Tag: Films

30 Day Movie Challenge – Day 5: Favourite Action

Dennis June 10, 2011 No Comments

This is the fifth day of the 30 Day Movie Challenge and I’m starting to notice a trend; I don’t know how to categorise films very well. I don’t know what constitutes a drama or a horror or a thriller and I certainly don’t know what falls within the boundaries of an action film. The easiest ones that come to mind are Predator, Aliens and Terminator, thought the last could also be classified as a sci-fi. But then, does Heat fall in that category? Sure, there’s a lot of action in that film, but to classify it as such does the film a disservice, I feel. I deeply appreciate the Bourne films, but again I think their depth goes beyond the classification of an action film. And then there are films like Platoon and Apocalypse Now, which certainly transcend the simplicity of an action film.

So I’ll go for Predator, a film I already gave quite a long-winded review for.

30 Day Movie Challenge – Day 4: Favourite Drama

Dennis June 9, 2011 No Comments

Having peeked at all the questions in advance, I probably find this question one of the hardest to answer, mostly because I don’t really know what falls in the category “drama.” Anything that’s not predominantly action or comedy, I suppose. Also, I think a dramatic film should deal with weighty, meaty topics. I think The Royal Tanenbaums is too comedic to be a drama, but it does deal with substances that have gravitas. See what I mean? Is Fight Club a drama because it deals with multiple personality disorders and many other considerable subjects? Hard to answer that one.

There so many drama’s that I’ve enjoyed and I’m hard pressed to name a favourite; Festen, Hana-bi, Leaving Las Vegas, Bad Lieutenant, Dog Day Afternoon, Donnie Darko, Leon, The Pianist… I think I will have to go with The Fountain. Not because it’s the best, or because it’s got endless rewatchability, but because the last time I saw it I needed two days to recover from it.

30 Day Movie Challenge – Day 3: Favourite Comedy

Dennis June 7, 2011 No Comments

This is another really difficult category, since I’m not entirely sure what counts as a “movie.” I’ve decided to include stand-up comedy specials, mostly because it makes it really for me to make a choice. When I was about 12 years old I was sifting through several of my parents’ VHS tapes, probably looking for a tape that I could use to record something else. I came across a video tape that I never watched and it had Eddie Murphy’s Delirious on it as well as Steve Martin’s The Lonely Guy. I had never seen either of them. I first watched The Lonely Guy and then continued watching Delirious. I couldn’t get through the first ten minutes of it without laughing so hard I fell of my chair and started wheezing. I immediately called my best friend to tell him to come over. I rewinded the tape to the start of the show and we watched it again. I have never laughed so much in my entirely life.

30 Day Movie Challenge – Day 2: Least Favourite Film

Dennis June 6, 2011 No Comments

So I decided to cheat and do a few posts per day. :)

The least favourite film I’ve ever seen is not an easy one to name because there have been so many that I didn’t like. I suppose that the least favourite film should have the least redeeming qualities; bad acting, shitty editing, lousy story, etc. Unfortunately, if it really would have been that bad I simply would’ve switched it off and not watched more of it. So instead of picking my least favourite, I’ll pick the one that was the most disappointing to me.

No matter how you set up your film as a film maker, there has to be some consistency. If you tell us that women can fly and men can eat stone, then fine, but then within those rules and convines remain consistent. That was the reason why I was so incredibly disappointed in the film Revolver by Guy Ritchie. I had pretty high expectation of Ritchie’s work after Lock, Stock… and Snatch, but it wasn’t just that he didn’t deliver with Revolver, but rather that after twenty minutes I thought I had gotten stuck in a David Lynch film without the internal consistency of a Lynch film that helps you suspend your disbelief. Revolver was probably supposed to be mysterious, but instead it was just frustrating. The acting was terrible and one dimensional and it couldn’t be saved by veterans Ray Liotta or Mark Strong.

30 Day Movie Challenge – Day 1: Favourite Film

Dennis June 6, 2011 1 Comment

So I decided to try to do the 30 day movie challenge. Instead of doing it on Facebook and annoying everyone with embedded trailers and such, I thought I’d do it here instead. Day one starts off with a bang as they ask for your favourite film and why you picked it. I think this should be the very last item on the list, so that you get 29 days to sift through your own thoughts about films and come to a particular conclusion about your favourite one. It’s like quitting a $20 a day heroine habit cold turkey.

So what does a “favourite film” require? It doesn’t have to be the “best film,” just your favourite one. So it’s the one that you’d love to see the most, with infinite rewatchability and entertainment value. There are many films in the running; Predator, Aliens, The Crow, Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, Sunshine…but I think I’ll have to settle for The Warriors.

This was probably the first film I ever got fascinated by when I discovered it on a VHS tape my parents had laying around. I love the visuals, the music and the atmosphere of the film. The story is simple but effective and the characters are strong but simple. It planted the seed for many of the fascinations and interests I have today.

It’s not the best film, but it’s likely to be my favourite film.