A Movie a Day: Avatar

Wednesday 30 December - AVATAR (2009)
Ah, the much-hyped 'Avatar'. I had little prior knowledge of its storyline so I didn't have any particular expectations but in the end I was very impressed, purely by the look and graphics of the film, which definitely lived up to the hype. I'd heard the storyline let the film down--one friend said it was too complicated, others said it was too predictable. I found it fairly straightforward and, indeed, predictable, but in my view that didn't detract from the film. Maybe I'm a 'sucker' for the special effects, but then that's what Avatar is all about. For the record, I saw it in 3-D, because that's what the local cinema was offering. I don't think the 3-D was used to its potential--it gave the film a far larger and more detailed appearance but I would have been just as impressed by the 2-D version, perhaps more because then I wouldn't be struggling with the 3-D glasses.

To be honest it wasn't even so much the graphics themselves that I loved as much as it was the 'look' of the film; the creativity of its visual design, if you like. I fell in love with the fictional planet Pandora and its magnificent gargantuan rainforest, and fell even more in love with its wonderfully imaginative and equally bizarre creatures. Given, it blatantly preached social values (particularly about saving the environment) and had some cringeworthy dialogue but that's what you expect from a Hollywood blockbuster predicted to gross some of the highest-ever box office takings. 8/10

A Movie a Day: United 93

Tuesday 29 December - UNITED 93 (2006)
This is the first serious, humourless film so far in my project. I've got stacks of 'classics' recommended by my Friend Sacha, most of which are deep 'drama' films, but so far in my project I simply haven't felt like watching those sorts of movies. United 93 wasn't recommended by Sach but my own choice; an impromptu download after reading some rave reviews. I was very impressed with United 93; it was made very well. Considering the dark, tragic realism of the film, my heart was pounding from the first scene knowing where the film would take me.

For those of you unfamiliar with this film, United 93 is a suspense film that chronicles the events of September 11 onboard United Airlines flight 93, which ultimately crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania after a Terrorist hijacking and the consequent attempted takeover by the hostage passengers.

I knew going into it that this film would be powerful and distressing, and honestly it almost brought me to tears. The ending was incredibly climactic; the filmmakers managed to create immense drama through the chaotic shots and sound effects, and tragic drawn-out score. I thought United 93 was brilliant; it left me shocked and saddened. 8/10

A Movie a Day: Transformers

Monday 28 December - TRANSFORMERS (2007)
I wasn't sure what to expect here. Last I heard about Transformers was that the second film was horrible, but Megan Fox was hot in it. I watched the first film, which was well received upon release if I remember correctly. I wanted to watch this 'cause I had a headache and wanted something light-hearted, and in the end I'm glad I picked this film because I enjoyed it far more than I expected. It was ridiculous but it knew it and didn't take itself too seriously.

It was crazy, fast-paced fun. The story was absurd of course but the script was good and funny, helped by the acting, (Shia LaBeuof in particular) which made the banter feel natural. Megan Fox was hot, of course. but I preferred the blonde Australian chick. Some of the funniest stuff was the US soldier speaking Spanish and the absurd prevalence of eBay within the plot (Sam: "How did you discover the glasses?" Metroid Prime: "eBay...!"), not to mention the general banter between characters. 7/10

A Movie a Day: Little Miss Sunshine

Sunday 27 December - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)
This is one of many films I've heard are great but never get around to seeing. It was released in 2006 to wide critical acclaim, so I had high expectations. To be honest, though, it disappointed me. I enjoyed it and I did got caught up in the story and the characters, but at the end I was left thinking, 'that was all right, yeah, but what's all the fuss about?' Probably what stood out for me were the outburst from Dwayne (played by Paul Dano), which I suppose is a major point in the story anyway, an Steve Carrell's character (Frank).

What surprised me about Frank was not really the character himself but the fact he was played by Carrell, an actor I know and love for his comedy performance in The Office (US). I've never seen Carrell play a straight role, and in fact didn't even know he played any major 'serious' characters. Dwayne's outburst, on the other hand, was simply a huge point in the story. I don't remember feeling emotional about it or affected by it but I'm definitely impressed by the powerful performance from Dano, with the screaming and whatnot. 6.5/10

A Movie a Day: Sherlock Holmes

Saturday 26 December - SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009)
Really looked forward to this, knowing it was a Guy Ritchie film (I liked 'Snatch' and loved 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels') and set in industrial England--pre-1900 historical settings fascinate me, especially in England. I first heard about the film and saw the trailer about a year ago--well before Australian promotion--thanks to excellent YouTube film reviewer TomSPerkins, who I'm subscribed to.

In the end, I saw it on opening day--always exciting--and as a result the only seats available were painfully close to the big screen, and then my seat was broken. Luckily the film lived up to expectation--I loved it, it was excellent. The Ritchie traits were there, with there devilishly quick pace of story, editing, dialogue and humour, and the overall grungy look of the flim. Considering the low-budget styles of 'Snatch' and 'Lock, Stock', I was surprised by the quality of the sets and special effects. My only criticism would be [SPOILER ALERT!] the black magic theme, although as my friend Max pointed out, thankfully Holmes sussed out the 'magic'. 8/10

A Movie a Day: Tropic Thunder

Friday 25 December - TROPIC THUNDER (2008)
I always wanted to see Tropic Thunder, but as usual I never got around to it. I missed it in cinemas then sort of forgot about it. I liked the trailer and the idea of a blockbuster action-comedy led by three big names (Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.), two of whom I am big fans (Stiller and Black).

Everything I'd heard from friends was negative, however; that it was so-so, disappointingly average. I still looked forward to watching it, and when I did was entertained at the start, finding out and liking that it was a film within a film. I really liked the early novelty behind-the-scenes stuff, but overall the film disappointed me too; it wasn't that funny, I found most of the humour and dialogue a bit too bizarre, a bit too wacky for me. 5/10

A Movie a Day: a summer project

I've begun a project, or challenge, which is to watch a movie every day--originally with a target of every day for two weeks, now simply at least two weeks and then indefinitely. It started when I realised there were two consecutive days where I watched a film, which is a rarity since I only watch them occasionally (the main reason being the time length of a film; it puts me off knowing I have to commit, say, two uninterrupted hours out of my day haha). I thought, since it's the summer holidays and I always mean to watch movies but rarely do, now's my chance to start a habit. Right now it's Wed 30 December and I've watched a film every day for the last five days (starting Christmas day)--Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes, Little Miss Sunshine, Transformers and now United 93, with plans to see Avatar at the movies tomorrow. As it stands I aim to watch only films I haven't yet seen (like these first five). All these movies were and will be ones I want to see, usually for the acclaim they receive from friends/media. The only real basis for choosing which films to watch is that I haven't yet seen them and that I want to watch them--I'll watch whatever I feel like, basically. I'll write a little something on each film as I go, but for these five I'll just write each post tonight.