R2D2's Ultimate Top 10 Countdown Of The 2000s #9 - Decade Specials.

[For the last 10 days of the decade, I'm doing a Top 10 list a day, all culminating into an ultimate post of Top 10 lists. We have previously seen Top 10 Comedies, Dramas, Animation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Foreign, Musicals, and Action/Thrillers. Now we're moving on.]

Note: Today was originally going to be big Oscar-related films, and I've been trying to catch up with those I hadn't seen yet (for instance, in the last couple days, I watched both Michael Clayton and The Wrestler (reviews forthcoming)). But I still have one more I need to watch (Milk), which I'll be doing later today, but I don't want to delay the list, so I'm gonna go ahead and post the list I was going to do tomorrow, and then do my Oscar list tomorrow. So let's get to it.

Top 10 Decade Specials of the 2000s

What does this mean, exactly? Well, if the 2000s were anything, they were known for certain types of films. It's been known as the decade of the superhero, as well as the decade of remakes (and, occasionally, remakes (and/or reboots) of superhero films). So this is the list that takes the best of the remakes and the superhero fare of the past decade and puts them all together in one list. So let's go for it.

10. Disturbia (2007)

A modern remake of Hitchcock's Rear Window. It has a pretty good cast list, led up by Shia LaBeouf, Carrie-Anne Moss, and David Morse. Instead of the broken leg, we have a a kid under house arrest (with one of those little ankle bracelet things). It's a fun little thriller where, at times, you're really not sure if Morse is a bad guy or not (I mean, you know he is, but still. It's similar to this year's A Perfect Getaway... the ending is obvious, but it still makes you second guess yourself). It also has some nice eye candy in the form of Sarah Roemer who, unfortunately, hasn't really done anything else major.

9. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Some might disagree with me here, but I really enjoyed this movie. It was also infinitely better than the other Hulk attempt a few years prior, which was a total snooze-fest. Great cast with Edward Norton, Tim Roth, Liv Tyler, William Hurt, and Tim Blake Nelson. There's even a fun cameo by Lou Ferrigno (and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark at the very end). Will Edward Norton be along for The Avengers? Let's hope so. But either way, this film had some good action, humor, and special effects.

8. Sky High (2005)

Call it a guilty pleasure if you must, but this was an original take on the superhero genre. It's also light and fun for the whole family, if need be, so you don't have to worry about the darkness of a lot of the more recent superhero films. It's like Harry Potter with superheroes instead of wizards, and it's full of fun appearances, such as Bruce Campbell, Lynda Carter, Dave Foley, and Cloris Leachman, along with its more main cast of Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Danielle Panabaker, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. For those who don't know, think of it like a live-action Incredibles, but without superheroes being banned/in-the-closet. Michael Angarano's parents are super famous, but he has no powers to speak of, and ends up going to Sky High (superhero school), only to end up in sidekick classes. He makes friends, enemies, and even a potential love interest... who might be more than she seems. A great film I recommend if you've never seen it.

7. Watchmen (2009)

Now this would be the complete opposite of the previous film. It's about as dark as they come. I was a fan of the original comic (except the squid-tastic ending, which I was incredibly happy they changed for the movie). Jackie Earle Haley was brilliant as Rorschach, and I'd even say deserving of an Oscar for his role, though that ain't gonna happen. Regardless of what you thought of the movie, his was one of the best performances of the year... and you rarely even saw his face.

6. Ocean's 11 (2001)

An all-star cast in this remake of the 1960 film of the same name, this is a great heist film... most would say (and I'd agree) one of the best. The cast totally works off each other well, and you can tell they're having fun. Not much else to say about the film. I love heist films, and I love this one.

5. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

This is the best of the Spider-Man flicks, and most would agree. Doc Ock is a great villain, but it also leads into the eventual transformation of Harry into the Green Goblin 2 (in the less-than approved third film). This has a lot of good action and great special effects. I'm still not sure how I feel about (spoiler alert if, for whatever reason, you haven't seen it yet) Doc Ock turning good at the end of the movie and sacrificing himself. It kinda took away a "Sinister 6" potential for future films (yet they let Sandman live in number 3. Go figure). Regardless, this is still in the top tier of superhero films.

4. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)

I'm no fan of westerns by any means, nor do I go out of my way to see Russell Crowe, but I certainly loved this movie. (And no, Fletch, it's not simply because of Ben Foster... though that helps.) It has good character building, as well as a good anti-hero in Crowe's Ben Wade (well, anti-hero by the end of the movie). And speaking of the end... while a lot of people didn't like it, I loved it. I thought it was moving and it worked. An all-around great film.

3. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

In this remake of the Romero classic, the cast is larger and the zombies are faster. Sure, there are problems (with such a large cast, most of which don't come in until halfway through, there isn't a hell of a lot of character development). But when you have characters like Andy who you can't help but feel for, even though you see him up-close only once in the movie... or a guy like Steve, who makes you (love to) hate him almost right after you meet him. Or the character who has the best evolution throughout the movie, Michael Kelly's CJ, who goes from a grade-A ass to a likable hero over the course of the movie. From the brilliant opening to the heartbreaking (and then ironic) ending, it's fun all around. The movie is bloody, suspenseful, and action-packed. And what other movie can get away with shooting a baby in the face?

2. Iron Man (2008)

One of the biggest surprises of its year, Iron Man breathed life into a genre that was slowly dying. Mostly, it was thanks of Robert Downey Jr.'s quick-witted performance. The movie did fall prey to "origin story"-itis, where it takes a while to get to the hero action, and then the villain is more-or-less an alternate/evil version of the hero. But it all worked, and it worked well.

1. The Dark Knight (2008)

If you didn't know this would be at the top of the list, you've probably lived under a rock for the last couple years. Heralded as the best superhero movie ever made, The Dark Knight gave us Heath Ledger's final (brilliant) performance as The Joker. There's really nothing to say about this film that hasn't been already said by everybody and their mother, so I guess I'll just leave it at that.


End Note: I realize that I didn't include X-Men, the film that began the superhero craze, or its sequel, which is also placed pretty high on the superhero tier. But just to calm your nerves, X2 would probably fall at #11 on my overall list, if for anything, its fantastic opening sequence.

WATCHMEN.

I’m sure a lot of you who have been here for a while know that I’m a pretty big Harry Potter fan. But I’m sure you’re asking “What does Harry Potter have to do with Watchmen?” I’m getting there. Let me try to say this in as succinct of a way as possible: I outta punch all you complaining Watchmen fanboys in your whiny, selfish, silly little faces.

Ahem.

Anyway. So Watchmen is about a bunch of things. During a time of an impending World War III, a man is murdered. His name is Edward Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), also known as The Comedian. He’s a costumed hero. A powerless superhero, in other words. In fact, there are quite a few costumed heroes out there—or at least there were, before the Keene Act was put in place and made them illegal. Most are retired now, including Dan Dreiberg AKA Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), Laurie Jupiter AKA Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), and successful businessman Adrien Veidt AKA Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). But then there are two others on opposite ends of the spectrum. There’s deranged sociopath Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), an anti-hero out to figure out who killed The Comedian and why, as well as Jon Osterman AKA Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a God-like being who works with the United States to stay a superpower. But Rorschach thinks somebody is hunting down costumed heroes, and more evidence continues to pile up to help his case.

The story is actually much more complicated than that, too. There are love triangles. There are incredible themes of love, loss, death, and nihilism. The story is so thick and heavy, you can’t pick up everything on the first go-around. I read the graphic novel myself, and I have to say they did a damn good job adapting it.

