Oscar Best Picture Nominee Count

About this time every year with a new crop of Best Picture nominees from the Academy Awards I check to see how far into my quest to view every nominee of Oscar's top category I've accomplished.  With each passing ceremony I am a bit closer to 100 percent.

With the most recent awards in the books, there are now a total of 503 films that have been nominated for Best Picture.  As of today, I have seen a toal of 439.  This puts me at 87 percent of the nominees viewed at least once.

I set a goal last year to see all the nominees by the end of 2013.  This means I have 10 months to see 64 movies.  While that is most certainly plausible for somone who watches as many movies as I do, the real problem is several of these final 64 are not readily available on DVD or television viewing.  To make this lofty task a reality, I will have to put forth a lot of effort in searching out these final titles.  If I had to put money on whether my goal will be accomplished by the end of this calendar year, I would not feel comfortable.  But I'll keep plugging away and see how far I can get by December.

High-fiving A Million Angels

Goodbye 30 Rock.  You will be missed.

Still Alive

I haven't had much time to post.  I have a few things to discuss, but work has been absolutely crazy and I am just too exhausted by the time I get home to type out anything of substance.  I'll try to block out some time soon for something of interest.

007 Rankings (Part 2)

A continuation of the last post, where I am doing a current ranking of my favorite aspects of the James Bond film series movie by movie.  There are four categories left.

James Bond Villains
23. Brad Whitaker (from The Living Daylights)
22. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from Diamonds are Forever)
21. Aris Kristatos (from For Your Eyes Only)
20. Gustav Graves (from Die Another Day)
19. Kamal Khan (from Octopussy)
18. Elliot Carver (from Tomorrow Never Dies)
17. Karl Stromberg (from The Spy Who Loved Me)
16. Max Zorin (from A View to a Kill)
15. Dr. Kananga (from Live and Let Die)
14. Rosa Klebb (from From Russia With Love)
13. Francisco Scaramanga (from The Man With the Golden Gun)
12. Franz Sanchez (from Licence to Kill)
11. Renard (from The World is not Enough)
10. Emilio Largo (from Thunderball)
9. Dominic Greene (from Quantum of Solace)
8. Alec Trevelyn (from Goldeneye)
7. Le Chiffre (from Casino Royale)
6. Rauol Silva (from Skyfall)
5. Hugo Drax (from Moonraker)
4. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
3. Dr. Julius No (from Dr. No)
2. Auric Goldfinger (from Goldfinger)
1. Ernst Stavro Blofeld (from You Only Live Twice)

James Bond Henchmen
23. Professor Dent (from Dr. No)
22. Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd (from Diamonds are Forever)
21. Elvis (from Quantum of Solace)
20. Ivana Milicevic (from Casino Royale)
19. Emile Leopold Locque (from For Your Eyes Only)
18. Gobinda (from Octopussy)
17. Jaws (from Moonraker)
16. Patrice (from Skyfall)
15. Necros (from The Living Daylights)
14. Helga Brandt (from You Only Live Twice)
13. Nick Nack (from The Man With the Golden Gun)
12. Stamper (from Tomorrow Never Dies)
11. Zao (from Die Another Day)
10. Mayday (from A View to a Kill)
9. Elektra King (from The World is not Enough)
8. Dario (from Licence to Kill)
7. Tee-Hee (from Live and Let Die)
6. Irma Bunt (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
5. Xenia Onatopp (from Goldeneye)
4. Fiona Volpe (from Thunderball)
3. Jaws (from The Spy Who Loved Me)
2. Donald "Red" Grant (from From Russia With Love)
1. Oddjob (from Goldfinger)

James Bond Title Sequences
23. Licence to Kill
22. Moonraker
21. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
20. Octopussy
19. The Living Daylights
18. The Man With the Golden Gun
17. Quantum of Solace
16. You Only Live Twice
15. Diamonds are Forever
14. Skyfall
13. Dr. No
12. Tomorrow Never Dies
11. A View to a Kill
10. Die Another Day
9. Goldfinger
8. Goldeneye
7. For Your Eyes Only
6. The World is not Enough
5. Casino Royale
4. Live and Let Die
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. From Russia With Love
1. Thunderball

