2055 - Total Recall (remake)

Meh.  Why the hell remake this film?  (then again, why the hell did I watch it?  and what was I expecting?).  The original was one of my favorite films from childhood - I remember rewatching it over and over.  This just feels so disposable.  Though now I'm going to rewatch the original.... maybe it doesn't hold up as well as I remembered.  This one however just feels kind of empty and pointless.  Meh.

2026 - Breaking Bad: No Half Measures

I treated myself to the BluRay box set of the complete series because it’s loaded to the tits with features and also because I think it’s one of the few perfect television series that exists and I look forward to revisiting and studying it further - especially with all of the features that are on it.  It’s television school in a box and I think anyone wanting to work in the medium owes it to themselves to pick this up.

So this is supposed to be about the documentary that came with the set.  It follows the production of the final eight episodes, and it’s largely a love fest as they go through it, but there’s a lot of insight into how it works and if you’re a fan of the show then there’s no better way to dive back in and enjoy the final pieces being put together.

I look forward to slowly going through the series all over again and all of the special features that this set contains - there’s, I believe, over 55 hours of bonus which is almost as much as the series itself.  What a great ride I’ve got ahead of me… 

2013 - Godzilla

I have to admit that I'm not super familiar with the history of Godzilla in cinema outside of the pop culture stuff that most people know.  I have to say that I found this to be pretty darn entertaining.  What I think was really amazing about the direction of this film was how well the POV of various people was used super effectively during our set piece to ground us in something and show us what this really means to be people outside of it rather than just being destruction for the sake of it.  Having Godzilla pitted against other monsters and being more of a heroic role was a much more solid choice than having him be our villain.  As you can imagine this film has it's fair share of hokiness, as some of Cranton's over the top pleading can attest - but on the whole it's entertaining, and while teasing a fair share of them, doesn't fall into the cliche these films often live in.  I loved the subtle way Godzilla was shown, especially through fighting - keeping us in other characters POV was really important for those sequences as well. Over-all - really well done and entertaining!

1917 - Breaking Bad: season five - part 2

What can I say here that hasn't already been said?  This show is universally loved, by myself as well.  There isn't a bad performance, a bad scene, hell I'd argue there isn't a bad episode in the entire run.  Perfect is a strong word, but Breaking Bad might be just that.  There was an interesting theory that the final episode was a dream of Walt's, and that he simply died alone, not accomplishing anything he wanted to - part of me likes that as much as I like the idea of the ending going down exactly as it happened.  Did it tie things up too cleanly?  Maybe.  It went down pretty much as I'd expected and thought - so I didn't have a lot of surprises in the final hour, but I had a lot of fun watching it. What I loved about the last run of episodes was that it really felt like Vince Gilligan was giving us a sample of every possible outcome.  We got to see what it looked like when Jesse turned the tables on Walt, what it looked like when Hank won, Walt running away with his tail between his legs, Walt dying alone, and then Walt making amends and doing what he set out to do: take care of his family.  I'd argue that if you didn't like the ending of the actual finale - then at least you were given something in that group that helped it.  

I'm really looking forward to picking up that big-ass boxset and delving into the materials and behind the scenes.  Shit yes.  It's a beautiful show that never stayed past it's welcome and went out absolutely on top.  It's inspiring.  Good on ya, Gilligan and company.  Thank you for giving us an amazing story to obsess over for several seasons.  You'll be missed.

1830 - Little Miss Sunshine

Revisited this film as a reference for something in the works.  It's hard to think of a film since this one that has hit such a chord an an indie film.  This is a lightning in the bottle kind of film that everyone involved probably had no idea how much of a fire it would start.
Michael Arndt wrote a perfect script with wonderful stories and arcs for each character.  It's got a fantastic visual to it and I love how simple and real the production design is as well.  Films like this are like comfort food and an absolute pleasure to revisit.  If you've never seen this film you need to correct that wrong ASAP.  It's the kind of film where, if someone tells me that they don't like it I just can't imagine how we could possibly be friends...