This brings me back to my opening point. How dare some fanboys complain about this adaptation. This movie is damn near panel-for-panel of the graphic novel. There are some obvious things that were cut or removed for time purposes, but none of it was anything major. The biggest thing actually cut was the newsstand/Black Freighter stuff, but even that’s being released separately on DVD and being integrated back into the film for a Director’s Cut. But none of that is crucial to plot—only themes. As for the changed ending—it’s like I’ve said before, it’s so much better than the comic’s. The comic came out of nowhere with its ending, while it had been building up a perfectly logical ending that the movie actually went for instead. And I think the story was better for it. It makes perfect sense. It works. It changes absolutely nothing about the outcome. Why complain? Not to mention (and this made me the happiest) that the last frame of the graphic novel is in the movie! It had its perfect ending.

Not to mention there are so many other miniscule details from the comic in the film that you only have to keep an eye out for, even if they’re never mentioned specifically (Laurie’s snow globe, for instance?). There was an amazing attention to detail. The panels came straight to the screen. Hell, they even integrated the doomsday clock, which isn't even in the actual story itself in the comic.

The music has been another complaint (by fans and non-fans alike), but I didn’t find fault here, either. I thought the music used fit almost every scene. I think Hallelujah during the sex scene was witty, but I might have gone for maybe a smoother cover version of the song instead. That’s the only real music complaint I had.

As for the acting, I thought it was good all around, with maybe one exception. Malin Ackerman as Laurie got a bit cheesy and poorly acted at times, especially near the beginning. She got a little more bearable later on. But then again, the character was similar in the comic. The biggest shout out, though, goes to Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, who was freakin’ brilliant. They couldn’t have picked a better person for the role. He embodied the character fully and even brought emotion in his facial expressions (once you see his face) that layered the character even more than in the comic. He was perfect.

For visuals, I want to talk about CGI and action. To get the CGI out of the way first, Dr. Manhattan (blue penis and all) was done fantastically. In fact, the majority of the visual effects were done great. My only CGI problem was Veidt’s pet mutant cat, which, honestly, didn’t even need to be in the movie. That was just a wink for the fandom. As for the action, it was exciting. You really feel like you’re there with these people, pumping adrenaline, and beating the baddies. And it was stylish, though that’s to be expected from the guy who made 300. Overall, the entire movie was visually stunning on all fronts (except for maybe Richard Nixon and any of the aging prosthetics).

There really isn’t much more I want to say about the film. It was funny, sad, depressing, heart-breaking, action-packed, and faithful. It captured everything that the comic was, and it really is as close to a perfect adaptation of this previously declared unfilmable source material as anybody is ever going to get. And personally, I can’t wait to see the version that includes the Tales of the Black Freighter material put back in. And though I give it the following score, I’m not saying the film is perfect (it did have its faults). I’m just saying it’s pretty freakin’ close.

Royale With Cheese

P.E.S.T.

There's about 5 movies coming out this weekend, 4 of which nobody has ever heard of, and only 1 that anybody cares about. It's time for Pre-Emptive Strike Thursday!

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Title: Watchmen.

Pre-Thoughts: I read the graphic novel and enjoyed it. I know of the altered ending and don't really care (in respect to the climax). The only thing I'm not liking is that there are rumors that the final scene in the book is not in the movie, which is insane, because that's the scene that makes the entire story worth it. Not to mention it's one of the greatest endings ever. But everything else is supposed to be dead-on with the graphic novel (except for the Black Freighter stuff, which is going to be added in with a Director's Cut DVD). I'm pretty excited. Though the rating really depends on if they cut that final scene or not. Going on the assumption that they did (grumble grumble), I am prescoring it as such.

Pre-Score:

A Keanu 'Whoa'



Title: The Horsemen.

Pre-Thoughts: Never heard of it.

Pre-Score: Can't score it.



Title: 12.

Pre-Thoughts: Okay, so I have heard of this one. This is the remake of 12 Angry Men that was up for a Foreign Film Oscar a year ago. Why it's just getting released now, who knows. But with a slew of poor reviews (and the fact that it isn't being released here), I just don't care.

Pre-Score: Can't score it.



Title: Phoebe in Wonderland.

Pre-Thoughts: Again, I had heard of this one once, not too long ago, but haven't watched the trailer or anything, so I can't say much.

