100 film challenge – so close yet so far… #100films

It saddens me to admit defeat but unfortunately my 100 movie challenge did get the better of me. I found watching the films relatively easy (unsurprisingly), but reviewing them as well is what made it a real challenge. Unfortunately a poorly timed week away in August put the challenge out of reach for me. I managed to see 83 films  but there were 12 films that I didn’t review and now won’t have time to (it’s all very sad I know!). The soon arrival of my wife and I’s first baby will almost certainly mean I may never get the chance to take on the challenge again. 100 days is a long time, but you never know…

The full list of films I watched in the 100 day period are listed here.

100 films in 100 days – The Sound of Music #100films

 
The 71st film of my 100 film challenge is The Sound of Music. Living in the beautiful seaside town of Whitstable is truly a privilege. Having the coast on your doorstep is great, and it’s something I have always been grateful for. In the summer, Whitstable holds the annual Oyster Featival and in the past few years they have shown films outdoors, on the top of the slopes on Tankerton seafront. As the wife and I, plus some family and friends were around, we all decided to go along.

It was an interesting experience sitting outside to watch a film, along with several hundred other people. The film itself wasn’t one I was particularly fussed by seeing but I didn’t have a choice. I hadn’t seen all of it in one sitting before so it wasn’t a waste of time.

The Sound of Music is a classic and is well loved by many. Some of these people were there, singing along and applauding at the end of every song. Occasionally even my wife and co were among the folk enjoying themselves a bit too much. I managed to keep myself from laughing to at those individuals too often, although sometimes I just found my head in my hands.

The film does have great songs and the story is interesting enough. What occurred to me was how long it must have taken to make. It’s a long movie, and it is well made – it will have taken a great deal of time an effort for this one. It certainly make a big difference too. Worth a watch, but be warned – it’s long.

100 films in 100 days – Liar Liar #100films

The 70th film of my 100 film challenge is Liar Liar. I love this classic 90s comedy! It’s definitely one of my faves. I love Jim Carrey and he is on fine form here. I have other Jim Carrey films that I love more, but this one is still a lot of fun.

I know a lot of people are divided in their opinion of Jim Carrey, and I understand why people might not like him. For me, he’s a comedy hero. Liar Liar is a somewhat less physical performance for Carrey, where often he is actually playing his character rather straight.

Once the truth-telling kicks in the laughs come thick and fast. I personally love the little comments he says to people. Particularly when a colleague asks him “How’s it hanging?”… “Short, shriveled and always to the left.”

Brilliant.

The cast are great too, Maura Tierney matches up well as Carrey’s Ex and Cary Elwes is perfect as the dorky boyfriend. The kid is especially good and is incredibly cute, having great chemistry with on-screen parents Carrey and Tierney.

There are a lot of memorable bits in the film, perhaps the court room scenes are the highlights. I find that Liar Liar consistently makes me laugh each time I see it and I hope that we get to see many more comedies from Carrey in the future.

100 films in 100 days – The Skeleton Twins #100films

The 67th film in my 100 film challenge is The Skeleton Twins. I remember this film having some fairly positive reviews when it came out last year. Both Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader found fame on SNL and have had increasing success on the big screen. This film, although it has comedic moments, is more of serious story – something both Wiig and Hader show themselves to be more than capable of doing.

With a strong Indie vibe, the storyline is actually rather depressing. Themes such as suicide, infidelity and paedophilia certainly bring down the mood, but impressively the film is balanced with enough humour to keep it all together. It’s perhaps not as funny as you would expect with these two in the lead roles, but I didn’t mind that.

I hope that this film leads to more things for both Wiig and Hader. I know Wiig is on an upward trajectory, with Ghostbusters destined to be a hit. I think Bill Hader is great and we need more Bill Hader.

In everything.

100 films in 100 days – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) #100films

The 66th film in my 100 film challenge is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014). As a kid I loved the children’s cartoon. It was one my favourite things to watch. I even had a t-shirt! I also remember the live action films that came out in the 90s, but as with a lot of things from my childhood, memories fade and I don’t remember the series or films all that well.

