2012 - Neighbors

On the way home from the theatre I starting trying to figure out something bad that Seth Rogen has been apart of recently, or ever, and the answer is.... not much.  One could say he's got a horseshoe up his ass, but I think it's more realistic to just realize that the guy has good taste and knows what the hell he's doing.
So here's the story of young parents - Rogen and the fucking fantastic Rose Byrne who is equally as beautiful as she is funny, and even more so because of the latter.  They buy a new house and end up living next door to a frat ran by Zac Efron and Dave Franco, who are an equally fantastic pair.  I love how the film starts off with both sides honestly trying to make it work - I love the idea of pitting two people who miss their youths against people that never want to get old - there's so much room to play within that and play they do.  It's a film that's more about the laughs than the heart, which I'm down for as long as the laughs are fast and furious - and they absolutely are here.  I'm not to give away anything besides letting you know that if you wan to so see a funny film in the theatres - look no further, this one - it's super solid.

2011 - Jim Henson's Creature Shop: season one

I actually stumbled upon this and was so happy that I did.  I love pretty much everything and anything Henson, so the chance to go inside of their world and see behind the curtain was so much fun for me as a viewer.  So the gist is 10 creature designers compete for a chance to win a job at Jim Henson's Creature Shop - each week they either work alone or in a team and create something new based on a challenge.  What's really special and unique about this series is there isn't a lot of back-stabbing, these people are more-or-less pretty awesome and lovely people and they are encouraging of each other.  It's a breath of fresh air for the reality genre in general and goes to prove that a show can work well without that fabricated element.  If you're in any way a Henson nerd then give this show a gander - it just wrapped up it's first season and I'm sure you can find it online - try legitimate means first if you can :)

2010 - I Declare War

I’ve wanted an excuse to check out this film for a while, and it’s in the wheelhouse of something I’m noodling with so I gave it a look see.  Let me start by getting the worst out of the way - the entire cast is made up of children and so there’s a range of performances here from really quite good to pretty one-note.  That said, given the type of film it is there’s a lot of forgiveness.  What starts off as a friendly game of capture the flag turns into something much more grown up in this really clever blend of coming-of-age story mashed up with a war film.  Right down to the sticks transforming into guns in the children’s minds there’s a lot of cleverness going on here.  It’s a surreal look at childhood imagination, and it goes the route of treating children as children and not making anything overly cute, but being honest about what kids are really like warts and all.  For me the only real flaws are a few iffy performances from the kids, the material might get a bit heavy handed at times - but it’s fitting for the kind of film it is, and while I’m sure it’ll bother others I was fine with it.  This film is available on iTunes and hopefully Netflix soon - it deserves some more eyeballs!

2009 - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

I love this film, and welcome any chance to revisit it.  It's funny, a conversation about this film has come up a few times over the last week or so so I really wanted to check it out.  Also, anything Kaufman related is worth spending time in.  I love any kind of film that has an element of mystery to it with an unreliable narrator, and this is one of the tops.  For those who don't know it's a bio pic about Chuck Barris who was a television game show producer who wrote an autobiography about having been an assassin for the CIA - in reality no one knows if it's true or not, and this film is an adaptation of that book.  It's so fucking good.  Sam Rockwell is one of my favorite actors, and he's surrounded by pure talent in this film.  If you haven't ever seen this it's a shame and should be rectified.  I love it so hard.

Richard Stark's Parker - Vol 4: Slayground

I have to say that this is two in a row in terms of Cooke's adaptations of Parker that failed to impress me.  It's a bit saddening given that it was because of Cooke that I really took notice of the character and world.  In this edition especially the book is far superior to the graphic novel.  The novel was taught with fantastic suspense, where this one just feels like we're waiting around to see how well he get out of this scrape.  It's underwhelming, sadly.  If anyone out there reads this and loves it - please do me a favor and suss out the source material - likely available at a public library near you!