Pre-Score: Can't score it.



Title: Tokyo!

Pre-Thoughts: Never heard of it.

Pre-Score: Can't score it.

R2D2... The One WithOUT A PSYCHIC SQUID OMG?!

Well, I had a really bad f*cking Monday. Anybody else? Anywho, I felt I would take some frustrations out on fandoms and see how many people I can piss off (bring on the crazy).


- Let's start with Twilight. The director taking over for the second film isn't going to be able to direct the third film. Why? Because they're trying to pound the money out of the series before all the teen girls forget about it in about a year. They're gonna start filming while the second is still in post-production. The second film is to come out this November. The third film is to come out in June or July of NEXT YEAR. They're not even separating two films by a year, and they're not filming simultaneously, either. They're gonna rush the third one. Not that I care. But a lot of the fandom do. But you know what? There's not enough plot for them to destroy. The books are bad and terribly rushed and edited to begin with, so if they make a bad film that was rushed and poorly edited, I'd say they stayed pretty close to the books (after all, each book was published within a year of each other, which means each was written in about the same time as they'll take to make the film).


- Next... Harry Potter. So I keep reading how people bash David Yates and praise Alfonso Cauron and beg for him to come back. I can understand that if you're basing your opinion on the overall magical look/style of the picture. But no, these people are basing it on the fact that they believe Yates made a bad adaptation because he cut so much from the book and Cauron didn't. Have these people both read the books and seen the films? Cauron made, by far, the worst adaptation in terms of sticking with the book. Cauron cut out the entire PLOT and PURPOSE of the book, added in random and useless things (including some pointless slapstick and talking shrunken heads), and got continually warned by JK Rowling because he wanted to change the plot completely, which would have ruined any chance that the future books could have been adapted into films. He also ruined the fourth film, because he talked Warner Bros. into making it short and choppy, even though he wasn't even involved.

Yates, on the other hand, took the largest book with almost no plot, cut out all the things that weren't relevant to anything (Quidditch, for instance, which took up half the book), and made it coherent and meaningful, telling all the important details in the book in a little over 2 hours. And it looked good stylistically. So if you're a fan of the movies and not the books and liked Cauron because his film looked good... fine. But you can't be a fan of the books and say Cauron made a more faithful film than Yates (who, outside of Chris Columbus and his page-for-pagers, made one of the closests damn adaptations of the films).


- So I finally finished reading Watchmen yesterday (Sunday). It took me about 2-3 months to get through it... not because it was bad, but because I kept getting distracted with other things. Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and I can't wait for the movie in a couple weeks. But while I was reading it, I kept seeing stuff on the internet that was like "OH EM GEE THEY CHANGED THE ENDING IT'S GONNA SUCK NOW!" Now that I've read the graphic novel, I looked to see the ending of the movie (if you haven't read the graphic novel and/or don't care to read the ending of the movie, STOP READING NOW).

So in the graphic novel, half of New York is blown up because one of the characters scientifically constructs a giant squid monster that uses the brain of a human psychic and uses a partially functional teleportation machine to transport it, which triggers its psychic explosion. In the movie, half of New York is blown up with nuke-like devices to frame Jon/Dr. Manhattan. Both are done to stop the war and bring peace. Both succeed. But the fans are like "NO GIANT SQUID THAT GOES BOOM? BLASPHEMY!" Who the fuck cares? Hell, when I read the novel, I couldn't stop staring in disbelief at the pure, over-the-top silliness of that whole part. It almost destroyed the rest of the novel for me. I actually really like what the movie is doing instead, as it focuses it back on the characters, making it more realistic (as realistic as Watchmen can be), and just keeps it along the same lines as the feel of the story was up until that point in time. The only thing I don't like is that I heard a rumor that the Rorschach diary twist at the end of the book isn't included in the movie, which is the part I do hate, because that's what really made the entire book for me. That's what made it complete and pure awesome. And if they leave that out... that's just lame. I hope that isn't true.


I think that's all I have to say for now.