Que es Eso? "Casa de mi Padre"! Ay Dios Mios!!

Casa De Mi Padre...

What the heck was this film?

I'm not even sure how much of a plot synopsis I can, or want, to give on this film.  So instead, we'll sum it up this way:

Will Ferrell plays the younger brother in a family of Mexican farmers.  His older brother is a drug dealer.

Hilarity ensues.

Sort of.

First, the entire movie, minus minimal dialogue from an American, is in Spanish.  Don't worry, there are subtitles.

Yes, Ferrell does all of his part in Spanish.

Next, the entire movie was done "on the cheap"... intentionally.  So you will have camera jumps, edits, crops, subtitle changes, etc. that make the movie look like it was filmed for $1.98.

That very well may be where the majority of the humor comes from.





In fact, I will say that is where the entire source of the humor lies, as the storyline itself plays out in a very straightforward manner.

It is not, at least in my eyes, a drop-dead hilarious movie from start to finish.  But you watch, and get sucked into it, and remain entertained until the end.

I think the cheap budget feel is what keeps the movie from being too much one way or another... It can't be considered a real movie because of the intentional way in which it was filmed.

I don't think this will ever rise up in Ferrell's canon of great films (Elf, Stranger than Fiction) or become a fan favorite (Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, Anchorman).  It will fall to the bottom of his credits, sandwiched somewhere between A Night at the Roxbury and Land of the Lost.

: )

Saturday Streamer: Get the Gringo

No, this is not Mel's latest brush with the law.  It's his latest movie.

Apparently, as the mighty have fallen, Mel's latest flick has gone straight to DVD...and now, straight to Netflix Streaming.

But is it worth your 90 minutes?

The plot:

A driver crashes the Mexican border with lots of money in his car.  Apprehended by Mexican authorities, he is quickly forgotten in a local prison.  Of course, this is no ordinary Gringo, and with a little help, and a lot of luck, he's going to get out of prison, and get his money back.

Remember Gibson's great turn in Payback from a decade ago?

Think of this as a close cousin in terms of storyline.  He's a bad guy, but a bad guy with a code.  His money that he rightfully stole, was stolen from him, and he's determined to get it back.

He befriends a little boy in prison, and together they plan a way to get revenge, and get out of jail.

It's deceit layered with treachery wrapped in subterfuge.

In other words, it's Gibson doing what he does best.

So forgive his drunken transgressions, and get back to enjoying Mel in front of the camera.

Get the Gringo is definitely worth a spin.

3 out of 5 on the Netflix Scale, but closer to 3.5.

Outsourcing Retirement at "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"

Here's a charming drama that is poignant, funny, sweet, sad and touching, all parts equally, and often at the same time.

The plot in a nutshell:

A diverse group of retired Brits decide that their retirement income will stretch farther in the wild climes of India moreso than in their beloved British countryside.  Enticed by the brochure for the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, each reaches out to make the move, some with trepidation, some with great anticipation.  All of the seniors meet at the airport and then begin to bond by their collective experience that they share at the Hotel, which may not be everything that was promised to them in the brochure, but sometimes, that can be better than what was promised.

Featuring some of England's finest seniors, including Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Dame Judi Dench, the stories and reasons for each of the Brits making the sojourn to India is reasonable and makes sense.  Their stories will grab the audience in different ways, but grab you they will.

Of course, not to be overlooked would be India, as a very bustling character in the movie itself.  The shots can be as dizzying to the audience as they are to the Brits as they try and cope with their newfound home.  Some will acclimate better than others.

Then, there is the hotel's owner, who very much has his own story to tell.  His is the glue and passion that holds the movie together as he interconnects with the guests in his hotel to try and fulfill 2 generations of dreams, against seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

While the old folks think they have reached the end of their journey, they might be as surprised to find out that they still have a few things to teach and learn as well.

It's a very well crafted movie, and highly entertaining.

Recommended!

4 out of 5 on the Netflix Scale.