Richard Stark's Parker: Vol 3 - The Score

This might be the first time where I found the graphic novel version didn’t quite live up to my memory of the original novel - though it’s been awhile since I read it.  That said, it’s still a ton of fun.  This just felt like more of a coles note of a larger story.  It could be that I knew what was going to happen, but I found this lacked any real tension.  As always the artwork is goddamn beautiful and the writing is on par with the source material, but if you want the full breadth of this really fun story then you’re going to have to go back to the source.  I also just picked up the next graphic novel Slayground, and it’s…. thin… which worries me a bit since that’s such a great story.

I don’t meant to slag this book, I think if you’re just reading Parker in this medium then it’s just fine - but I’m a bit of a Parker nerd, so I found it just mildly disappointing.

2008 - The Lego Movie

This has quickly become one of my son's favorite films, and he has been dying to re-visit it since we watched it way back when.  He's counting down the days till it becomes available on DVD.  The best part about watching it this time was how he got excited as certain things approached.  Watching films with nerdy excitable kids is one of my new favorite things.
I don't love the first act of this film, though in retrospect it's a perfect set-up for everything that follows.  Once we're moving along though this film is a rocket - and it's got one of the best third acts I've seen in recent years, and potentially ever in a family film.
Feel free to check out my previous review of this.  This film has it all - a fun story, great characters, lots of laughs - but most of all it's a conversation piece, and has been between my son and I.  Is it also a blatant commercial for toys?  Maybe a tinge - but it's a great goddamn toy!

2007 - Short Term 12

I like Brie Larson.  A lot.  From her work on United States of Tara it was clear that she was a force to be reckoned with both in comedy and drama - and then here comes this - out of left field and perfectly executed.  It's the story of a foster care facility and the supervisors who work there - one in particular.  It's an honest and nerve-inducing look at this world and it's done so with compassion and gritty honesty.  The entire cast is top notch and the film is well worth the reputation that it's gathered.  I think I'll give it another watch with my wife - this kind of film is right up her alley.
It just became available on Netflix, so don't be shy - give it a go!

2006 - Juno

This film is now seven or so years old.  Damn.  I'm sure I've reviewed this film a few times on here, but it never hurts to remind people it's worth checking out a damn fine film :)  I'll admit that some of the dialogue borders along the overly quirky for me, but by and large I love this film.  I love its heart, its characters, its characters.  We make less and less films like this inside of the hollywood system that it falls upon us indie peeps to pick up the mantle.  If you haven't seen or heard about this film you're likely living under a bit of a rock - but for those who missed it, come on now - make it so.  Watch this film, let it sink into your life :)

2005 - The Royal Tenenbaums

It’s been awhile since I’ve watched this.  I think it’s still my favourite Wes Anderson film.  I still need to see Moonrise Kingdom before I outwardly make that claim, but I think it’s the film that best balances his unique style and an honest human element.  I feel that largely following this film he went into a bizarre direction that was almost too stylized and became quirk over content.  That’s not to say his films still aren’t enjoyable, but I haven’t seen one that’s hit me like this one does.  Every single time Ben Stiller says “It’s been a rough year, Dad.” I lose it.  It’s such a simple and powerful beat.

This is one of the most interesting ensemble casts of any film, and such a dynamic and interesting mix.  Gwyneth Paltrow is hilarious and lovely, Ben Stiller is heartbreaking, and Gene Hackman is on the top of his game.  This film also features one of the best soundtracks of the last decade or more.  If you’ve never seen this film and you like character drama/comedy, for my money - it’s one of the best.

2004 - From Dusk Till Dawn

I wanted to re-watch this since I’ve been watching the TV series (which isn’t great but somewhat addictive).  This film is such a ride.  It’s one of the best genre-mash-ups - I doubt you could get away with a film nowadays that takes such a hard left turn half-way through, that in and of itself is quite the feat.  This film features one of my favourite George Clooney performances, and Tarantino in an acting role that works quite well.  This film is edging in on 20 years, which is crazy to me - especially seeing Juliette Lewis so young.  It’s a vampire flick that’s fun and unpredictable.  If you’ve never seen it then do yourself the pleasure, it’s on Netflix.  And if you’re curious what they’d do with a vastly expanded version of this film than check out the tv series, also on netflix.  Very different from this.  I’ve also never checked out the sequels, which I might try to get my hands on.  Anyway, check it out, it’s a blast!