James Bond Pre-title Sequence
23. Dr. No (none)
22. Live and Let Die
21. For Your Eyes Only
20. Diamonds are Forever
19. A View to a Kill
18. Licence to Kill
17. Moonraker
16. Die Another Day
15. The Man With the Golden Gun
14. You Only Live Twice
13. Octopussy
12. Tomorrow Never Dies
11. Skyfall
10. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
9. Casino Royale
8. From Russia With Love
7. Thunderball
6. Quantum of Solace
5. Goldfinger
4. Goldeneye
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. The World is not Enough
1. The Living Daylights

007 Rankings (Part 1)

I've thought on it long enough and after two viewings of Skyfall I am ready to give an updated ranking of 007 movies, music, characters, and other aspects of the film series that make a Bond movie a Bond movie.  Listed below are the most current lists.

James Bond Films
23. The Man With the Golden Gun
22. A View to a Kill
21. Diamonds are Forever
20. Moonraker
19. Die Another Day
18. For Your Eyes Only
17. Octopussy
16. Tomorrow Never Dies
15. Quantum of Solace
14. Licence to Kill
13. Thunderball
12. Live and Let Die
11. You Only Live Twice
10. Dr. No
9. The World is not Enough
8. The Spy Who Loved Me
7. The Living Daylights
6. Skyfall
5. Goldeneye
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Casino Royale
2. Goldfinger
1. From Russia With Love

James Bond Musical Themes
23. Moonraker
22. All Time High (from Octopussy)
21. Licence to Kill
20. For Your Eyes Only
19. The Man With the Golden Gun
18. A View to a Kill
17. Diamonds are Forever
16. Die Another Day
15. Another Way to Die (from Quantum of Solace)
14. The Living Daylights
13. You Only Live Twice
12. You Know My Name (from Casino Royale)
11. From Russia With Love
10. Skyfall
9. Live and Let Die
8. Tomorrow Never Dies
7. Thunderball
6. The World is not Enough
5. Goldeneye
4. Goldfinger
3. Nobody Does it Better (from The Spy Who Loved Me)
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1. James Bond Theme (from Dr. No)

James Bond Girls - Beauty
23. Melina Havelock (from For Your Eyes Only)
22. Pam Bouvier (from Licence to Kill)
21. Pussy Galore (from Goldfinger)
20. Domino Derval (from Thunderball)
19. Kissy Suzuki (from You Only Live Twice)
18. Tiffany Case (from Diamonds are Forever)
17. Kara Milovy (from The Living Daylights)
16. Mary Goodnight (from The Man With the Golden Gun)
15. Vesper Lynd (from Casino Royale)
14. Natalya Simonova (from Goldeneye)
13. Dr. Holly Goodhead (from Moonraker)
12. Anya Amasova (from The Spy Who Loved Me)
11. Stacey Sutton (from A View to a Kill)
10. Wai Lin (from Tomorrow Never Dies)
9. Dr. Christmas Jones (from The World is not Enough)
8. Camille (from Quantum of Solace)
7. Severine (from Skyfall)
6. Octopussy (from Octopussy)
5. Jinx (from Die Another Day)
4. Honey Rider (from Dr. No)
3. Tracy Di Vicenzo (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
2. Solitaire (from Live and Let Die)
1. Tatiana Romanova (from From Russia With Love)

