that it is an old 80's flick with bad clothes, bad 80's music that he wont enjoy or that it has some obvious practical effects because every young boy loves Boobie Traps, Skeletons, Pirates and most of all An Adventure! And guess what, no other movie on earth has ever been able to recreate that so perfectly on screen.
• Hook:I always thought everyone on the planet loved Hook? But now that I am a bit older I find out that many people thought it to be one of Spielberg's worst movies. How can this be? Its brilliant! Dustin Hoffman as the esteemed and scary Hook and Robin Williams as the everyman Pan is just perfect. The silly modern twist and over the top sets just make it even more enjoyable. I absolutely loved this film as a kid and I hope Bay does too :)

Alright, so maybe this was a bad idea. Now that Im on a roll I cant stop thinking of other movies!! I might need to leave it here for now and maybe do a followup post on a different slow weekend. Those of you with little people, what are your favourite movies that you cannot wait to watch with them?

Mikes List of Re-watchable Movies - Part 2

Donnie Darko

Although I loved this movie the first time I watched it... it took about another 3 watches for me to really appreciate it to the fullest.  I still don't understand exactly what's going on and listening to the DVD commentary left me even more confused. "Here is where Donnie steps into the alternate universe"... O really?  Perhaps the most beautiful soundtrack to a movie ever.

Love Actually
My favourite Rom Com of all time.  I love all the different characters and stories but it's safe to say that Hugh Grant is the man.  "Course you would you sexy minx"

The Shawshank Redemption
There is a reason this film is rated number 1 on IMDB.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Before the days when Peter Jackson was forced by studios to convert a single book into 3 movies.. he made 3 books into 3 movies and it worked a hell of a lot better I must say.  These always get chucked on when I need a decent fantasy hit - and yes always the special editions.. how did they ever cut some of those scene's out?

Aliens
I love the original and do watch it now and again and must admit it could be considered 'technically' a better movie.  However it's the Cameron sequel that I watch much more regularly purely for awesome entertainment value.  "Game over man.. GAME OVER!"  (Fun fact: that line wasn't actually scripted... just Bill Paxton at his very best)

Gladiator
This is a great film made even better by the performances of Crowe and Phoenix.  But what else would we expect from Ridley.


Man On Fire
A masterpiece from the other Scott.   Tony (R.I.P mate) was never quite as elegant as Ridley but man did he know how to give us some action.  I've watched this movie so many times and just love the emotional journey...  Die you corrupt kidnapping fuckers.. die.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Probably the most quoted movie of all time.  I know most of it word for word.
Ni!

Scarface
Back in the days when Al Pacino worked for a living.   You don't know whether to hate him or love him but no matter what you respect him.

Groundhog Day
Bill Murray at his best.

Twelve Monkeys
Possibly the most interesting and dark time travel movie of all time.

Mikes List of Re-watchable Movies - Part 1

There are two types of people in the world when it comes to movies.  Those who feel that watching a movie again is a waste of time and then people like Guy and I who feel a certain joy when bringing out a familiar old classic.  It's safe, its reliable, you're never disappointed.  For certain films I enjoy them more and more with each watch, always picking up on some extra detail or marveling at some amazing acting. 

Sure there might have been that fantastic twist that shocked the hell out of you the first time, but if the movie is up to scratch then there's enough to focus on so that the twists become irrelevant to your enjoyment.

Anyway - I started this blog as a top 10 list but then thought why not just put all of the ones I could think of.  The films below I try to watch every couple of years at least - always saved for a special occasion which for me is usually a Friday or Saturday night with the Tele to myself and a bottle of good red by my side. The choice of movie always depends on mood.... do I feel like something funny?  Epic?  Thrilling etc... who knows but it's nice to have them at hand to help in the decision.

These bad boys are in no particular order and most I will add separate complete reviews as I come to watch them again....  and again.... and again :)

The Goonies
This is one of three films that represents my childhood and probably the birth of my love for film.  It could be the fact I started watching this as a kid but I have yet seen another film that even comes close to the adventure and fun of Goonies. We all grew up wanting to be a Goonie.   Another interesting fact of this one is it was also the start of my obsession with skulls... if you saw my lounge room you would understand.

The Dark Crystal
Jim Henson's classic, so dark and beautiful.   The detail in the sets is mind blowing and even more impressive that it was all done pre CG.  There are a few key scenes that always stick in my mind - most of all the scene with Jen and Kira in the boat - Kira singing and Jen playing his flute.  I hum this song to my new born.

Labyrinth
I hope to be 80 and still watching this one day.  Jim Henson is the man and this film just oozes with childhood memories.  Even Bowie's significant wang can't put me off.   The reason I did these 3 movies first is my Mum used to take me to the video shop every couple of weeks and without fail I only rented one of these 3 movies.  It drove her mad but I think they have been defining influences on my life and imagination.

Braveheart
I will write a full review on this after I watch it next.  Words cannot describe my love for this movie it turns me into a weeping idiot even during the happy scenes.   In the princess's tent when Wallace comes back in Latin and then "In French if you would prefer?"  I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Blade Runner
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die." - Need I say more?

American Beauty
My name is Lester Burnham. Sam Mendes made a masterpiece, it's simple as that.  His use of colour and symmetry in his shots is mesmerizing. I love every character in this film but obviously Kevin Spacey was born to play Lester.  He is a champion for all of us 9 to 5'ers ...  the scene out in the back smoking that joint with Ricky is just absolute gold, but one of many in the film.  The film itself is amazingly beautiful and you can't help be swept up in the journey.   Fun fact :  I was 18 when I watched this at the movies with my parents... the ole shower scene got a little uncomfortable!

Gangs of New York
This movie has a super high entertainment value but my main motivation for a re-watch is Daniel Day Lewis.  The Butcher may just be my favorite movie character ever - brought to life by an acting genius.

The Last Samurai
Pay out Tom Cruise all you like but I think he is brilliant in this movie.   There's something enchanting about the Samurai culture and I love watching Algren be converted every time.

The Matrix
This movie blows me away every time I watch it.  Such a relevant and advanced concept presented to us with a metric fuck tonne of "Cool".   I reckon this movie will become even more relevant down the track as our real life "Matrix" closes in around us.

Indiana Jones - All of them
I have Indy tattoo's - what else can I say?



More to come in Part 2...