2003 - New Girl: season three

I can think of few shows that have ever made me laugh out loud as much as New Girl.  It's a show that has such a natural and spontaneous energy that's lacking in the majority of television and comedy in general.  It's big, broad, and silly at times by my oh my does it work.  And it's not without it's heart - the beauty of this show is just how fucked up and flawed each of it's characters are.  Every single one of them is damaged and looking for something to make them whole, and that's the secret of great television.
This season dealt largely with Nick and Jess trying to have a relationship and (SPOILER ALERT) ultimately failing at it.  I was a bit surprised that they short-changed that storyline, but at the same time any fan of the show knows that that's a door that isn't closed by any means, and this is the way extending it and keeping it fresh.  I dig it, and I have absolute faith in the talent of the creative team.  Sign me up, coach.  AND SPEAKING OF COACH!  Damon Wayans Jr makes a much welcomed return as Coach, who we haven't seen since the pilot.  I was so happy to see them extend his stay past his initial four episode arc, and even to the point of making him a regular for next season: yes please!
If you've never seen this show and you're a fan of smart comedy, you deserve it to yourself to give it a shot.  It's one of my favorites - and probably the best network comedy series going at the moment.

2002 - Bad Milo

We were catching up on episodes of Jim Henson's Creature Workshop, and so I felt like watching something puppet oriented and remembered that I had this in my netflix que.  It's the story of a man who has a creature living in his ass, and when people/life stresses him out, the little guy crawls out and attacks those who are causing him the stress.  It's a perfect and beautiful metaphor for human interactions (seriously).  This also calls back to some of the fun shlocky horror films of the 80's and early 90's that I watched in my youth.  Lots of great little creature moments.  Gillian Jacobs is the love interest here and I adore the hell out of her as per usual.  The creature is adorable and fantastically creepy all at the same design to kudos to whoever did the work here.
Story wise it's a pretty fun ride, there's a nice little twist at the end, more of an additional element that made me grin a lot.  This is a film full of great ideas and smart execution.  If you want to watch a really fun horror-comedy with just enough of social commentary then this is a must watch.

2001 - The Amazing Spider Man 2

You can likely tell from my photo selections the aspect of the film that I'm most into.  In my defence though, the chemistry between Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield is solid and unique.  I'm a big fan of Emma Stone and she brought a LOT to this series.  In fact, that's the story line that absolutely worked pitch-perfect through-out this and the previous film.  Without going into spoiler details, it's a beautifully worked out love story.
I liked how this instalment dug deeper into storylines and the past.  Electro is a pretty lame villain, and Rhino (I assume this is the third film) looks to be equally lame.  Given how strong the Gwen Stacey and Peter Parker stuff is, it almost feels as if someone else is writing the scenes involved any of the villains talking - their dialogue is so on-the-nose and cliched and.... often terrible.  It doesn't ruin the film, but it pulls you out in key moments and I did have the odd eye roll.  I like the surprise of Green Goblin at the end, but he's such a big thing that it felt short changed - those we haven't seen the last of him at all, so there's that.
I think I liked this better than the first for a few reasons, and as such it's absolutely worth trying to catch while it's still in the cinema.  Enjoy!

2000 - The Amazing Spiderman

Late to the game with this one, and hoping to check out the new one tomorrow evening.  I was pretty damn impressed here.  I like the redo on the origin story.  I never truly loved Tobey Maguire in the part, and I love what they do with Andrew Garfield here - he's charismatic and nerdy in an honest way.  His chemistry with Emma Stone is pretty goddamn great as well - their first kiss scene is the kind that could go down in the history of cinema as part of the great first kisses.  The Lizard isn't a great villain, but I like the idea of using a small villain to help build set up the world for us to play in, and set the stage for things to come.  Over-all a smart fun action flick - looking forward to seeing how the world builds into the second one.

