Media Junkie

Required Viewing: Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are
Warner Bros. Pictures
PG
110 Minutes
2009

I love movies.  I love the way they transport us to other lands.  I love they way they prey on our fears.  I love the way they tug on our heart strings.  I love when they weave complex, thought-provoking stories and when they make us laugh ourselves silly. 

Every once in a while, however, I see a film that transcends being a mere movie.  It sticks with me hours after I've left the theater, and I find myself pondering every scene.  It speaks to me on a deep, emotional level and has a profound impact on me.  These films are rare, and sadly few and far between, but I always know them when I see them.  I can feel it as I sit in the darkened theater, trying unsuccessfully to quell he flood of emotions rising within me so that complete strangers won't see me blubbering like a newborn. 

Director Spike Jonze's enrichment of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story Where The Wild Things Are is just such a film and the first to be added to that very short list of motion pictures that left me stunned, speechless, and with a tsunami of feelings swirling inside since 2004's Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

Required Viewing: Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds
Universal Pictures
R
153 Minutes
2009

The word "genius" is a word that gets thrown around too often.  I'm no stranger to hyperbole and frequently use adjectives such as fantastic, terrific, amazing, and so on to describe motion pictures or albums, but I rarely use the term "genius."  That word is reserved for only those experiences that go even beyond the exemplary; the experiences that remind you why you love going to the movies or listening to music in the first place.

It is with great enthusiasm that I write this: Inglourious Basterds, the latest epic from writer/director Quentin Tarantino, is a work of pure, utter genius.

Required Viewing: The Hangover

The Hangover
Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures
R
100 Minutes
2009

Word of mouth can make or break a movie.  All the studio-generated hype in the world isn't as effective as positive words from the people who pay for a ticket to the theater.  Oftentimes, it can work against the film - creating unrealistic expectations in the minds of the patrons who end up leaving disappointed.  Such was the case with last year's Tropic Thunder, which was heralded as a comedy classic right out of the gate but was really little more than Ben Stiller playing his usual clueless character in an army outfit.  Robert Downey, Jr.'s remarkable performance was the biggest reason to see the film, but aside from some great fake previews early on, I don't recall laughing uproariously - which is what any good comedy should make you do.
 
In the case of The Hangover, however, believe the hype.  This is undoubtedly the funniest film since 2007's Superbad; a film that will have you wracked with laughter from start to finish, tears streaming down your cheeks, and gasping for air. 

Required Viewing: Up

Up
Disney/Pixar
PG
96 Minutes
2009

Is there any question that Pixar Animation Studios are the best, most original and inventive filmmakers in the industry?  Each of their ten feature films to date have been smashing critical and commercial successes, and the trend shows no signs of stopping with Toy Story 3 slated for a summer 2010 release.  With each new picture and each new success, the same questions get raised: How do they do it?  What is their secret to success?  The answer, as is so often the case, is simply overlooked because it seems too obvious: Pixar tell great stories with great characters.
 
The backbone of any motion picture lies in its story and the characters that inhabit it.  It doesn't matter whether it's an old black and white drama, a live action modern comedy, or a CG animated combination of both.  If you have a great story to tell and interesting characters to populate it with, people will respond favorably.  Despite the cartoonish look of their digital creations, Pixar infuses their characters with so much raw emotion that they resonate with audiences.  You understand their motivations; you connect with them on an emotional level; you care about them.  A movie is nothing without a character, or a handful of them, for the audience to connect with, and Pixar consistently crafts brilliant, dynamic characters with vivid personalities and realistic human traits that grow throughout the course of the picture.
 
Their last venture, WALL*E, was quite polarizing.  Largely adored by critics, and raking in over $500 million at the box office, some viewers felt WALL*E was too overt and political for what was billed as a kid's movie.  Part of the problem could be attributed to the fact that Pixar's films have always appealed to an audience of children and adults, but are only promoted to the former group.  Personally, I still feel WALL*E is the studio's masterwork; a film that will be just as relevant 50 years from now as it is today.  It's also the best showcase of Pixar's talent for creating lovable, multi-dimensional characters - and I don't just mean visually.  He may lack the ability to vocalize much, but at any given point you know exactly what WALL*E is feeling thanks to the incredible animation and attention to detail shown in his actions.  Whether it's apprehensively clacking his hands together or lovingly gazing at EVE, WALL*E is as human as any live actor on the planet.
 
Which brings us to Pixar's latest success, Up.  Directed by Monsters, Inc. helmsman Pete Docter, Up tells the story of a lonely, cranky old man fulfilling a promise to his dearly departed wife and going on an adventure, with a young, exuberant boyscout in tow.  Along the way, they get sidetracked by talking dogs, a disgraced explorer looking to clear his good name, and a strange bird, resulting in drama, danger, and moments of laugh-out-loud hilarity.  Up is considerably more lighthearted in tone than its predecessor, WALL*E, which will please families looking to take their children for a good time, but it does dabble in the dramatic and can bring tears of sadness to your eyes just as well as tears of laughter.

Required Viewing: Watchmen

Watchmen
Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures
R
163 Minutes
2009

To say that Watchmen has been a long time in the making is an understatement.  Those even remotely familiar with the beloved graphic novel know that its history in Hollywood has been a long, strange one.  After several attempts to bring Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' masterpiece to the big screen, and even a proposed TV miniseries, the property was eventually deemed unfilmable. 

Eventually, the project landed in director Zack Snyder's lap.  Snyder had experience successfully adapting difficult properties for the silver screen with his highly sylized, largely praised adaptation of Frank Miller's 300 in 2007.  Though it broke away from the conventions of typical "comic book films," 300 was a smash hit and it paved the way for Snyder and screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse's vision of the comic that broke all the rules and practically invented the graphic novel as we know it today.

