a possible project.... possibly.

I've been thinking about this idea for a long time. I've mentioned it previously in other posts and in some ways, it's always existed.... but in reality, it's just something that I add and remove from but never really have set in stone. What I'm referring to is my imaginary list of the 'Top 50 Films Of All Time'. This list lies somewhere between my 'Top 100 Films Of All Time', 'Top 10 Films Of All Time' and my 'Worst Movies Of All Time'. It's something that is alive and well. It lives and breathes inside my brain, but has never manifested itself for anyone else to see other than myself. I am kind of wondering if it even exists at all or if it should just remain a file hidden in the back of my brain. What do you think? Do you have a similar list? Who's made it onto your collection of films? What are the qualifications of this honor? I wonder these things every time I bring this concept up.

First of all, these would all be films and not movies. Second, they don't have to be something that has re-watchablitiy built into them.... they just have to have made an impression, changed you in some way or proved to be living art on the screen. I'm debating if re-watchability should be included as part of the cirteria, because there are movies that I can watch over and over again.... but I'm not 100% sure that they're films. Does that make them any less worthy of being on this list? I think that this is something that needs to be decided before I start this journey. Or perhaps they're just one in the same thing? I don't know. Maybe this is all just a futile attempt at stroking my own ego or to increase my feeling of film geekiness. Does anyone really care other than me? That's where you all come into play.

What are your thoughts? Would you have any interest in me putting this together? If so, I would love to take the time to do it. It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time. It's just something that has overwhelmed me a bit. I'm a really indecisive guy and I can't imagine all the hemming and hawing that will ensue if I start down this path. I'm sure it's gonna be epic. In the end, I think it's going to produce something that even I'll find surprising. I just don't know if it's anything of any real merit or if I should just stick to posting my thoughts about stuff I see and leave the past in the past. Ya dig?

If you'd like to weigh in on this or would like to submit your own lists to be added to this project (if it happens), post a comment here with your thoughts and if I move forward.... I'll ask you to submit your own lists for everyone else to view. You'll be able to send them to a personal email address to be compiled for the future post. I hope that I'll have the chance to take on this project, I think it'll be fun. It might also shed a bit of light on why I rate things the way I do. Give you some unrequested history lessons on Joel's cinematic backstory. Anyway.... enough of this babbling and carrying on, let's get back to the movie reviews, right? Thanks in advance for sticking it out with me all this time and here's to hoping for a long time together in the future.

(this movie is NOT in my 'Top 50 Films Of All Time' list....)

UPDATE: I went ahead and decided to move forward on this. First issue is trying to decide how to post the 50 films. I think that I would post them in 5 or 10 film sections. That way I could include a DVD cover or still from the film and perhaps the trailer? Second and bigger problem, I started to compile the list.... so far, I have 168 films. That will take a bit of work to shrink it down to only 50. Also, I was wondering if I should include animated films and horror films? Should I break down each list by genre? Or is this supposed to be one all encompasing list of any and all genre's? Thanks for the feedback so far.... it is a work in progress and I'm thinking it'll be interesting once I'm done.

my very brief thoughts on.... 'Shadow' (2010)

i had somewhat high hopes for this movie.... the reviews were generally positive, the plot sounded somewhat interesting and i had nothing better to do.... i really should have found something better to do.... i really should have.... this movie was terrible.... i don't even have enough words to describe how awful this was.... it started out okay, but it's like a piece of chicken sitting out in the hot sun for three days.... it went from okay to putrid and rotted.... it's been awhile since i've seen a movie with such a lame ending.... and just when i thought it was done, it got worse.... it was almost as if they wanted to prove how bad they could make it if they tried.... i'm sure it made their mothers proud.... sadly, it just made me sad....
i suggest you avoid this one.... no matter how curious you are about it, trust me, it's just not worth it.... i can't wash out my eyes or my brain.... 1 out of 5 stars and the only star that i gave this was for the short running time.... how do these things continually get made....?

if you want to avoid this for something better, watch The Black-Eyed Peas performance at the Super Bowl.... i know you still have it TiVo'd.... right....? (sick-o.)