Yo Vanilla, Kick it One Time...."That's My Boy!"

There are two types of movie watchers:

Those that hate Adam Sandler movies, and those that don't.

I am definitely in the camp of the latter, and have seen almost every film Adam Sandler has starred in.

And for the most part, I've enjoyed them all.

The plot:

Donny Berger has a crush on his high school teacher.  The teacher reciprocates, and 9 months later, Donny is a daddy, and his love is behind bars.  So Donny attempts to raise a child, but isn't the best dad ever.  The son leaves, and wants nothing to do with his father.

Fast forward nearly 30 years later, and Donny needs some money.  His fleeting fame from back in the day is just about all cashed out, and he's facing prison.  Luckily, his son seems to be well to do, and a sleazy Jerry Springer type is offering Donny the money he needs if he can reunite the whole family at the women's prison before the end of the weekend.



Over the last few years, many of Sandler's films have been edging into family fare, so Sandler apparently wanted to show the world that he can still drop F Bombs with the rest of the world, and attempted to make a raunchier film than he has in a while.  I guess he doesn't want to lose the market on the genre.

So where does this film stack up in the pantheon of cinematic treasures that Adam Sandler has given us?

It's not his worst film, that honor still belongs to Punch Drunk Love.  Yeah, the only film that critics have liked, was boring... zzzzz...

: )

This falls right in the middle.  Funny, but not hilarious.

In fact, I'd give this one the antithesis of The Wedding Singer.

That film was a great film, that was pushed over the top with the inclusion of Billy Idol, playing himself, to put the icing on the cake and make the movie perfect.

This one takes a middling idea, and the inclusion of Vanilla Ice, playing himself, salvages the movie and actually makes it worth watching.

Little Nicky still remains Sandler's least funny starring vehicle after he had made it big.    I could see watching it again in a few years, but this wouldn't be one that would be watched by me more than once a year.

Rental...not a purchase.

Man vs. Wild ~ "The Grey"

Finally, a Liam Neeson franchise that can't have a sequel...


: )

The story:

A planeload of oil riggers in Alaska crashes in the wilderness.  The ones that die on the plane are the lucky ones.  The rest have to survive the cold Alaskan winter...and a pack of werewolves that want to kill them all.

Okay, werewolves would have actually made this movie better.

If you love Liam Neeson, that's about the only reason I could recommend this tedious thriller that simply picks off one character that you really could care less about, after another...

for two hours.

: /

Yeah, it's streaming from Netflix, and even I hit fast forward as I guessed which character would be the next to die.

This movie didn't survive the 20 minute rule.  That is:

If I'm not grabbed and want to continue the movie within the first 20 minutes, it's coming out.

Could I be missing some complex narration and underlying tones of man's utter futility in the fury of mother nature?

Somehow, I don't think so.

Yeah, I'll take Battleship over this stinker, any day.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Shopping... "Bait"

As I shamelessly admitted when I revealed that Jaws is my favorite movie of all time, I mentioned that because of that movie, I will almost always check out the latest entry in the movies that were spawned by Jaws.  Killer sharks. Piranha.  If they film it, I will watch.

That leads us to today's entry in the food chain:  Bait.

The story:  A tsunami hits Australia and amidst all the destruction, an underground shopping center is flooded... and a 12 foot killer shark is swimming around... hungry.  The survivors attempt to find a way out without becoming shark food in the process.

Meanwhile, in the parking garage, a few more survivors have a 2nd shark to deal with.

Welcome to Australia, hope you survive the experience.

Often times, the sign of a good "B" movie is when it realizes it's a B movie, and doesn't attempt to pass itself off as the latest Citizen Kane.  And conversely, they don't play down the fact that they are a B movie and that they should be some higher artform, but can't be, so they'll just wing it.

When you get a good balance, you get a movie that is more enjoyable than you thought it would be.

Which that is high praise for any movie.  If it is better than your expectations, it usually turns out pretty good for the audience.

