Best Christmas Movie Marathon, Part 2

Here is the more holiday related half of my epic Christmas movie marathon.

6. Elf - I remember seeing this movie in the theaters and I love it just as much then as I do now. Elf will get you in the Christmas mood because of its Pro-Santa message and off the wall acting by Will Ferrell. Elf is a good family Christmas movie if you find your whole family is incapable of getting the spirit.

7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - This is one of my favorite Christmas movies ever (hence why it made it on this list) and if you haven't seen it just go buy it right now. I shouldn't have to convince you to watch this you should just want to.

8. A Christmas Story - Yes they play this movie on Christmas day for 24 hours, but you could watch it for the entire day and laugh every time. A Christmas Story has plenty of humor for everyone and even more for us boys that have gotten BB guns for Christmas before.

9. It's A Wonderful Life - I first saw this movie when I was in 4th grade and fell in love with it. It's a Wonderful Life is the best movie at Christmas time you can watch with the whole family, and by whole family I'm including grandma.

And the BEST Christmas movie to watch to get you in the spirit, and my personal favorite!





10. The Nightmare Before Christmas - Yea the movie is barely feature length but you'll love ever minute of it. Yes it could be scary to some people, but lets not forget that it deals with how everyone even the inhabitants of Halloweentown want to be a part of it. The Nightmare Before Christmas gets my seal of approval as the best Christmas movie, and I promise you I'll be watching it very soon.

But tonight in celebration of the end of exams and the semester, I'll be watching The Dark Knight.

Best Comedies of 2008

Last week you read about the best horror films of 2008 this week I bring you the best comedies of the year.

5. Zach & Miri Make a Porno - Kevin Smith is in my opinion one of the funniest filmmakers of our time. Though he doesn't plan on making any more movies with the characters he's spent so much time establishing he hasn't lost his comedic edge. Zach & Miri brings the potty mouth humor and heart warming film making ability of Smith back onto screen.

WARNING: THIS TRAILER CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE


4.Wall-e -Besides being the best animated movie of the year Wall-e is REALLY funny. Don't think that because this is a cartoon that you'll lose your manhood, which is something I've heard people say, Wall-e is brilliant and you will love it.



3. Son of Rambow - No one saw this movie, I know it, and you all missed out because it was hysterical. The flick is already out on DVD and you SHOULD buy it because it is fantastic. I like the movie because I like movies about making movies, and thats what this is. Its also one of those "Screw the popular kids!" movies because I like those too.



2. Burn After Reading - The Coen brothers are comedic brilliance. The Big Lebowski, Fargo, Raising Arizona, and even The Lady Killers. BaR is fantastic, but sadly doesn't come out on DVD until about December 23



1. Hamlet 2 - I know none of you saw this (because there were 2 other people theater besides me) and you all missed out. Hamlet 2 is the funniest movie of the year and most people around here didn't like it because it made fun of Jesus. Get a sense of humor about everything please and then go watch Hamlet 2.


WARNING: THIS TRAILER CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE

12/9 DVD Releases

There are only two DVDs coming out tomorrow, and you should know that you SHOULD buy both of them (even though I know 90% of you are only going to buy one of them).

The two movies in question: The Dark Knight and Dr. Suess' Horton Hears a Who.

The Dark Knight without question is the biggest film of the year, and as the commercials really want you to think probably the biggest of the decade. I don't need to convince you to buy this movie, but Horton on the other may take some suggestion.

Horton Hears a Who is one of the best animated movies of the year, it in fact probably would be best if it were not for Wall-e. Horton is filled with tons of different types of humor and is loaded with a celebrity voice cast. Even if you don't enjoy the movie you could probably make a game out of attempting to figure out what celebrity is doing a voice.

Plus you get this in Horton:


Take my word for it, buy both of these on DVD tomorrow.

How you can tell when critics don't know what they're talking about...

I knew I was destined to like Punisher: War Zone before I even saw it. That is because I am a Punisher fan. So when I read reviews about the film that said things like "Are we supposed to be laughing at these things? Cause I don't think we were supposed to, but we did" or "This is the worst comic book movie ever made" or "This is the Batman & Robin of Marvel comics movies".

ALL of these are wrong. I'll take all of these things that have been said about Punisher: War Zone to prove that these critics don't know what they're talking about and that Punisher: War Zone is one of the most faithful comic book adaptations since Sin City.