James Bond Girls - Overall
23. Stacey Sutton (from A View to a Kill)
22. Dr. Christmas Jones (from The World is not Enough)
21. Mary Goodnight (from The Man With the Golden Gun)
20. Melina Havelock (from For Your Eyes Only)
19. Kissy Suzuki (from You Only Live Twice)
18. Tiffany Case (from Diamonds are Forever)
17. Dr. Holly Goodhead (from Moonraker)
16. Kara Milovy (from The Living Daylights)
15. Pam Bouvier (from Licence to Kill)
14. Domino Derval (from Thunderball)
13. Anya Amasova (from The Spy Who Loved Me)
12. Jinx (from Die Another Day)
11. Severine (from Skyfall)
10. Natalya Simonova (from Goldeneye)
9. Octopussy (from Octopussy)
8. Camille (from Quantum of Solace)
7. Solitaire (from Live and Let Die)
6. Wai Lin (from Tomorrow Never Dies)
5. Vesper Lynd (from Casino Royale)
4. Tatiana Romanova (from From Russia With Love)
3. Pussy Galore (from Goldfinger)
2. Tracy Di Vicenzo (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
1. Honey Rider (from Dr. No)

Brave Good, But An Unlucky 13

Finally saw Pixar's Brave the other evening and I was disappointed.  It wasn't a bad movie, it just wasn't the great cinema experience that most Pixar movies usually are.  The animation, like most Pixar films, is amazing and the story was definitely different than any Disney princess movie we've seen before, it just didn't have that special "it" factor that Pixar is able to bring to the table.
My new rankings for Pixar movies are as follows:

1. The Incredibles
2. Toy Story
3. Finding Nemo
4. Up
5. WALL-E
6. Toy Story 3
7. Monster's Inc.
8. Toy Story 2
9. Ratatouille
10. A Bug's Life
11. Brave
12. Cars
13. Cars 2

Skyfall Review

I wanted to devote more time to this review today, but between being way too tired and entirely too busy at work I just haven’t had the mental capacity to commit to a movie review. Last night was the midnight screening of Skyfall at the IMAX theater in Dallas. I didn’t get home until 3:30 this morning and was up and out of bed three hours later for work. But overall, it was totally worth the lack of sleep.
Skyfall is unlike most James Bond films. The director and producers were working to create a retro-feel with Skyfall that was reminiscent to the Connery 007 movies of the 1960s, but what they ended up doing was creating a movie that had all the elements of 007 with more of a polished feeling to it. The Connery vibe is felt throughout and anyone who is familiar with the spy series will recognize it. But Skyfall is its own entity with current themes and personal touches than what was made when James Bond was still a new hero.
When reviewing a James Bond movie, I can never be objective and I have to have two opinions of the film. One opinion is how it compares to previous Bond pictures, which will always get a higher rating than they really should. Take The Man with the Golden Gun for instance. It should receive one star out of 10. Instead, it gets three stars. I just can’t bring myself to give a 007 film a true rating because I want it to be better than it really is. Quantum of Solace doesn’t truly deserve an eight, but that’s what my biased heart feels when ranking it.
The other opinion is how a Bond picture ranks as an action movie. Tomorrow Never Dies is at best an average Bond movie, but as an action movie it entertains on all levels of expectation. The final 45 minutes of the film is all action and that is all men really want in an adventure movie. We can check our brains at the door and dull our senses to violent gunfights and compelling stunt sequences.
My initial, gut reaction to Skyfall is it is above average in action movies and in the top 10 in Bond movies. We’ll see how that consideration changes after seeing it again tomorrow night.
Like Quantum of Solace before it, Skyfall was helmed by an artistic director. Sam Mendes prefers style and conversation over substance and explosions. That doesn’t mean Skyfall is a boring character study film that drops all the clichés of Bond, but it also doesn’t mean real-world problems aren’t explored. Mendes does an excellent job of intertwining elegant set designs and powerful performances with the compulsory action sequences and witty one-liners. The 223-minute runtime goes by quickly and the actions sets don’t feel forced. While Quantum of Solace was marred by the writer’s strike, Mendes was able to polish Skyfall for several months prior to releasing it to the general public, and that additional time and labor is evident with what is being released this weekend.
In general, I was more than pleased with what I saw onscreen and feel what Skyfall brings to the James Bond series will reinforce it as one of the most enduring franchises rather than give credence to the idea that Bond need not return. I’m not quite ready to rank Skyfall against all the Bond movies, when compared to the other two Daniel Craig films it would be second behind Casino Royale. I’ll have updated rankings of all 23 films and the other elements of a James Bond picture by the end of this weekend once I have finished my second viewing and reflected a little longer.

