Thursday, January 21, 2010

My Favorite Movies of the Decade, Part 2

Check out Part 1. So here's my top 20 movies of the decade (2000-09). Let the debate begin. Did I miss one of your favorites? Do you think my list sucks? Let's get it started.

20. Transformers (2007)
I remember how blown away I was at the effects in this movie. It was seamless. And I was a huge fan as a kid, so this fulfilled what I needed. Fatal flaw: Some bad acting (Megan Fox) and an only OK storyline.

19. Finding Nemo (2003)
As long as we’re on visually stunning movies, this one was (and still is) visually impressive. The ocean was a perfect fit for Pixar’s skills, and the touching story makes it very re-watchable. Fatal flaw: There’s not glaring holes here, but it does drag a little in the middle.

18. X-Men (2000)
Like Transformers, this was an extraordinary moment for a fanboys like me. Seeing Wolverine and Storm on screen? Awesome. Watching Magneto fight? More awesome. I came out of this one totally stoked. Fatal flaw: I don’t think Brian Singer ever really understood the X-Men. Yes, all of the characters were good, and the casting of Hugh Jackman was brilliant, but his deviation from the X-Men mythology was a little too much.

17. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Calling it the least of the LOTR trilogy is not a bad thing. Tremendous movie with fantastic effects and a compelling story. Fatal flaw: The cheese factor of Orlando Bloom. Some of his scenes in this movie are brutal.

16. Juno (2007)
Didn’t catch this one until DVD, but was very pleasantly surprised. Laugh-out loud hilarious, with a good story and great acting throughout. Fatal flaw: Is there a teenager as witty as Juno? I haven’t met one.

15. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Russell Crowe is a master of character, and he made this film. He showed crazy in a compelling way that made you feel bad for all the main characters (especially his wife). Not sure how true it was to reality, but the story was very compelling.

14. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Awesome action flic. Matt Damon is Jason Bourne, and bringing the series to the US was a great touch. Fatal flaw: Julia Stiles. I like her in other movies, but not great in this one.

13. The Last Samurai (2003)
I think this may get my vote for most underrated movie of the decade. A great epic with tremendous acting and action. If you don’t start getting goose bumps in the final 30 minutes, I question your humanity. And I’m a sucker for a good redemption epic.

12. Star Wards Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
This movie gets a bad rap, and I’m not really sure why. It made a ton of money, and was clearly the best of the most recent trilogy. As good as the originals? No, but that’s hardly a knock. The fall of the Jedi is a compelling story, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen finally own their characters. And we get to see the genesis of Darth Vader. Fatal flaw: The final fight scene between Obi-wan and Anakin is too reliant on effects. Simpler would have been more compelling.

11. Star Trek (2009)
I can say I was only mildly excited when I heard about this, but it really is what summer movies should be: awesome action, solid story, and acting performances you remember. The casting was beyond terrific in what could have been deemed a impossible task. Can’t wait for the next one.

10. The Dark Knight (2008)
Heath Ledger was amazing in this film, like I’ve written before. All of the other characters were compelling. The action scenes were breathtaking, and the ending was awesome. Fatal flaw: Maggie Gylenhal. Glad they killed her.

9. Iron Man (2008)
Similar to Star Trek, this is what a summer movie should be. Robert Downey Jr. was unbelievably awesome as Tony Stark, and though I was very skeptical about Jeff Bridges as villain Obadiah Stane, he was awesome. And the effects/action sequences were seamless. Fatal flaw: Gwyneth Paltrow.

8. The Incredibles (2004)
My favorite Pixas film, and nearly the best super hero film of all time. The animation was spectacular, the voice acting (especially Jason Lee as Syndrome) was great. It was humorous, touching, and was a tight 1 hour and 55 minutes. Phenomenal film.

7. The Bourne Identity (2002)
One of my all-time favorites. I watched this movie 3-4 times in the theater, and have watched it countless times on DVD. Damon is great, as is Franka Potente. Maybe the most rewatchable movie on this list.

6. Gladiator (2000)
The acting performances in this movie are superb, the drama is compelling, and the action scenes are phenomenal. Maybe it was a little too violent, but otherwise it is a flawless movie.