1. "Are we supposed to be laughing at these things?" - Besides being grotesquely violent the Punisher comic books are often very humorous, and that type of humor is reflected in the movie but in a very dark comedic tone. In both the film and the comics they humor is often laugh out loud funny, and political at times. It is beyond me how a critic could find something funny in a movie, that is obviously supposed to be funny, and not recognize it as intentional.

2. "This is the worst comic book movie ever made" - Wrong again. Punisher: War Zone reflects the comic book to a T. The extreme violence and outlandish fight scenes are exactly what a Punisher movie has been dying for since they made the first film almost 20 years ago. You want a real list of worst comic book movies ever made, that don't treat their source material with respect? 1. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. 2. Elektra. 3. Son of the Mask.

3. "This is the Batman & Robin of the Marvel comics movies" Okay lets examine this claim to its deepest extent. Batman & Robin was made by a director that took as many liberties with the characters as he wanted. He added:

• Nipples to Batman and Robin's costumes
• Ice Skates to their boots
• So many puns its unhealthy to hear
• Batman credit card
• Enough product placement to make you vomit

No liberties were taken with Punisher: War Zone. It is faithful to the comic books with all of its characters, violence, and humor. The real Batman & Robin of Marvel comics movies is actually probably Daredevil or Howard the Duck.



So if you see Punisher: War Zone and don't like it, and then these are your complaints. It doesn't bother me at all to tell you YOU'RE WRONG.

12/5 Theatrical Releases

This weekend sees the release of three movies that I can guarantee won't break any box office numbers.

Cadillac Records - Cadillac Records is best on the true story of Chess records and their rise to power and fame in Chicago in the 1950s and 60s. The film, though loaded to the brim with stars, doesn't show promise from the trailer. If anything the movie looks like more of a waste of time than a good use of it.


The Nobel Son - Nobel Son shows promise to be good, since it has a good cast (better than Cadillac Records in my opinion) and a compelling plot line. The son of a Nobel prize winner is kidnapped on the eve of the father's acceptance of the award. The film is supposed to be a story of revenge and redemption, and the trailers make it look as flashy as a Guy Ritchie picture.


Punisher: War Zone - I have been waiting on this movie for four years, and I'm more excited now than I was then. This movie appears to be the definitive Punisher film and I'm hoping will be one of the more violent movies I've ever seen (which is a stretch since I have Cannibal Holocaust on DVD).


If you want my recommendation on what to see this week, it would be Nobel Son or Punisher: War Zone. But I will be going to see the Punisher kill the hell out of some bad guys, and I'm going to love it.

The Best Horror movies of 2008

As the year comes to a close, we start to look back at the things that we enjoyed. For the remainder of the year I'll be going through a list of what I deemed the best of in certain categories. Today's category: HORROR MOVIES.

In case you are not aware, I LOVE horror movies. I look forward to seeing horror movies in theaters more then most 'award winning' movies. And I'm talking about actually horror movies, not these PG-13 sequels to a Japenese remake. I would talk about my favorite horror films now, but I'll save that for later.

The BEST Horror films of 2008

5. Diary of the Dead - Granted I was a little skeptical when I heard Romero was hoping on the 'Cam-movie' band wagon, but its safe to say he pulled it off. The movie is 100% better than the Spanish film [REC], or it's American remake Quarantine, though they all share a common idea: People are running from zombies and they have a camera. Now Diary has the advantage in this situation because Romero knows how to handle a zombie outbreak, he also knows how to make people believable in these situations. Diary of the Dead offers a unique and commonly overlooked idea at how the modern college student would react to a zombie outbreak, and its great.
Scare Factor: 5/10



4. Mirrors - Alexandre Aja in my opinion is one of the top two modern horror directors that should be crowned king (the other being Rob Zombie). And yes 2 of the 3 movies Aja has done have been remakes (Mirrors and The Hills Have Eyes (2006), but they were REALLY REALLY good remakes. Mirrors, while still a remake, brings Aja's unique horror perspective to the table instead of simply Copy+Pasting everything from the remake but with a different cast (and a BRILLIANT cast in this case, I'm talking of course mostly about Kiefer Sutherland).
Scare Factor: 7/10



3. The Ruins - I really enjoyed this movie, I didn't know what to expect when I saw the previews because I didn't recognize ANYONE in the cast. But when the movie was going on I realized I KNOW EVERYONE IN THIS CAST! By presenting this movie with a cast of people that everyone knows and loves it makes their horrific experiances even more terrifying. The Ruins follows a group of kids on vacation in Mexico who decide to go and visit...some ruins. The story truely takes off after they reach the ruins because it is inhabited by canibalistic plants and an unruley bunch of locals that are preventing the kids from leaving the ruins. The Ruins is an absolutely terrifying movie and everyone should see it.
Scare Factor: 8/10