Skyfall Midnight Screening

It's going to be a glorious evening tomorrow when I go to a midnight screening of the new James Bond thriller Skyfall. The next day at work will be tough on four hours of sleep, but that trade is totally worth it.
Even after planning this screening Wednesday night/Thursday morning, I'll be seeing the movie again Friday night. It is a great time now to be a James Bond fan.
I'll have a review this weekend and updated rankings later in the week once the newness has worn off and I can fairly judge the movie and all that goes with it.

Back In The Homeownership Game

Joanna and I closed on our new home today. We signed the documents this morning and the seller's signed this afternoon. We have the new key and renovations will begin tonight.
I am excited about the work we will put into this home to make it our own. I am overwhelmed by the schedule it has to be done in as we are moving in a week from Friday, but am anticipating the satisfied feeling I will have once we have completed the renovations and moved everything in to the new home.
I don't normally put photos on here, but I might do it once we have finished the work. We'll see.

Let The Skyfall

Adele's latest song, which happens to also be the theme song for the new James Bond movie Skyfall, was released online. It sounds exactly as I thought a 007 tune performed by Adele would sound. It certainly is the best theme since Garbage's The World is not Enough. If you'd like to take a listen it shouldn't be too hard to find online, but a good starting point would be here.

Mo Mortgage, Mo Problems

Big news on the home front. We have received approval from the bank we were dealing with to purchase a short sale home in southwest Arlington. It is exciting to know we will be having a place of our own again that can be decorated, renovated, and done with as we please.
It's been good living with my mom these past few months and saving money for our new home, but not having all of our own stuff and living in two bedrooms between three-and-a-half people has been hard. We go to look at the house again this afternoon and measure rooms for carpet and painting. I'm excited to do some fix-it-up projects at the new home.
Any other bits of news about the house I will post as we progress.

And He Strikes Like Thunderball

This is a bit late, but about two weeks ago I went with my wife and a friend to watch the fourth James Bond thriller Thunderball in a Dallas theater. This brings my total of 007 movies up to 10 of 22 seen on the big screen. Not bad for someone born in 1980 and didn't get into the Bond franchise until 1997, 35 years after the first adventure was released.

Rest In Peace Tony Scott

While I don't necessarily consider him the greatest of the Scott brother directors, his contribution to film is appreciated.
Jumping to his death from a bridge in Los Angeles today, Tony Scott leaves a pretty good legacy in Hollywood. With films such as Days of Thunder, Beverly Hills Cop II, Spy Game, Man on Fire, and Unstoppable on his resume, his most well known movie will always be Top Gun. It gets worse the older you grow as you realize the cheesiness of the plot and acting, but it just holds a special place in guys' hearts as a great man movie.
My personal favorite of Scott's is Crimson Tide. The tension between Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman coupled with the close quarters of the submarine make it a great thriller. Pay tribute to the man that brought us

Quick Hit

I haven't really had time to do much blogging lately. I moved departments to the Mortgage Services (Customer Service) group with Colonial and have been extremely busy responding to customers' e-mails and speaking to people on the phone about their mortgages. I have learned a ton in the last month and really enjoy work again. It is not just working for two of the eight hours I'm on the clock and reading a book the rest of the day.
I'll try and say more when I have some time.

Top Movies By Decade: Part 5 – "Bond, James Bond."

Author’s Note: I apparently did this in July of 2009 but didn’t list my top ten favorites.  It simply had my favorite film and then a few honorable mentions that would have been in the top five.
I started a series of lists that rank my top ten favorite movies by decade.  It began in the 1920s and will be working toward the new millennium.
To compile this list, I took my ranked films from IMDb, which I grade after every movie viewing, and sorted them from highest to lowest.  Then, looking at each movie in each decade I came up with my favorite ten.
I have included some honorable mentions to show what the top ten were up against.  We will continue with the 1960s.