Though the book's original writer Alan Moore has disowned the film, as he has done with all of his other works such as V For Vendetta, From Hell, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Snyder's take on "the most celebrated graphic novel of all-time" is largely faithful, and sure to please all but the most unwavering fans of the original work, but also sure to alienate people who are expecting a light-hearted superhero romp.

Required Viewing: Coraline

Coraline
Laika Entertainment/Focus Features
PG
100 Minutes
2009

It is a common misconception that Tim Burton was responsible for writing, producing, and directing the classic gothic fairy tale The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Burton was indeed responsible for the first two feats, but directing duties were actually performed by Henry Selick, whose other credits include James and the Giant Peach and the strange undersea creatures of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.  Selick is a master of the craft of stop-motion animation, and his talent has never been more apparent than in the 2009 release Coraline.  

Adapted from legendary English author Neil Gaiman's story of the same name, Coraline is a masterfully well made motion picture that is touching, surreal, captivating, frightening, and beautiful all at once. 

Required Viewing: Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire
Celador Films/Film4/Warner Bros.
R
120 Minutes
2008

Director Danny Boyle does it again.  With his latest picture, Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle lends his acute visual style to an Indian boy's rags-to-riches story.  Based on a novel by Vikas Swarup and adapted for the screen by Simon Beaufroy, Boyle's stunning visuals, pacing, and ear for music bring the story to life in vibrant color and sound.

One part romance, one part crime drama, and one part human triumph, Slumdog Millionaire is an engrossing, touching, and ultimately magnificent film that ranks amongst Boyle's best works to date.

Required Viewing: The Wrestler

The Wrestler
Protozoa Pictures/Saturn Films/Fox Searchlight
R
115 Minutes
2008

It's Oscar season, and with the recent announcement of the nominations film fanatics everywhere are undoubtedly debating their best and worst lists of 2008, who should win what, and so on.  Though the David Fincher epic The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the heavy favorite, with a whopping 13 nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Brad Pitt, for my money it doesn't get much more powerful than Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler.

Strangely enough, despite heapings of critical praise, The Wrestler is not up for Best Picture - which is really a crime when you take into account the superlative writing and the transcendant performances from Mickey Rourke, Marissa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood.  The Wrestler may not be as attractive to look at as Benjamin Button, but it's a sad, heartfelt, honest tale that is brought to life through the pain and angst displayed in its performances.

Required Viewing: Casino Royale

Casino Royale
MGM
Rated: PG-13
144 Minutes
2006

In 1953 British novelist Ian Fleming created an iconic character that would survive more than five decades, twelve full length books, nine short stories, and at the time of this writing, 22 films.  Fleming's debonair super-spy, James Bond, has been portrayed on the silver screen by the legendary Sean Connery six times, Australian actor George Lazenby once, Roger Moore seven times, Timothy Dalton twice, and Pierce Brosnan four times - each actor bringing a different spin to the role.

Many thought the Bond franchise couldn't survive after the end of the Cold War.  Bond stories typically relied on the tension between America and Russia, and without that fear to prey on, it seemed Bond would be relegated to the past.

Like the title character himself, however, the Bond franchise managed to escape doom (and obscurity) after a six-year hiatus with 1995's GoldenEye.  The film brought Bond into the 90s and was in most ways a reinvention.  Brosnan's charming good looks and sarcastic one-liners captured the essence of the character, but the newly cast Dame Judi Dench as the head of MI6, M, made it clear that she had disdain for him and his methods, referring to him as a "mysogynst dinosaur" and "a relic of the Cold War."  This simple line helped usher in a new era of Bond films that broke away from the tried-and-true Soviet villainy, and gave way to a more modern age.

Unfortunately, as good as GoldenEye was, each successive Bond movie's overreliance on gadgetry and over-the-top stunts that were unbelievable even for a Bond film began to make the character feel more like a comic book superhero; a caricature of the fast-talking ladies man who could switch between wooing a beautiful woman to killing enemy spies in the blink of an eye. 

After a four year drought, the Bond franchise was reinvented once again with 2006's Casino Royale.  Based on the first Bond novel Fleming wrote and starring Daniel Craig in the lead role, the film resonated with critics and audiences, in spite of the initial concerns over Craig's casting.  Jam-packed with action, romance, and an intricate screenplay, Casino Royale is the best vision of Bond's world yet.

Required Viewing: Slap Shot

Slap Shot
Universal Pictures/King's Road Entertainment
Rated: R
123 Minutes
1977

Author's Note: I dedicate this post to the memory of Paul Newman (January 26, 1925 - September 26, 2008), one of the most legendary actors of any generation as well as a respectable, charitable, generous human being.  You will be missed.

If you have ever watched an NHL hockey broadcast on television, you are familiar with George Roy Hill's cult classic comedy Slap Shot whether you know it or not.  If you have ever heard an announcer or commentator utter the word "Scouts?", you've just heard reference to Coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) upon discovering that his Charlestown Chiefs, a member of the fictional Federal League, were being watched by professional scouts, causing him and his team to cast sportsmanship aside in favor of brutal violence for entertainment's sake.

Slap Shot is undoubtedly one of the best sports comedies of all time, although you could drop the distinction and simply call it one of the funniest films ever - period.  It is referenced in every hockey league, in every team's locker room, on nearly every TV broadcast, and in the stands by avid hockey fans for both its comedy and its authenticity.  It's a laugh riot, but it still has heart, and is a genuine, realistic look at the trials of minor league hockey.  As someone who has been watching and attending various minor professional and junior hockey leagues for over fifteen years now, I can tell you that part of what makes Slap Shot so hysterical is that so much of it is actually true.