This movie has no stars that I recognize aside from Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck; Fantastic Four).  Nope, instead it's 2 stories that allow the movie to bounce back and forth between the two groups of survivors and their attempts to survive their respective sharks.

It is that back and forth action that makes the movie pretty darn riveting.  Instead of 90 minutes watching one group escape from one or two sharks... you get a break from one story, and can spend a few minutes on the other story.

The shark effects are better than your SyFy Channel entries, but it is amazing that in all the years since Jaws, practical and CGI cannot seem to generate a more realistic and terrifying shark on the screen.

Unlike many of the shark films out there, where you know pretty much who will be eaten, and don't really care, I will say that there was one character who bites (or is bitten) the big one, that I was actually disappointed to see chomped down.

I personally would have let that character live, and introduce a different character as fish fodder.

But that's just me. 

How much quibbling am I really going to do about a B movie about killer sharks?

Worth a viewing if you like Shark Attack movies.  If they aren't your cup of tea, you won't miss it.

You Sank My "Battleship"!!

When they announced that Battleship was coming to the Big Screen, who didn't think...

Wha? Huh?

How could that be a passably entertaining movie watching 2 people sit back and attempt to sink one another's battleship.

Although, Pixar could probably pull it off.  : )

Naturally, the movie decided to take a few liberties from the board game, and attempt to tell a slightly different story.

Lieutenant Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is a slacker in the Navy who is literally one moment away from being dismissed from service.  Meanwhile, attempts to contact intelligent life in the universe prove to be successful, and suddenly the two stories converge on the high seas.  Cut off from the rest of the fleet, commanded by Liam Neeson, Lieutenant Hopper has to save the world, and the girl that he loves, from aliens.  Will the slacker rise to the occasion, or are we all doomed?

Okay, there's no way this movie should exist, but it does.  Whether Hollywood is truly bankrupt or not is a conversation for another day.  Recycling television shows is one thing, but when you have to resort to a board game...

And yet...

Equal parts Independence Day, Top Gun and Under Siege, the effort is cycled through admirably by Peter Berg (Hancock, Friday Night Lights, and my favorite, The Rundown). 

It goes by fairly quickly for a 2+ hour movie.

It's not the greatest movie you'll ever see, but darn if it wasn't entertaining enough.

It's a popcorn movie, pure and simple.

So give it a try when you've got a few hours to kill, and want to see the U.S. Navy blow stuff up.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 1 ~ Jaws

Welcome to the Greatest Movie Ever Made.

Period.

Jaws.

As I mentioned yesterday, this and Raiders have long battled in my heart and head for the title of the Greatest Movie Ever Made.

I ultimately decided to give the title to Jaws.

Why?

I would have to say that seeing this movie for the first time as a young 6-7 year old on ABC where it was edited for television probably had the most profound effect on me than any other movie I've ever seen.  That single movie did two things for me:

1) It made me fascinated and terrified of Great White Sharks that has lasted my entire life.

2) It made me fascinated and in love with watching movies. 

Which is why I spend 100 consecutive days babbling briefly about my favorites.

And I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has spent a moment reading along.  I hope it was as fun for you as it was for me.

So, back to Jaws...

The Story...seemingly ripped from the headlines today...

A killer shark is terrorizing the beaches of Amity.  Since it refuses to go away and eat somewhere else, the sheriff, a marine biologist, and a crusty old fisherman head out to sea to kill the fish themselves.

Before there was a Spielberg and John Williams team...there was Jaws.  The theme for Jaws is so universally revered, generations of composers have attempted to use a similar theme to portray an unseen terror.

The performances by the the leads is nothing short of amazing.  Filming the majority of the ocean scenes on the actual ocean was a first for Jaws.  The conditions breaking the shark made for a better movie as the suspense builds for nearly half the movie before you even see the shark.

It spawned 3 sequels, the 2nd being the best (or most watchable) of that franchise.  Each one gets progressively worse.