1769 - Argo

I don't care what anyone says - nobody directs Ben Affleck better than Ben Affleck.  Hell, few direct as well as him period.  In three films Affleck has announced himself as a real talent behind the camera, and I hope he's not through yet.  I've always liked him well enough as an actor, but never been drawn to a film just because he's in it - but as a director - I'm there on opening night.
I didn't know about this story at all, and I went to see it with an American friend whom had heard about the 444 held in captivity, but not abbot the 6 that got away, and the story of what happened to them - even though it had been declassified over a decade ago.
It's the story of an American embassy overthrown and how six people who got away and were being searched for, got away.  Canada got all the credit for the mission originally, but in the film come off as little more than inn-keepers - I think that there's something in the middle that's most likely truer of the actual events and both sides involvements.  In addition, in the thrilling climax, I'm sure that the majority of it was invented for the sake of pure entertainment - and entertaining it is!!! 
Here's the bottom line - don't go to see the film as if it's history lesson - so to see it because it's a very entertaining thriller with some fantastic performances from Ben, Bryan Cranston, Alan Alda, John Goodman, and many others.  It's entertaining as hell, and despite some creative allowances gives you a pretty good glance into how fucked up some stuff has to be.  The bizarre issues between nations in this world of ours.  Highly recommend it. 

1761 - Breaking Bad: season five

I'm a tad behind on writing about this one as well - although only a week so cut me some slack :)  Needless to say, this is season five (or the first half anyway - I'm still considering the next season as season six given that it's a year break) and so this is going to be ridiculously SPOILER HEAVY.  Get out now if you're not caught up of the series.  And if you're just starting, enjoy the ride!  You're in good hands.
So it's been a hell of a ride watching Walter White go from good guy to buy, from Mr. Chips to Scarface.  And it's seemed awfully effortless.  Bryan Cranston is peerless in just how fucking good he is in this type of role.  After the hell he went through last year it was delightful to watch Walt come into his own while still cleaning up the mess that his pride had gotten him into.  And what amazed me the most was how as soon as Skyler finally broke through to him… Heisenberg went away.  Walt saw that he's well-over-achieved his dream.  And beautifully, that's when the other shoe drops.  Although he doesn't know it yet.  If I have one complaint it's that we didn't get to see Hank freak out more at the ultimate discovery.  Although how goddamn exciting is it to know that Hank is in 'the know' going into the final eight episodes?  So many ways this could go down, and we know that we're in good hands with Vince Gilligan and crew.  Shame we have to wait a year, but it's worth it if the final chapter is anywhere near the quality of this series thus far.  Easily one of the best television series of all time.

1745 - Breaking Bad: season one

I rewatched this with my Dad while he was staying at our place, and it was so interesting to give it a second glance, knowing where it's headed.  There's a lot of lovely foreshadowing going on here, and it's really great to step back and remember where the characters came from.  One thing that really stood out was how much I liked Skylar (I think she's currently an annoying, raving bitch). 
I need not go on and on about it - those who have seen it know how great it is, and those who haven't, I dare not ruin any of the fun.  I look forward to revisiting these and watching my Dad discover it for the first time.

1634 - Breaking Bad: season four

I saw the first three seasons of this show back to back because I was late to it, so this was the first time that I had to wait week by week, and if you're a fan of the show you know that that's torture.  I have to be honest in that I was getting pretty impatient with the beginning of this season.  The first episode was pretty solid - and I'm sure that if you watched it back to back with last's seasons finale, the pace was a nice relief.  The three episodes or so that followed felt a tad labored though.  I know that they probably needed it to set up what was to come, but I can't tell you how sick I was of Hank and his rock collection.  And when the show resort to watching Marie deal with her kleptomania, you know that you're not in the most exciting part of the season.  Given how much those characters fall to the way-side once shit hits the fan it should be a pretty significant sign to the creative team that these cast members aren't that important, and so spending ridiculous amount of screen time on them just makes us want to get back to the characters that are. 
The rest of this is going to be pretty SPOILER HEAVY, I can't imagine anyone would be reading this that hasn't seen the season - but there's your warning.  Take it or leave it.