2. Teeth - Every man and woman on the planet should see this film. Teeth brings a new type of terror to the screen, and it is GURANTEED to make any man flinch and any woman shutter. The focus of the story is on Dawn, a teenage girl that teaches absintence to kids at the local schools. But Dawn has a terrifying secret. She has teeth....inside her uh....reproductive organs. Yea. Before you ask yes it shows things like severed male reproductive parts, and yes they're severed because Dawn's reproductive parts.....bit them off.
Scare Factor: 10/10



1. The Strangers - In my opinion there are few things scarier than 1. Home invasion, or 2. Someone moving your things around and you don't know who it is. The Strangers has perfect timing in all of its scares and doesn't hold back on brutality. This is why I crown The Strangers, the scariest movie of 2008.



Tune in to the next Best of 2008 when I go over the top 5 comedies of the year.

The Ultimate Christmas movie Marathon, Part 1.

Though I myself am not yet in the spirit of Chirstmas, though some people have been since November 1st. I decided I would compile a list for you of some of my favorite Christmas movies. The blog will be in two parts, one today and one a week from now. I've taken the time to put the movies in order of how well they'll put you in the 'Christmas Spirit'.

1. Batman Returns - Sure the movie has Danny Devito as a torpedo shaped Penguin, but it's still pretty good. I always enjoyed the Burton Batman films and this one even takes place during Christmas! By watching this movie I can gurantee you'll think twice before going to a big city to shop for christmas presents, in fear of being attacked by crazed circus preformers and catwomen.

2. Die Hard - The first installment of the epic action series, if you've forgotten, takes place during Christmas! If there is one thing that John McClain taught us its that we could have our life threatened every 5 minutes, but Christmas will still be there.

3. À l'intérieur (Inside) - Its a safe assumption that few of you have heard of this movie, but I'll tell you this: If you're pregnant, and want to watch a 'christmas' movie. Don't watch this, in fact skip ahead to the next movie while I explain. Inside is a french horror film that takes place on Christmas Eve, in the movie a pregnant woman is being stalked in her own home by a crazed woman who is trying to cut her baby out of her stomach.

4. Bad Santa - This movie is not only one of my favorite Christmas movies, its one of my favorite comedies. Granted the movie is very potty mouthy, its still very good, and almost guranteed to make you wish Christmas was here.

5. Gremlins - This was one of my favorite movies growing up, not because it took place during Christmas, but because it had little funny monsters in it. Out of all the movies I've listed today I would consider this one the best 'Christmas' movie to watch.

There you go, these movies should tidy you over until next week when I reveal the rest of the list, which you should know does contain some actual 'Christmas movies' by you normal people's standards.

12/2 DVD releases

Tomorrow will actually be a very good day for home releases, a lot of really good titles are getting sent on the shelves and some not so good ones.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - If you're like me, and thought the first Chronicles of Narnia was utter trash, you couldn't have been more appalled at the idea of a sequel. This film is really just a repeat of the first movie, but with more of the 'Jesus Kitty' overtones.
VERDICT: SKIP IT

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Just in time for the remake's release next week comes a 2-disc version of the 1951 classic. If you're reading this dad, I think I know something you'ld like for christmas....
VERDICT: BUY IT

The Longshots - There are about three different stories you can have for a sports movie. 1.Team isn't good, so they get a good coach, team becomes good. 2. Team goes to the championship and wins/loses. 3. A girl/animal wants to play the sport. If you've seen one you've seen them all.
VERDICT: SKIP IT

Step Brothers - I really enjoyed this movie, even though in my opinion Will Farrell's best movies are the ones like Elf and Stranger than Fiction. You can get it in single (rated and unrated) or 2-disc (unrated).
VERDICT: BUY IT

WANTED - Don't listen to what people tell you when they say that this movie was a Matrix clone, though in some aspects it is. Wanted has a certain charisma to it that is seldom found in modern action films. It is at least worth a single viewing if not the purchase.
VERDICT: RENT IT, BUY IT IF ENJOYED

The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Now I've never really seen the X-files tv show (something I intend on doing very soon), but I really enjoyed this movie. I know a lot of fans of the show and they enjoyed it too, so its very possible that you would like it too. That is if you're into X-fileish stuff.
VERDICT: BUY IT