Naturally, it also spawned generations of movies that ramp up sharks killing people using CGI or animatronics to varying degrees of success.

And yes, I tend to find those in my "Q" and watch them, knowing full well they will never live up to their inspiration, but sometimes a good B-movie can revel in its inferiority and actually make a pretty passable movie.  More on that idea will be coming to the review pile very soon!

Thanks for reading!!

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 2 ~ Raiders of the Lost Ark

If the theme from Raiders is playing in your head...

I can't blame you.

If you would argue that this movie, is truly the greatest movie ever made, I wouldn't argue very hard with you either.

Raiders and Jaws have battled for years as to which is my favorite movie of all time.  Pick a day, I would change my mind.

Ultimately, just like in the opening of Raiders, Indy came up 2nd again.

Otherwise, Spielberg's direction, John Williams score... they combine to make for some great movies over the years.

The plot, if you've never seen Raiders...

Archaeologist and professor Indiana Jones is on a mission in Egypt to find the lost Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can locate it.

That's right, Nazis!

The movie spawned two successful sequels.  The 2nd, following most trilogy lore, was not as good as the first.  It did, however, usher in the era of PG-13 as it was so dark and spooky for kids in the 80s!  The 3rd, if not for the rule of sequels, would have easily made this list on its own merits.  Sean Connery as Indy's dad was a stroke of casting genius.

This is the movie for Harrison Ford.  Sure, Han Solo was great, but nothing even remotely compares to Dr. Jones.  Even the abysmally bad 4th movie was almost worth enduring just to see Ford back in the fedora once more.

And for the record, it's Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Not Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Suck it, George Lucas!

: )

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 3 ~ The Avengers

Welcome to the Greatest Comic Book Movie...Ever Made.

Yep, I'm still on a euphoric high from seeing it in theaters with my kids earlier this summer.

In fact, while it sits in my house since Avengers Day courtesy of Netflix... I have yet to watch it!

I know... terrible!

But I plan to.  Just been a little busy.  However, the kids have all watched it, at least once, and said it's still as good as they remember.

So that leaves me to wonder will this movie remain in the Top 5 of all time?

Or will time allow some of the other classics to slide back in front and push the Avengers back down somewhere else in the Top 25?

We'll see. : )

So for the few that haven't seen the film, here goes:

All of the heroes from the Marvel movies finally get together under Nick Fury's Avengers Inititiative to stop Loki from taking over the world.

Perhaps my most concise summary, ever!

Really, it's a chance for all of the Avengers we've seen in each of their own films to step up and branch out just a little bit more.  There is still character growth for some of them, and a chance to further hone their place in the Marvel Universe.  And then, it's a slobberknocker of a fight at the end of the film to save the day.

Robert Downey Jr. once again owns his role as Tony Stark.  Hemsworth and Evans both continue to grow their pieces as Thor and Captain America.  Hawkeye and the Black Widow each get more screen time this go round.  And then there is Mark Ruffalo playing the final, and best, version of Bruce Banner yet to grace the screen.

As for Agent Coulson...

In a world of Life Model Decoys, where the Vision still would need brainwaves, where unless you bury a body then they probably aren't dead...

I'm holding out hope.

: )

And then there were 2...

As everyone probably already knows my # 1... it will be tomorrow's reveal that will bring closure to this epic adventure.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 4 ~ Back to the Future

Great Scott!

To me, this is often a movie (or franchise) that gets overlooked a lot when I see/hear people/critics discussing and debating the greatest movies ever made, ever seen, etc.

Then when it's brought up, everyone goes... oh yeah, love Back to the Future!

Luckily for me, I remembered early, and didn't have to come back and knock another movie off the countdown to make it fit.

The story, for those that have never seen this one...

It's 1985.  A young teenager, Marty McFly, meets with his friend, Doc Brown, and the two test a time machine that Doc has built.  Terrorists arrive, and young Marty jumps into the time machine...and vanishes back to 1955!  However, young Marty has made a terrible mistake by meeting his parents when they are teens, and has set off a chain reaction that will change the future, and make poor Marty cease to exist.  He must seek the help of the 1955 Doc Brown to help him fix the time machine and send Marty back...