First, for anyone interesting click here to get a link to an interview that the A.V. Club did with the showrunner Vince Gilligan - it breaks down every episode this season and it's a pretty awesome window into how they work on the show.
Gus has been an amazing villain, and a real opponent for Walt and Jesse.  The game of chess that they played this season was extraordinary.  And just as you were starting to really dislike Walt they had Gus come in and knock him down a few notches so that you could feel sorry for him.  Brilliantly played.  This show is easily one of the more visually styled show on television, and it almost always work in their favor.  With the exception of those early episodes this season, this has been a series that is always top notch.  The stakes are high, which helps, but the brilliance is that the show never takes itself uber seriously.  There is always a bit of a wink there.  Take Gus' death in the season finale - no way that man walks out of that room, but it's fine because if anyone, he deserved a kick-ass death. 
The dynamic between Walt and Jesse was superb this year and it really tested their relationship - and will continue to do so based on the path that Walt is now on.  I'm going to make a bit of a prediction.  Given that next season is their last, I really believe that the focus is going to shift ever so slightly.  Walt is finally going to fully transform into the shows villain (all hail Heisenberg) and it'll be about Hank and/or Jesse taking him down in the end (unless the cancer gets to him first, which would be the ultimate irony). 
This is a great show and it's been a (mostly) great season.  Can't wait to see where they go next.  Just hope that they don't take as big a break as they did between the last season and this one. 

1620 - Drive

I'm going to do a little something different for this review posting.  I didn't even know this film existed until I saw a friend's (Matt Williams) facebook posting going on and on about how amazing he thought it was - and so I found myself at a theatre last night at 10pm to see it (this is late for me).  And so what's below is our un-edited e-mail back-and-forth about the film.  Please proceed with extreme caution as we talk freely about the entire film so there are  
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Jeremy:  So I went to see Drive.  I really enjoyed it.  I even dug the bad 80's soundtrack that they made work for it.  A few little things drove me nuts a bit, but the pros FAR outweighed the cons.  The only thing that really bothered me was just the focus on style over substance in some moments.  For example near the end, when he goes to kill Nino.  Absolutely no reason for him to bother with the mask besides the fact that it "looks cool" :)

Matt:  Nice, glad you liked it. I agree about the mask - upon rewatch today, I realized that it totally wasn't necessary. Nino never would have seen his face anyway, and if he had, like on the beach, it wouldn't have mattered. Also, in the elevator, when he sees the guy has a gun, he wouldn't take the time to kiss Irene before bashing the dude's head in - the guy could kill him first. But, those moments worked for me, because sometimes style is substance (rarely, and only if done with complete precision). Plus, I don't tend to get bogged down with small details like that. The kiss, for example, represents something very important, even if realistically speaking, a normal person wouldn't turn their back on a guy who's about to kill them to give a girl a kiss.
It just all worked for me. A perfect film, in my opinion. And, imo, there's probably been only 6 or 7 of those in the past 5 years. The film really takes on the personality of the Driver, in a masterful way.... few films accomplish that with great effect. Recently, The Departed did a decent job of doing that. But I don't know if any film has done it like Drive. And it's fucking suspenseful as hell. I haven't felt that much tension since The Hurt Locker, or Breaking Bad for TV.
I LOVED the soundtrack. Just loved it.
I really hope, depending on what else is released this year, that Refn wins Best Director. Seriously one of the most well-directed films I've ever seen.

Jeremy: A perfect film is, obviously, a subjective thing.  Having spent the evening and morning thinking about it I'm not sure I can agree with a lot of what you're saying.  To me Drive was a REALLY well executed genre film.  It's gorgeous to look at, but I think that style does not equal substance, and I think that a large part of why film has taken a downturn in recent years is that people think that it does.  I can agree that it's a very well directed film, but I think that it's a stretch to think that he'll win, let alone get nominated.  With the exception of Tarantino (and he is the exception, not the rule) the academy doesn't really respond to genre films.  And this one in particular is missing the key ingredient to that - substance.  Gosling is essentially playing a more aesthetically pleasing version of Travis Bickle, minus all the stuff that makes Bickle a truly unique character and one that still stands out today.  And Carey Mulligan (who is absolutely adorable - I love her) is simply the damsel in distress - given how paper thin her character is, she makes up for it in wonderful ways by how she looks at him - and we can see her desire for someone to take care of her.  But that's all there is to her character, sadly.  She's just a male fantasy who is drawn, for reasons unknown, to sociopaths - both her husband and The Driver.  And The Driver's only redeeming qualities is that he protects those who need protecting (also for reasons unknown).  Albert Brooks and Bryan Cranston easily had the best characters in this film - the scene where Brooks kills Cranston could be the film's best.  It was so understated and simply, and yet mildly horrifying.  Loved it. 
As I mentioned with 'the mask' that was just an obvious example of how empty a lot of the decision making in this film was.  Things were often done because it 'looked cool'.  Christina Hendricks' (whom I also adore) character could have been completely cut out of the film and it wouldn't have made a difference at all - it would have been really easy to do.  But it looked cool to have a smoking hot woman help rob a store.  Her character made zero difference to the film.  The Driver had already met 'Cook' so it's not inconceivable that he could have found him on his own, or asked after him like he had to do anyway after Hendricks was killed.  The kiss, actually, was fine for me.  I saw it as The Driver using it to throw the gunman for a loop and confuse him, thereby giving The Driver the upper hand. 
The ending, in particular bothered me, in that it didn't fit.  Very often films like this go for a "down ending" because it's cooler than letting people be happy.  It made sense for The Driver to walk away with nothing, and for the other people who got involved, but Carey Mulligan's character should have at least walked away with the money.  She was an innocent and she was punished for no reason.  Had they have her get involved in a sexual relationship with The Driver then I could see her ending up with nothing, but as it is, she gets nothing and for no reason.  What's it to The Driver?  Why would he leave all that money with the body at the end?  Probably because it looked cool. 
Now, all this being said, it was very entertaining, and it was a visually great looking film.  But, for me, that's about all it was.  It's not something I imagine I'll ever need to revisit, nor something that I'll need to reference down the line.  Pretty much got everything I needed out of it the first time around.