my very brief thoughts on.... 'Ju-On 2' (2003)

if you watched 'Ju-On' (2000) the movie that started the whole franchise machine of 'Ju-On' and the American counterpart 'The Grudge'.... then you've seen 30 minutes of 'Ju-On 2' already.... yup, they recycle a whole lot of the footage from the first movie.... which doesn't lend itself to a great sequel.... not that the original was all that great to begin with.... it was death after death and a confusing plot inbetween.... the second one kind of follows the same formula, but with only an hour of new movie.... kind of feels like cheating, you know....? i personally found the remakes of part 1 and 2 to be much better than the originals.... i rarely say that, but it's true.... i did hate part 3, but they can't all be winners.... the same thing holds true for 'Ringu' and the American counterpart 'The Ring'.... the remake was so much better than the original.... actually, 'The Ring' holds up as a great horror movie all on its own.... but stay away from 'The Ring 2'.... good god it's a trainwreck of a movie with no redeeming qualities.... ugh....

i can't say that i even remember exactly what the plot was from this movie.... but what i do remember is that the house from the first one is re-visited and the killings start again.... the woman and the little boy start popping up all over town killing those who've entered the home.... that is pretty much it....
in the end, i'm kind of surprised that i gave this 2 out of 5 stars.... i guess i'm a sucker for the stringy haired ghosts from Japan.... they creep me out.... but in this movie, she's not scary.... the story isn't great.... there just isn't much good to mention about this movie.... nothing at all.... which all in all is a damn shame.... it just means that it's one more nail in the coffin for these types of ghost stories.... maybe they're overdone, but i don't care.... i like em'.... just not this one.

if you actually watch this, don't blame me.... i didn't make you

my very brief thoughts on.... 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010)

remember my review of 'Where the Wild Things Are'....? this might be a bit like that.... just so you know.

Tim Burton is a unique filmaker.... his vision is all his own.... and i can say that i've enjoyed just about everything he's ever done.... that also goes for Johnny Depp.... i've followed his career since '21 Jump Street'.... these two have made several films together and have been very successful ones at that.... but recently, it seems that you can't have one without the other.... i'm all for collaboration and a lot of times if you're working with the same people over and over you get good results.... however, after a while, you kind of want them to do some things seperately.... and that's the case here.... i thought it might be kind of neat to see what Tim Burton could do with this classic story.... and i'm always curious to see Johnny Depp's take on a character, especially one like the Mad Hatter.... sadly, the result was less than stellar....
i'm sure you all know the storyline of 'Alice in Wonderland'.... we've seen it retold several times.... but in this day and age, we finally have the technology to make some of the strange characters of the story come to life.... and i think that this was a valiant attempt.... however, it just had no soul.... it's like Tim Burton just phoned this one in.... it felt forced.... it seemed like he was trying too hard.... it was just way too heavy handed with the filmaking.... everything was quirky and over the top, like all of his movies.... everything was bright and colorful.... the music was excellent.... the special effects, however, were kind of sketchy.... and that surprised me, but that's not why i didn't care for this movie.... i tried really hard to enjoy it.... i felt kind of guilty for not liking it.... all in all, i only ended up giving this movie 2 out of 5 stars.... something i thought i'd never see from a Burton/Depp movie.... but that's not the end of it.... they've got more projects in the works.... and i just think that a little distance isn't always a bad thing.... so i hope that they see that someday and take a little break from each other.... because if not, i fear that we'll see more movies like this one.... movies that just feel like they were made for the sake of being made.... no other reason than that....

shame on you Tim Burton, shame on you.

please read the book rather than see this movie.... you're imagination is going to create something much more enjoyable then this movie could ever hope for

my brief thoughts on.... 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' (2010)

i've long since overcome my dispute with remakes.... instead, i give them their day in court and try and keep an open mind.... with the majority of the ones i've seen lately, they don't seem to be getting any better.... and with the recent news that Robert Zemeckis is looking to re-do 'The Wizard of Oz' i'm really wondering what they're going to be re-tooling next.... anyway.... the original NoES was a film with heart.... it was limited by the FX of the time.... but Wes Craven had a vision and he carried it out as best he could.... and what he created gave birth to one of the most recognizable horror icons in the history of film.... and spawned multiple sequels....