To the Future!

And so begins one of the greatest time travel stories ever created.

Michael J. Fox plays Marty, and watching the test footage of Eric Stoltz, you realize early just how much Fox made Marty come to life and not be just another teenager.  His sense of comedic timing and reactionary acting are essential to the role of the time traveling teen.

Then there is Christopher Lloyd who gave Doc Brown every quirk and mannerism that just make it a joy to watch him onscreen.

Of course, Lea Thompson who does double duty as the mom and Thomas Wilson who steals every scene as the loudmouthed punk Biff round out the cast nicely.

As for the rest of the franchise, it seems that the consensus is Part 2 suffers like most of the sequels to great movies, while 3 brings back a lot of what made the first great.  I'd agree with those sentiments, but I still enjoy watching Part 2. 

This was the big hit that cemented Robert Zemeckis as a top tier Hollywood director, and began a career of collaborations with Steven Spielberg who was the Executive Producer of this film.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 5 ~ Die Hard

Yep.

The greatest Christmas movie of all time...  : )

Okay, that honor probably goes to It's A Wonderful Life.  Die Hard just happens to take place during Christmas...

But still...

It's awesome!

The story:  A New York cop flies to L.A. to see his estranged wife.  While heading to her office Christmas party, a gang of terrorists take over the tower... and it's up to John McClane to save the day.

Yippee Ki Yay!

This is the movie that made Bruce Willis a star.  Sure, he was already great on Moonlighting, but this gave him that Silver Screen movie star stamp of approval.  We've been reaping the benefits for nearly 25 years since then.

Alan Rickman gave the ultimate slithery performance of a terrorist that all bad guys since have been forced to be compared to.  Most people cannot give that type of performance, so we live with the memory of Hans Gruber as the ultimate bad guy.

The movie, of course, seems simple in execution.  And has spawned, like Jaws, countless imitations.  If ever a hero is trapped somewhere by bad guys, the movie was likely pitched, it's like Die Hard...on a Blank!

Under Siege: Die Hard on a boat.
Speed: Die Hard on a bus.

See?  But the formula works, as both of those made the Top 100 list. ; )

As for the rest of the franchise, it's almost as awesome as the original.  Like most franchises, the second one is a bit weaker, but the third comes back strong.  Really love the pairing of Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in that one.  The fourth one, unfortunately they decided to pc John McClane for a different time.  It still works, but McClane's got to be free to be violent AND potty-mouthed as the situation fits.  Otherwise, it just feels wrong.

And yes, I'm looking forward to Die Hard 5.

: )

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 6 ~ The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption.

Easily, one of the greatest movies ever made.  That's why it's way up here at # 6, even though, like many dramas, it doesn't get the required multiple viewings a year that many of the other movies on this list enjoy.

It's still that good and powerful a movie that it deserves a spot on the top 10 just for being.

How do you sum up Shawshank?

Let's try...

A successful banker, Andy, is accused of murdering his wife and her lover and is sent to Shawshank.  He maintains his innocence, which as he finds out soon enough, so does every convict on the inside.  There he meets Red, a fellow inmate.  They strike up a friendship, that like the movie, follows them for the remainder of their life together in prison.

That should just scratch the surface, but sometimes a surface scratching is all you need.

The power in this film, based on a story by Stephen King, and written and directed by Frank Darabont lies in what Darabont provided: A great script with great actors.

Tim Robbins greatest role as the sullen Andy.  He maintains his innocence throughout, and even the audience is left wondering could he really be innocent or did he really do it?  Then of course there is Morgan Freeman.  There is a mathematical Hollywood equation that basically makes the greatness of your film exponentially better with the inclusion of Morgan Freeman.  In a career full of memorable parts, Red may well be his finest.

