Movie Likes and Dislikes

December 20, 2012

What kind of a blog could this be without a post where I mention my likes and dislikes of movies?  So, here is my first attempt.  I’m sure I’ll have several rounds of this in the future.

I like movies that make me think.  The best movies I own are ones that are out of the ordinary.  They need to have something different from the usual, but still be close enough to make their interactions with the world believable.  A good way to stand out is to have a strong, independently thinking, intelligent leading lady.  It is rare to get that in most movies.  Take Juno for example.  In many ways it is a prototypical modern dramedy - pulling both from drama and comedy.  If this was just a normal teenager getting pregnant movie it would have fallen flat on its face.  The combination of the writer and Ellen Page makes the witticism and sarcastic nature of the character work very well.  This movie couldn't have been made with somebody like a younger version of Cameron Diaz.  Cameron just can't be believable as an intelligent woman.

I am also a great fan of complicated plots that do not necessarily have to be non-linear, but could be.  Dot the i is a good example that you must watch.  I won't go into detail on this movie because that would ruin it.  Even though I know all of the plot twists, I still find it eminently enjoyable to watch.  I am not a fan of M. Night Shyamalan movies though.  I never got into the suspense / horror / supernatural powers genres, they require too much suspension of disbelief.

Now - a word about Michael Bay.  I’m sure you’ve heard this before.  Almost everything he makes is categorized by a massive special effects budget, like Transformers.  That might make them partly watchable for the first time despite the lame plot.  However, once you have seen the technological advancements and massive amounts of green screen footage the first time, there isn't much to gain with a second viewing.

By now, you've got to be saying, "Todd, isn't it true, though, that you own all of the James Bond films except Diamonds are Forever and Never Say Never Again?  First, yes, that is true.  Second, I'm working on finding the missing films.  Third, I'm on a roll here.  Please don't interrupt by pointing out my contradictions.  I know that there aren't a ton of plot twists in a Bond film, and some of them use a lot of green screen.  However, my choice of the best Bond films in the series is consistent.  I believe the greatest thing to get the Bond films back on track was the Jason Bourne trilogy.  The producers really had to change their focus with the latest three films.  I am one of those who are firmly on the Daniel-Craig-is-the-best-Bond-actor bandwagon.  He just brings so much sincerity to the role.  Bond was  forced to go back to telling a good story, instead of having Q Branch come up with a cloaking mechanism for a sports car that adds spikes to the tires while driving around in a collapsing ice palace (Die Another Day).  Pierce Brosnan's acting was the worst portrayal of Bond.  He and the writers used almost every cliché they could possibly find.  So, the all-important ordering: Craig > Connery > Moore >>> Lazenby > Dalton >>> Brosnan.

As I have been typing this up, I’ve had Dave playing.  It’s the comedy where Kevin Kline’s character impersonates the president after the real president has a stroke.  It still has parts that make me laugh.  Even though most of the movies I own are dramas, I do have some comedies.