Having bypassed the 2007 animated film, I felt that this one was worth a watch. No, not because of Megan Fox – who do you think I am?! It was because it included two of my favourite Will’s. Will Arnett and William Fichtner. And neither of them disappoint.

They are both essentially typecast in their roles, Arnett is there for humour and Fichnter is a bad guy. This doesn’t stop them from being two of the best things about the film. Overall it isn’t a great film, but not a total calamity. The action sequences are genuinely entertaining and make the film.

The story is a bit weak but then it is for kids. I didn’t like Shredder – he needs to be a bit more sinister for me. The CGI of Splinter was pretty poor too, but then a 6 foot rat will always look a tad suspect. Megan Fox does well and actually wasn’t too bad in this.

Hear there may be a sequel in the works. I’m sure the original series will never be beaten by a live action film. But you never know. 

100 films in 100 days – Boyhood #100films

The 65th film in my 100 film challenge is Boyhood. This film is an incredible achievement. It is so impressive what Richard Linklater has done. To make a film over the course of 12 years is amazing, and it’s powerfully effective here. You really feel like your have seen Mason Junior grow from a boy to a man. It is also amazing that such a long film remains interesting, especially as it is simply a family drama.

I particularly liked the fact that Linklater never throws it in your face each time a year passes by. Some directors would highlight the fact that another year has gone, highlighting how impressive their work is. Thankfully Boyhood is subtle, and allows the audience to be more like observers, finding out the answers for themselves. I did notice how the music in the film often acted like signposts for what year it was – a nice touch.

Overall I liked the story, but it has its weak points. The ‘stepdads’ felt more like stereotypes than real people and the film just seems to stop at the end, but those were my only significant issues. I liked the fact that the film is a snapshot of what growing up in the west is like for a lot of children in this recent generation. Many kids live with their Mum and only see Dad at weekends. Boyhood highlights both how essential a family unit is for children, but that dysfunctional families don’t always equal messed up kids.

The acting is pretty good on the whole. I’m not sure if Patricia Arquette acted so well she deserved an Oscar, but hey that’s my opinion. Ethan Hawke is great in the supporting role, but it’s the two young actors that steal the show. Ellar Coltrane really feels like he is Mason, and you forget that you are watching a kid acting – an outstanding performance.

A must see film, and a brilliant achievement.

100 films in 100 days – Ride Along #100films

The 64th film in my 100 film challenge is Ride Along. Ok so a friend of mine said this film was really funny. So I decided to watch this film. Unfortunately for me, my friend was wrong. I remember when I saw the trailer for Ride Along, featuring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, and thinking it looked terrible. I should have gone with my gut. When comedy feels forced and hard work they cease to be funny, sadly this is what happened here.

It’s not a complete train wreck, to be fair, Kevin Hart shows some potential here, and I think he will certainly star in more comedies. I confess I haven’t seen much of his work before, but there is definitely something about him. Whether he will make comedies that will become classics in years to come will remain to be seen. Ice Cube is ok in this film, but then playing the angry guy is kind of his thing.

The action-comedy is now a well-worn path, and Ride Along offers little originality. Obvious comparisons to Beverly Hills Cop or Lethal Weapon pop into the mind – RA is most definitely not in that league. Perhaps the best bit is the warehouse scene near the end, which is actually rather good. The reveal of the mysterious Omar is fun (I won’t say who), although this actor really wasn’t at his best in this film.

Some things amaze me. Not Ride Along, but the fact they’re making Ride Along 2.

Unbelievable.

100 films in 100 days – Exodus: Gods and Kings #100films

The 63rd film in my 100 film challenge is Exodus: Gods and Kings. This most recent release from Ridley Scott was on the whole pretty disappointing. It definitely more Robin Hood than Gladiator. The film follows the journey from Moses as brother to Pharaoh, to leading the Hebrew nation out of Egyptian captivity. Perhaps, as a Christian, I know the story of Moses too well, but I felt that the changes that were made to the story didn’t improve the story but made it more confusing and odd.