now to this version.... i think Jackie Earle Haley is a talented guy.... he's short and that kind of works against him in the title role of Freddy Krueger, but he makes the best of it.... the first thing that jumped out at me with this movie was the make-up effects for Freddy.... they went for a more realistic burn victim look.... in the original, Freddy didn't look nearly as burned as he did a pizza face.... but it worked.... with the new make-up, it became distracting to look at Freddy.... also, the voice of Freddy was deeper and more menacing.... it gave him a darker edge.... i did like the way Jackie used the knives on the glove by rubbing them together in anticipation before he killed.... it showed that he relished in what he was doing.... in taking revenge on the children of Elm street.... he also kept the character from making jokes.... something that eventually destoryed the NoES franchise.... my favorite scene in this movie was where Freddy had just killed the teen in the jail cell and then we cut to the dreamworld where Freddy has him hanging upside down.... he comes up to his face and says something like, "....the human mind lives on for 7 more minutes after death.... this means we have 6 more minutes to play...." if the whole movie was this sinister, it might have put the fear of Freddy back into us all.... sadly, this is the high point....
i didn't care for the character Nancy nearly as much as in the original.... and most of the characters came off as flat and dull.... not too mention, something i covered earlier, this movie didn't have the same heart as the original NoES.... it was just a movie made for the sake of making a movie.... and for that, i started to lose interest after a while.... i still enjoyed the ride and enjoyed Jackie's portrayal.... i just hoped for something more.... there's talk of a sequel already and i kind of doubt that they could take it to a new place and a better place.... but who knows....? i'm sure i'll submit myself to watching it.... i am always willing to give a movie a try.... i gave this 3 out of 5 stars.... mostly for Jackie Earle Haley.... as for the rest of the cast and crew, sorry but you didn't pull off a miracle....

if you're a fan of the original, you may want to think twice before watching this.... who knows maybe i'm wrong and you'll love it....?

if you like this or want something similar, watch: 'Friday the 13th' (2009), 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003) and 'My Bloody Valentine' (2009)

my very brief thoughts on.... 'Raw Meat'

Donald Pleasence is the only thing worthwhile in this movie.... he's actually funny.... and after seeing him in all of the 'Halloween' movies being so serious, this was a nice change of pace.... other than that.... this was dull, boring, slow, uninteresting and all around lame.... i don't know where any of the good reviews came from.... i mean, it was the 70's.... but there were good movies that came out of that time period.... this just wasn't one of them.... and another thing, i like slow paced movies.... some of my top 10 favorite movies are extremely slow.... however, this was slow without a purpose.... ugh.
the last of some trapped people who resorted to cannibalism to survive in the subway system starts stalking subway riders.... there's some deaths.... the police get involved.... stuff happens and it ends.

i couldn't wait for it to end.... i was bored to tears.... 1 out of 5 stars.... not even Donald Pleasence could save this piece of garbage.... it's OnDemand if you're looking for a way to go to sleep tonight.... it's like NyQuil for moviegoers.... crap, crap, crap....

there's some paint drying, i'll watch that instead of this again.

my thoughts on.... 'The Crazies' (1973)

as you all well know, i love zombies.... and anyone who loves zombies, loves George A. Romero: King of the Modern Zombie.... this all but forgotten movie of his, which was sandwiched between 'Night of the Living Dead' and Dawn of the Dead' has very similar themes.... just minus the dead folks.... a lot of people consider this to be a classic and love it like a cult religion.... and it has drawn enough attention to create a remake that is about to hit theaters.... which looks like it has promise....

the idea behind the movie is very similiar to his zombie films.... in so much that people start going crazy and killing each other due to a government screw up.... the big wigs call in the army in biohazard suits to contain the virus and start the clean up.... but soon all hell breaks loose and people start getting killed as mass hysteria adds more fuel to the already problematic fire....
i love George.... he provided me with one of my all time favorite movies and in the zombie genre can, basically, do no wrong.... however, everytime i venture outside of that realm i get lost.... his other films tend to not have the same punch.... or something just feels like it's missing.... as a matter of fact, i haven't seen a non-zombie Romero film yet that i loved.... or even liked very much.... sadly, this falls in that category.... granted.... it's not terrible.... it just seems like it might be trying to say too much about society and the government and the like.... or maybe i'm just reading too much into it.... who's to say....? but it rubbed me the wrong way....

so all in all, not something i would recommend except to die hard Romero fans.... there is hardly anything to really do with the 'crazies'.... as a matter of fact they're barely a part of the story at all.... it's more about the guys in the white suits with the guns.... and how they react to the situation.... i wish i had more positive things to say and i could tell you all to run out and see this.... however, i'm thinking that you may want to wait for the remake and give that one a try instead.... (i can't believe i just said that.).... either way.... 2 out of 5 stars.... sorry George, i love you, but just not that much.

if you enjoy this movie, check out: '28 Days Later', '28 Weeks Later' and 'The Crazies' (2010)