5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
Picking between these movies is splitting hairs, but I really like what they did with this one. It could have been cheesy throughout, but only the very end probably tipped the cheesy scales a little. Jackson deserves a lifetime achievement award just for these three movies.

4. Finding Neverland (2004)
I absolutely love this movie. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet are awesome, and Freddie Highmore turns in one of the best child acting performances ever. The story was very engaging, and cinematography was sublime. There are very few dramas I can watch over and over, and this is one.

3. Batman Begins (2005)
Best superhero movie ever. Christian Bale turned in a magnificent performance (before he turned into an insufferable prima dona), and the choice of villain was awesome. Christopher Nolan was the perfect director to re-boot Batman, creating a dark, realistic world that I hope he recreates a couple of more times.

2. Avatar (2009)
Yes, it’s dangerous to put a movie I’ve only seen once this high, and the most recent movie I’ve seen, but I was blown away. The acting was just OK, but this movie is a work of art. Almost every scene could be frozen and framed. The world James Cameron created was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. And the 3-D was enhancing, not distracting. I can’t wait to see it again, and I can’t wait for a sequel.

1. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
This movie is everything I want a movie to be: tremendous story, great acting, fantastic cinematography, well fitting music, and engaging action. I already sang Peter Jackson’s praises above, but he will always be one of my favorite directors purely for how well these films were made. This movie created a powerful, appealing world that I return to often. I could watch this movie 100 times, and I don’t think I would get sick of it.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Conference Championships Preview

Though I didn’t post my picks on the blog, last week I was 2-2 (after an 0-4 wildcard weekend). I was right with the Saints and Colts, wrong on the Jets and Vikings. So before we venture to the conference championship games, let’s look back at things we learned (or think we learned) last weekend.

The Chargers need a running game. LDT is done, and Sproles is a HR-hitter who’s not an everydown player. Now, they don’t need an elite running game, but someone who doesn’t fall over every time they’re touched would be great.

Romo is the new choke QB. Stand aside Donovan McNabb, here’s Romo! Fair or not, he’s the new top-level QB who ‘chokes’ in big games. Apologies to Carson Palmer.

Brett Favre is still really good. All of the anti-Favre audience was waiting for him to make a big mistake this week, and he didn’t. And with a offensive line that apparently forgot how to run block, AP still did enough to keep the defense honest.

The Jets are better than we thought. Their defense is good. There, I said it.

Now to the picks:

Vikings @ Saints
If the over/under for 50+ yard plays was set at 4, would you take the over or under? I would be very tempted to take the over. Both of these are big play offenses, and both defenses can be exploited by good QBs. Both teams have lots of weapons. Both teams have opportunistic defenses. Both have game-changes on special teams. This seems like a very close game to me. The difference could be if the Vikings D-line can duplicate the effort they had against the Cowboys. But in the end, I think it will be the young gunslinger over the old gunslinger.

Pick: Saints 31, Vikings 28

Jets @ Colts
I don’t really believe in the Jets. Their defense is good, but Sanchez is not a good QB (yet). If they’re down two scores in the third quarter, Sanchez will self-destruct. And Manning can neutralize good blitzing teams by getting rid of the ball. And so what if Revis shuts out Reggie Wayne? Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, the French guy; Manning has plenty of weapons. And I bet you Wayne gets free from Revis 3-4 times in the game, and Manning will hit him 2-3 of those time.

Pick: Colts 21, Jets 3

Thursday, January 7, 2010

My Favorite Movies of the Decade, Part 1

This is Part 1 of 2 of my favorite movies of the decade. Some major caveats here:
  • After 2006 (when my daughter Lena was born), I stopped going to movies in the theater very often
  • I mainly see big budget, Hollywood movies
  • My favorite movies are typically action movies

So going year-by-year, here's my favorite movies of the decade. Part two will rank my top 20 movies of the decade.