I don’t really want to point out all the differences between the film and the bible story. That would be pedantic and boring, both for me and for you reading this (Just read the story for yourself if you really want to). The story is epic, and is likely the reason why Ridley Scott wanted to make this film. He loves epic. So what we end up with is a tiresomely long film. Long films can work, just not here.

The acting is fine – particularly Joel Edgerton. I found the inclusion of Sigourney Weaver truly odd, as she is barely in it. Bale does a decent enough job with what he has to play with. I don’t think this Moses was as troubled and weak as the one you read in the Bible. He often seems too capable and in control for me, he could have been much more interesting and likable.

The story is sluggish and takes too long to get going. When the big moments happen, such as the plagues and the Red Sea, they end up feeling rather anticlimactic. It does have the vibe of story that has been played around with in order to appeal to the masses. It’s a shame as the story has lost much of its power, and feels rather disjointed overall.

Despite all this, I always appreciate a bible story being adapted into film, as it gets people talking about their beliefs – an important things to do. I don’t mind people not believing the same thing as me, as long as they have taken the time to think about what they believe. Believing in nothing is a scary place to be.

Not sure how many people still believe in Ridley Scott. Many of us are praying The Martian will redeem him.

100 films in 100 days – The Wedding Singer #100films

The 62nd film in my 100 film challenge is The Wedding Singer. While husband points are certainly a factor in the reasoning for watching this film, in all fairness The Wedding singer is actually really funny. It just happened to be starting on TV when the wife and I sat down for dinner, so we ended up watching it.

With Adam Sandler you know that there will be a greater emphasis on the comedy in the romantic-comedy – something that will help a lot for the fellas in the audience. Set in the eighties, we also get to enjoy a great soundtrack with a lot of classics. I even found that someone had put together a YouTube playlist from the film, it was pretty decent. The original songs that are in it are equally great too.

I know Sandler, like other comedy stars, splits an audience – some hate him, while others can’t get enough. I wouldn’t say I’m his biggest fan but when his is on form he is fantastic. He is definitely on the money here, and the chemistry with regular co-star Drew Barrymore works really well too.

Whilst it won’t move mountains with profound brilliance, but this kind of film isn’t meant to. It works really well as the kind of film that puts a smile on your face for an hour and a half. Its a lot of fun.

100 films in 100 days – The Cable Guy #100films

The 59th film in my 100 film challenge is The Cable Guy. This was another film I saw when I was quite young. Famously this film did badly both critically and at the box office, but then it grew into cult status. I was curious to see if I liked it now.

I love Jim Carey. I know people who hate him as much as I love him though. Here is one of his best performances. Mostly he is doing the comedic stuff, but he has to switch to serious parts too. Something he shows as being very capable of. Broderick is excellent too, and their relationship on screen is fun to watch.

I loved the basketball game sequence, ending with Carey’s ridiculous backboard smashing slam dunk. I could watch that all day. The karaoke party and the weird medieval restaurant scenes are both strange and hilarious too.

I really enjoyed watching it again. It’s a bit creepy, very funny and so much more. Ben Stiller does a great job directing here, and rather than the film being simply a comedy – it also makes a serious comment about the effects of TV in our society. It even correctly predicts the impact that the internet will have.

We have become a society where we are so dependant upon screens and the visual medium. Our relationships with others are dictated accordingly. Our ideas of truth and reality stem from what we see on TV. How aware are we of the power we give to the screens we are so attached to? We are addicted. We feed off what we watch, but not all food is good for you. Eating the wrong things make you ill. Eating too much makes you fat and lazy. Is the thing you’re watching good for you? Do we ever ask this question?

Thought provoking, funny and bonkers. A cult classic that asks important questions.

A must see.