1960s
Honorable Mentions: Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), The Birds (1963), The Great Escape (1963), High and Low (1963), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), The Battle of Algiers (1966), The Graduate (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Bullitt (1968), The Lion in Winter (1968), Night of the Living Dead (1968), and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

10. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – Some of the best films in cinema history take multiple viewings to fully appreciate.  2001: A Space Odyssey takes multiple viewings to understand.  Stanley Kubrick’s space epic, inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel,” premiered to varied opinions but acquired a cult following and has since become a mainstream masterpiece.  Nominated for four Academy Awards, receiving a win for visual effects, and ranked in numerous top ten polls, including AFI’s 100 Movies, 100 Thrills, 100 Quotes, and 100 Heroes and Villains, Sight & Sound, and The Moving Arts Film Journal, the film is notable for its deep thematic elements, scientific accuracy, soundtrack, ambiguous imagery, unconventional storytelling, and minimal use of dialogue.  2001: A Space Odyssey was included in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1991, being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

9. Psycho (1960) – Not a critical success when released, Psycho was such a hit with moviegoers that it was re-evaluated and has since been seen as not just a classic, but one of the greatest films ever made.  Following the abolition of the Production Code, director Alfred Hitchcock pushed the limits of violence and sexuality in film, and by filming one of the most well-known murder scenes in Hollywood history and a killer score to go with it, he was able to create a ghastly thriller that is probably Hitchcock’s most popular release.  In 1992, the film was among those inducted into the Congress National Film Registry.  At the time of its release, Psycho received four Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Supporting Actress, nominations from the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and the Writers Guild of America, East for Best Written American Drama.  It won Best Motion Picture at the Edgar Allan Poe Awards and Janet Leigh won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.  Among its numerous praises as one of the greatest movies of all time, Psycho has been among many Best Of lists, including the AFI’s 100 Movies, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, 100 Thrills, 100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Quotes, and 100 Scores lists.

8. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – Spaghetti western, war epic, and Italian action film.  You could label The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as any one of these genres and you would be correct.  The scope of Sergio Leone’s grand conclusion for Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name is filled with chaotic American Civil War battles, gunfights, and hangings.  Spaghetti westerns were not received with high praise at the time of their release, but since then The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has become very popular and has become European cinema’s best representation of the western genre.  It is included among Time’s 100 Greatest Movies of the Last Century and Empire magazine’s Masterpiece Collection of 500 Greatest Movies at 25.

7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – While The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is an overly violent and surreal depiction of the Old West, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid instead goes the comedic route with its interpretation of the American outlaw.  The real treat in this movie is the chemistry between headliners Paul Newman and then-unknown Robert Redford.  The two were such a great team, while only starring in two films together they are among the great film duos alongside Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, or Hanks and Ryan.  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the top grossing film of 1969 and won four Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Song, and Best Original Screenplay, while also being nominated for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Sound.  The film received numerous British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor (won by Redford), and Best Actress (won by Katherine Ross).  The movie was preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry in 2003.

6. My Fair Lady (1964) – A musical film adaptation of a stage musical based on a film adaptation of the original stage play Pygmalion, the Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison vehicle won eight Academy awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director, and was nominated for an additional four.  My Fair Lady also won three Golden Globes, a BAFTA, and was included in AFI’s 100 Movies, 100 Passions, 100 Songs, and 100 Musicals lists.