To say any more about this film will spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it...

And I know my oldest 3 have not, but someday soon they shall.

Of course my choice of images may not have helped in the spoiler department. : )

And with that... 95 movies down... the Final 5 to go.  Thanks to everyone who has popped in to read these ramblings or just the Facebook blurbs over the last 95 days.  I hope I didn't waste too much of your time.  It's almost over, and then it's back to looking at the film that are coming in by way of Netflix.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 7 ~ The Princess Bride

Ah...The Princess Bride.  Couple this with the Goonies, and you have a perfect one-two punch of great family entertainment that will remain timeless for generations.

The story...for the seventeen people who have never seen this movie...let me explain...

No, there isn't the time...let me sum up..

Princess Buttercup is kidnapped by a band of mercenaries to incite war between two neighboring kingdoms.  Strangely enough, a pirate interferes to rescue the princess from the kidnappers... but for what dire piratey purpose?

Oh come on, everyone has seen this film.  You know it by heart.  You can quote it... "mostly dead"  "you killed my father..."  "inconceivable"  "wuv, twue wuv"  "As...you...wish...".

The movie, is quite possibly, the greatest love-story/action adventure film/kids book narrated by a grandfather movie ever created.

The story is enchanting.  The characters are impeccably cast.  Tell me that you don't see Cary Elwes as the second coming of Robin Hood when you first saw this movie.

Mel Brooks did...

: )

It's Rob Reiner's best film that he's ever done, and I'm a big Rob Reiner fan.

The swordfight alone between Inigo and the Dread Pirate Roberts is worth the price of admission to this film.

This is the hard part about the Top 10 movies.  I've tried to keep the reviews brief, as nearly every movie on this list, aside from some of my out in left field choices are so well known, they serve more as a "yeah, love that one" moment.

So I could gush about how awesome it is, or just by the fact that it's in the Top 10, that should be considered gushing enough.

If you haven't seen this movie in some time, give it a spin again.  You'll be enchanted all over again.

And if you've got kids... you're in for a treat when they are old enough and can appreciate the magic of this movie while watching with you.  And they'll pass it down to their kids...and so on and so on...

And someday, when Hollywood decides to redo this film, generations of moviegoers will shriek in horror at the very idea.

Shriek like eels!

; )

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 8 ~ The Goonies

Welcome back, Richard Donner.

I told you, he's my favorite director of all time.

And this time, he's back, with probably the quintessential movie for kids that were growing up in the 80s:

The Goonies.

The story:

A group of kids (The Goonies!) face eviction from their homes in lovely Astoria, Oregon.  The evil banker is buying up all the property and plans on leveling the area and developing.  On their last night together, they find the pirate map of One-Eyed Willie, and decide to see if they can find the treasure and maybe save their parents from having to move.  If the task of finding Willie's treasure isn't daunting enough, they will have to contend with getting past the Fratelli's...a no-good family of thieves who just so happen to be hiding out exactly where the Goonies need to go to find the treasure.

Talk about a fun movie!

: )

The cool thing about the Goonies, while it is set in the 80s, it is another one of those that has a timeless feel to it.  Ignore any minor topical reference, and the film could be taking place...now.

Which might be why it still resonates with each generation that has sat down to view it, usually with their parents.

Especially if their parents grew up in the 80s and watched it when it first came out.

Yes, every kid likely has known a Mikey, Chunk, Data or Mouth in their time growing up.  Some of you may have even been that kid.

What we didn't get to do was find One-Eyed Willie's treasure or be chased down by a crazed family of Italians.

But I bet we would have wanted to. : )

Or in our own way growing up, we probably embarked on a "Goonie-Enough" mission with our friends.

Unfortunatly, the world is much darker now than it was in the 80s, and we can't let our children roam like the Goonies were able to in the 80s.

Thankfully, they can escape for a bit through the movie, and hopefully that will be good enough.

:: cue Cyndi Lauper soundtrack ::

: )