2000
Gladiator - Awesome film, great cinematography.
X-Men - The movie that ushered in the golden era of superhero/comic book movies.
Remember the Titans - The best sports movie of the decade.
Honorable Mention: Cast Away; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2001
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings - Started the greatest movie trilogy of all-time
A Beautiful Mind - One of the best dramas of the decade
Honorable Mention: Ocean's Eleven

2002
Spider-Man - Brought the quirky comic to the screen in a wonderful way.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Showed that the trilogy was going to be awesome
My Big Fat Greek Wedding - My favorite romantic comedy of the decade
The Bourne Identity - I never tire of watching this movie
Honorable Mention: Star Wars Episode II: The Clone Wars; Signs; Catch Me If You Can; Road to Perdition; Reign of Fire

2003
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - Peter Jackson's crowning achievement
Finding Nemo - Pixar keeps rolling.
The Last Samurai - Totally underrated epic.
Honorable Mention: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl; X2: X-Men United; Seabuiscit; Italian Job; School of Rock; Holes

2004
The Incredibles - Better superhero movie than most live action versions.
Man on Fire - Revenge epic and awesome Denzel
Hellboy - Better movie than you think.
Finding Neverland - Awesome acting, great story.
Honorable Mention: Spider-Man 2; The Bourne Supremacy; National Treasure; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy; Ray; Cinderella Man; Napolean Dynamite

2005
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Darth Vader is born.
Batman Begins - Superhero movies move from summer fun to great films.
March of the Penguin - If this documentary doesn't move you, you have no heart.
Honorable Mention: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Hitch; Walk the Line; Memoirs of a Geisha; The Island; Serenity

2006
Cars - Ca-chow!
Casino Royale - Finally a Bond movie worthy of its heritage.
Children of Men - The most depressing, encouraging, apocalyptic movie of the decade.
Honorable Mention: Night at the Museum; Mission: Impossible III; Dreamgirls; Rocky Balboa; The Prestige

2007
Transformers - Fanboys unite!
The Bourne Ultimatum - Not as good as the original, but darn close.
Juno - Gut busting and touching.
Honorable Mention: I Am Legend

2008
The Dark Knight - RIP Heath Ledger.
Iron Man - Fun, engaging, great.
Honorable Mention: Hancock; The Incredible Hulk

2009
Avatar - One of the greatest movies ever. Yes, I just wrote that.
Star Trek - Maybe even better than Wrath of Khan.
Honorable Mention: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

NFL Playoff Preview

So maybe the Colts didn't make the right call after all. I was completely rebuked for my last blog entry, including by two of my brothers, some friends from a high school, and by a diehard Colts fan I went to business school with. And you can make the argument that the Colts will have played zero meaningful football for almost a month when they host their divisional playoff game.

But enough of that. I’m not here to talk about the past. Bring on the WC games!

Eagles @ Cowboys
Look, a repeat of Week 17. How exciting! The Cowboys dominated the game, and Romo is playing very well. And the running game is averaging 4.8 ypc and the offense is the second most potent in the NFL behind the Saints.

Still, I don’t trust them. On paper are the better than Philly? Well, the Cowboys won twice and have a statistically better offense and defense. But until this team wins in the playoffs, I can’t get on the train.

Pick: Eagles 24, Cowboys 17

Packers @ Cardinals
I love the Packers. Really good defense, a QB that is growing into his skin, and a running game that is starting to emerge just in time.

And everyone still thinks Arizona is an elite offensive team. Not so. The offense has not been middle-of-the-pack this year. I don’t think this one will be close.

Pick: Packers 37, Cardinals 10

Jets @ Bengals
The Jets aren’t a playoff team – they lucked into it by playing two teams that weren’t playing their starters. Sanchez will choke away his first playoff game.

Pick: Bengals 21, Jets 3

Ravens @ Patriots
The Ravens are a timebomb, and they make stupid mistakes almost every game. Joe Flacco is getting better and better, and the offense and defense are peaking at the right time. But mark my words: there will be 2-3 penalties/stupid plays by the Ravens D that sinks them.

I don’t have a lot of confidence in this Pats team, but the offense is good (though not as good without Welker) and the defense should be good enough to contain the Ravens for the second time this year.

Pick: Patriots 27, Ravens 20

Divisional Round
Saints 36, Eagles 28
Packers 24, Vikings 20
Colts 41, Bengals 17
Chargers 26, Patriots 20

NFC Championship
Packers 34, Saints 20
Chargers 28, Colts 17

Super Bowl
Chargers 27, Packers 20