5. Goldfinger (1964) – The quintessential Bond film that every other Bond movie is measured up against.  Goldfinger began what is known as the Bond formula and blends plot, women, cars, gadgets, locations, and over the top action sequences seamlessly.  The bond girls are unforgettable.  The Aston Martin DB5 makes its first appearance.  Oddjob is the first henchman to have an interesting method of killing, which would be copied by others like Jaws and Xenia Onatopp.  Goldfinger won an Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing and received nominations for a Grammy and BAFTA.  It was selected to AFI’s 100 Thrills, 100 Quotes, 100 Songs, and 100 Heroes and Villains lists.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) – Featuring one of the most morally upstanding, kindly father figures in cinematic history, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was adapted into a powerful story of growing up in America and learning about the hardships of life through the eyes of a little girl.  The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Musical Score and won the award in Best Actor, Best Art Direction, and Best Adapted Screenplay.  It also received three Golden Globe Awards and won an award at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.  To Kill a Mockingbird is among AFI’s 100 Movies, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, 100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Scores, 100 Cheers, and 10 Top 10 lists.  It was selected to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1995.

3. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – If black comedies about nuclear war are your sort of thing, this is the movie for you.  Directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers in three separate roles as President of the United States, a former Nazi wheel chair-bound scientist, and a Royal Air Force officer, Dr. Strangelove satirizes many Cold War attitudes, with its primary focus on the theory of mutual assured destruction.  Often ranked among the greatest comedies of all time, the film was selected to the National Film Registry in 1989.  It currently holds a 100% fresh rating on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes and is ranked highly on IMDB’s Top 250 movies.  Among the numerous nominations from the Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards, it won four.  In addition, it won the American comedy award from the Writers Guild of America and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.  Dr. Strangelove is rated the fifth greatest film in Sight & Sound’s directors’ poll, the only comedy in the top 10.  AFI included the film on its 100 Movies, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, 100 Laughs, and 100 Quotes lists.

2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) – Moving performances, epic landscapes, and a mesmerizing score are all the things that make David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia an ambitious and masterful picture.  Lean is able to take a bleak and savage place like the desert and romanticize it through the camera lens, creating a remarkable and beautiful backdrop to the story of World War I British army officer T.E. Lawrence, who helped mobilize a guerilla-style Arab revolt against the Ottoman Turkish rule.  Although the historical accuracy is hotly debated, both in terms of events and representations of Lawrence, the film was an immediate success and has been fawned over for decades.  Lawrence of Arabia is constantly among the top of lists touting the best in cinema, including the American Film Institute ranking it fifth, seventh, and first among its 100 Movies, 100 Movies Anniversary Edition, and 10 Top 10 Epic lists.  Other AFI lists the film is included in are 100 Thrills, 100 Heroes and Villains, 100 Scores, and 100 Cheers.  In 1991, the Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.  It received 10 Oscar nominations and won seven, including Best Picture and Best Director.  The BAFTAs and Golden Globes also recognized its greatness, bestowing nine wins and another two nomination to the picture.

1. From Russia with Love (1963) – The film before Goldfinger, From Russia with Love is a true spy movie.  Its utilization of fewer gadgets lets Bond use his wits rather than an Omega watch with built-in laser.  There are twists and turns throughout the film that begins during the first Bond pre-title sequence where our hero is hunted down by a homicidal assassin named Donald "Red" Grant.  From Russia with Love is adored by nearly all who view it, mixing humor, action, sexuality, and fun into a seamless adventure with suave Sean Connery carrying the picture the entire way.