1999 - An Honest Liar

I'm a fan of magic, but I have to admit that I hadn't heard of the Amazing Randi - but let me tell you, he's one of the fascinating and enjoyable people on this planet.  I saw this at HotDocs and we were fortunate to have the man in attendance for spirited Q&A and he's delightful through and through.
This film is about the lies that get told and how they can be harmful - the difference between a harmful lie and an honest one meant to entertain.  A fine line indeed - and the difference between a conman and a magician is simply the fact that magicians will admit that they're trying to trick and fool you.
I really enjoyed this film for the most part - it's split into chapters that largely involve Randi debunking things that are harmful to people in general.  He goes out of his way to mention that everyone can be deceived, and there's no more powerful proof than him being caught up in his own hoax through a series of natural events.  And while dramatic and organic to the story, the ending still feels like it doesn't quite fit.  It feels tagged on after the fact and not initially part of a larger master plan.  I'd be curious to know what was originally planned before life got in the way.
This is a fun piece, and hopefully it's available for all to see sooner rather than later.

1998 - Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil

This was my selection for Canadian Film Day!  I wanted to watch something I hadn't seen before and I'm really glad I went with this one.  It would have been so easy for this premise to be terrible.  It's the story of two friends who get assumed to be redneck killers, and in the same confusion believe that the teens that think are being victimized are going after them (make sense?).
It's a really great (and bloody) comedy of errors and Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are pure magic together.  Seriously - turn this into a Harold & Kumar-esque franchise and I am in for revisiting this world in a heart beat.  It's a bit over the top, but that's the point - this isn't the kind of film that's taking itself too seriously.  This is a really solid entry into the horror-comedy genre mix - and it's on netflix, so get on that!

1997 - Adaptation

I was in film school when this came out, and at the height of my screenwriting neediness - so the meta-ness of this film was always it’s strong point for me.  I’m curious how it’s viewed outside of industry circles.  This might be the first time that I really took to heart the additional layer of us being in constant adaptation - our inner change.  It’s beautiful.  This film is packed with amazing actors in roles large and small and Nicholas Cage gives one of his career best performances.  This was part of an amazing run from Charlie Kaufman that has come to a, kind of, depressing halt.  I shouldn’t say that he hasn’t lived up to his promise - because if he never made another film he’d still be responsible for some of the most interesting and innovative films of my lifetime - but I guess I was just hoping for more by now… 

If you’ve never seen this film and you’re a film nerd in any way, it’s a must see.  

1996 - The Vow

Michael Sucsy, the director, has a great eye for Canadian talent - I didn't catch Toronto locations, but I did catch some amazing Toronto talent in supporting roles, including Joey Klein, Tatiana Maslany, Dillon Casey, and Wendy Crewson to name a few.
I was pleasantly surprised by this film.  It tells the story of a woman, madly in love with her husband, who loses her memory of him and the struggles they face with that fall-out.  It essentially asks the question, "If you met the love of your life at a different point in time, would you still chose them?"  I like that this film didn't go for easy answers and that it didn't wrap up everything in a pretty bow.  It feels honest and authentic.  I was worried that it went too far in one direction, but it managed to pull back at the end - which is really just a testament to good storytelling.  Tatum and McAdams are paired well here, and they're sweet together when they need to be, and their awkwardness work well rooted.  It's a charming little love story and should even appease the cynical amongst you.   And it's no netflix, so give it a shot!

1995 - Punch-Drunk Love

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen this film.  I don’t know if you’d consider it underrated, but it’s definitely not referenced enough.  This film is so beautifully stylized - it’s use of music and colour is really wonderful.  What looks mostly like available light gives it a real authenticity as well.  On top of that you’ve got two really sweet performances by Adam Sandler and Emily Watson.  They feel like such delicate flowers in this world that’s full of chaos and friction.  If you’ve never seen it and you like slightly off-beat love stories, this is easily one of the best.  I love this film.