Matt: I never said that I think he will win an Oscar, I said I hope he will, depending on what else comes out this year (it's a bit too premature to say for sure, especially since most of the best films come out in these next few months).
And I agree that style over substance is what destroys most modern films. That's why I walked out of The Tree of Life. That was almost entirely style over substance. But, sometimes style *can* be substance - Tarantino does it a lot (successfully making style also substance - he also fails a lot). And the Coens do it a lot. Or, in some situations, style isn't taking the front seat to substance; they're both side by side, which is the case with a lot of this film. The Driver is, as you say, essentially a Travis Bickle type character, but also more like Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name. More like him in that we know nothing about his past, and he doesn't seem to have much of a life - two things that Travis Bickle does have (though I guess he doesn't have much of a life either, but at least we see some of it). "Drive" is an existential study - it deals with those most important and basic of human emotions and needs, but does it better than any film in recent memory that I can think of. Mainly because of the acting. There is so much here in this film that couldn't have been on the page, unless the writer literally wrote "Driver thinks so and so." I knew every moment what the characters were thinking, despite them not saying anything. If that isn't the perfect storm of acting and directing, I don't know what is. Going off the existential idea - Nietzsche, as I'm sure you know, wrote of the Ubermensch - or "overman", sometimes "superman." What the Ubermensch really is is a person who has acquired total control of their life; someone with complete freedom. And the Driver is very much that - and when something threatens to unravel not only his freedom, but Irene's, he steps in and takes command. While I'd argue he has already, at the beginning of the film, achieved Ubermensch status, he doesn't fully realize it until the end of the film. And therein is why I'd also argue that this is much very a superhero origin story. So I think the Driver is very much a unique figure - he isn't stripped of character at all. He may not say much, but you know what he's feeling.
Existentialism also deals very much with guilt and regret - and when Standard is killed, Driver very much feels guilt and regret, which is not something an Ubermensch can feel. So his life is thrown out of whack by this. And to regain his ubermensch status - restore his life to normalcy - as well as ensure the protection of the kid and the girl, he does what he does. And why does he leave the money? Because Irene doesn't want it, and he doesn't want it - that isn't part of his goal. She doesn't get 'punished' - she outright rejects the money.
To me, it's a very philosophical film. Very existential, a lot like the recent The American or Le Samourai from the 60s. Many of the silent moments have great depth to them, and every shot is composed with care, precision, and meaning.
Yes, obviously perfection is a subjective thing. I don't deny that. Somebody could argue this is the worst movie in the past decade, and if they argued it with intelligence, I'd respect that opinion. I wouldn't agree - but I'd respect it. I respect your opinion of it, and other films, even if sometimes I do not agree. I once read a paper that argued Abraham Lincoln was the worst president ever. The writer didn't actually believe it, but they wanted to take that position and see if they could defend it. It was actually well-thought out and intelligent. Even if I (and most) don't agree.
For the record, to compare, the only other films in recent memory that I would call perfect, let's say the last five years, would be: The Wrestler, No Country for Old Men, The Hurt Locker, The Social Network, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, A Serious Man, United 93, Chop Shop, Up in the Air, and this film. But that's just my opinion.