Marvel's The Avengers

A movie that grosses internationally more than $1.4 billion (that’s billion with a “b”) and $575 million domestically in seven weeks has to be out-of-this-world amazing, right?  How about just really good?  Maybe a notch above mediocre?
I don’t want to be “that” guy and compare every superhero comic book movie to The Dark Knight, but like the Joker said, “You changed things … forever.”  These types of movies have to be more than just flawed hero with special powers fights evil force from space.  Audiences want more character development and intriguing writing.  I would like to believe moviegoers are willing to give up on over-the-top action and endless explosions for interesting stories and absorbing onscreen relationships, but the Transformers sequels making more than $750 million domestically combined doesn’t help my case.
Back to Marvel’s The Avengers though.  The idea of combining a team of superheroes in one movie is a fanboy’s wet dream come true.  And in Marvel’s defense, for the past half-decade they have been working toward the culmination of this film by building the story through the individual movies of each superhero team member: Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America.
The visual effects in The Avengers are top-notch and the acting is hit and miss, with the main actors being at the top of their game portraying the comic book characters who are better than us common folk physically but just as flawed internally.  The dysfunctional dynamic between the team members prior to gelling into a singular working entity for the betterment of mankind was pulled off well, but individual storylines were weak and not hashed out enough for what a 150-minute movie would allow with that many characters at play.  I also think Robert Downey's Tony Stark is more enjoyable when he gets to carry the picture, instead of sharing the limelight with countless others.
What bothered me most about the picture was the final battle was 20 minutes of repetitious explosions and the fact that it seemed like an exact replica of the finale of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  I also didn’t like that the hand-to-hand fight sequences were a blur of camera movement (which is becoming increasingly the norm since the Bourne films started the trend) and the performances that were weak (I’m looking at you ScarJo) were laughably bad.
Overall, it was worth my time to see what Marvel could do by combining some of its most high-profile heroes but I don’t think it broke new ground in the comic book movie genre.  It gets a 6 out of 10 in my book, which is a strange trend as three of the four movies I’ve seen in theaters this year have rated at a 6.

Goodbye Underwriting. Hello Servicing!

I was offered today a job opening within the Colonial Savings company in the servicing department.  While talking to customers all day on the phone about the mortgage problems isn't exactly the ideal employment for me, I will be mostly working as the e-mail correspondent, which means I will be contacting customers through e-mail instead of on the phone.  That is a little more up my alley in terms of job skills.
This move to the servicing department is a good one because it means a lot more writing possibilities, a little more pay, and the potential to move up in the company.  That is something that is just not possible right now in my position with the underwriting department.
I believe the move will take place at the end of the month, so I will update with how I'm doing in my new position next month.

Pray For Little Bennett Scheuermann

The five-month-old son of a friend is having open-heart surgery this morning.  If you would like to follow along at home and know how things are going for the Scheuermann family, visit their blog at http://blog4bennett.blogspot.com/.  You can learn more about how little Bennett is doing throughout the day, see photos of the cute baby, and find out about donation opportunities for the family.

Skyfall Poster & Trailer Released

Beginning last Friday, the teaser poster and trailer for the 23rd James Bond movie Skyfall were released.  My initial reactions to both were boring and pretty fantastic.
The producers and director are going for a classic Bond feel with the latest installment in the franchise.  The poster is highly influenced by this decision with the iconic gunbarrel in the background and Daniel Craig as Bond walking in the middle of the poster.  While the gunbarrel is a classic image of the series, putting it as the main graphic of the poster seems rather obvious and clichéd in my opinion.
As far as the preview goes, it was really intriguing.  It immediately peaked my interest and the visuals seen throughout are of the quality you find in art-house films, not action pictures.  I liked it and if it weren't for my intense desire to not spoil anything from previews I would watch it a hundred times in the next week, but I will refrain and only watch it one or two more times between now and when the next trailer is released later this year.

Yesterday Was A Good Day

Two movie-related quick hits and then I will let you move along.
For those who enjoy the 007 series, a teaser poster was released for Skyfall that harkens back to the "classic" Bond movies.  However, by doing so the image on the poster is rather boring and a little too obvious for my tastes.  I am still excited to get something from the new film and hopefully this little tidbit of movie news will placate me until the trailer is released next week.
The other note that made yesterday so great was I went to see a screening of The Godfather last night with my friend James.  Besides being my favorite movie of all time, it was great just to sit through a classic movie in the theater.  I always enjoy retro movie night, whether it is a classic from the black-and-white era of Hollywood or some blockbuster from my youth that I wasn't able to appreciate until I started viewing it on VHS in my living room.
I suggest you find a theater that screens classic movies like the one I saw yesterday and enjoy some nostalgia on the big screen.