60/60 Review #40: Chinatown.

Well... I didn't see that coming. If you've seen this movie, you probably know what I'm talking about. And no, I'm not talking about the reveal of the villain or the reason behind it. Anywho, moving on, Chinatown focuses on private detective J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) who is hired to snoop around on Hollis Mulwray (Darrel Zwerling) and an affair he's having. But, well, one thing leads to another and Gittes not only has a murder investigation that gets him caught up with Mulwray's wife, Evelyn (Faye Dunaway), but a much bigger conspiracy that has something to do with water.

Coincidentally, I just watched Rango the night before this one, giving me two nights in a row with films on water dumping and thievery. Needless to say, the novelty of such a fresh idea didn't grab me as it probably otherwise might have. But then again, it's not that fascinating of a motive. The story was both interesting and... not. The movie wasn't boring, don't get me wrong. I think the way the film played out the story was done quite well and kept you guessing. However, the story itself, when all's said and done (with one major exception), is like... huh, OK. Now, the major exception is the shocker I mentioned in the opening. I totally didn't see it coming, and when you look at it after-the-fact, it's one really effed up movie. The following paragraph is spoilers, so read with caution if you haven't seen the film.

(SPOILERS) What's clear is that Katherine is Evelyn's sister/daughter due to incest... great, thanks a lot Polanski. Bringing me back to rape again, damnit! Anyway, what I gathered from there is that Evelyn's father and husband were business partners when she was a little girl. They had a fight when she "was still in grade school" and separated. Then the partner ends up marrying Evelyn, meaning he has to be at least 20 years older than her. Eventually, the man has an affair with his wife's sister/daughter. Not only is that weird in and of itself, but the girl was probably between 13-16 (OK, pedophilia), then the man himself had to be 30-40 years older than the girl or something. Unless I totally missed something. So the dad ends up seeing his former partner and current son-in-law cheating with his daughter/granddaughter and kills him, which also gets him the water rights he wants. And there's a whole other convoluted mess in there with land buying and whatnot, but I haven't figured that out yet. Anyway, to top it all off, at the end of the movie, the father not only gets away with it, but he takes his incest-daughter/granddaughter with him to do who knows what with. (END SPOILERS)

If I had any other complaints, it would be that this film is tough to follow. I'm still not 100% about everything that was going on or the motives behind things and whatnot. I'm sure that would be an easy fix with another watch, but I strongly doubt that will happen for a while. I didn't dislike the movie, but it's not one I'm gonna pop in when I'm bored. On the positive side, the acting and the writing in general was pretty dang good. Nicholson is great, and John Huston as Noah Cross was pretty fantastic. Of course, the writing won an Oscar for this film.

Sorry to disappoint, but I don't have any major thoughts on this film. It was good. I liked it. I'm not gonna go out of my way to watch it again, but I'm not disappointed I've seen it. I'm glad I have. Perhaps if anyone would like to spark a conversation in the comments, we could go from there. But for now, I'll just leave it at that.


I Am McLovin!

(P.S. Please note, that rating is almost entirely on the film's entertainment value for me, not on its quality.)

(P.P.S. Whoo, review #40! I'm 2/3 of the way through the list!)

LKMYNTS: Franklyn.

Warning: While this review does not contain spoilers, the cast/character list alone on IMDb does. If you're planning on watching this, I'd suggest avoiding its page.

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Man, talk about a movie that will leave you thinking. I love it when I come across movies like this--ones that very few people have heard of, but more people should really see. I guess that's why I do this type of review, huh? This film is a split narrative, giving us 4 seemingly unconnected stories. First we're introduced to Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillippe), a young man in a futuristic dystopian city called Meanwhile City. In this town, every individual belongs to a religion--except Preest, the lone atheist. Preest acts as detective and vigilante to take vengeance on a man called The Individual who is responsible for killing a pre-teen girl he was supposed to protect. The other 3 narratives of this film, however, take place is modern day London. Next is Milo (Sam Riley), another young man whose fiance decides to leave him right before their wedding, and now he tries to reconnect with an old flame. Third is Emilia (Eva Green), a depressed artist whose newest project deals with her recording her various attempts at suicide, erstwhile dealing with her uncaring mother. Finally, we're given Peter (Bernard Hill), a man who is out looking for his lost son.

Franklyn is the type of movie for your Donnie Darko and Stay crowd (which is ironic, since Ewan McGregor was originally attached for Phillippe's role--now that would have been interesting. Also of note, Paul Bettany and John Hurt were also originally cast as the two other characters but had to pull out. The only original cast member to stay was Eva Green). Anyway, back on point. This movie will mess with your head in a couple ways. First and foremost, you will wonder what any of the four stories have to do with each other. Then you'll wonder if the movie is going anywhere. Then you reach the third act, and that's when the film punches you in the face.

It's a movie that makes no sense and absolutely perfect sense. Reading up on it afterward, there are three types of people who watch this movie. There are those that watch it and don't understand it whatsoever. Then there are those who watch it and understand it just fine and have no idea why everyone else is having trouble understanding it; however, they just get it on a surface level, able to put the basic clues together and just say what was happening with the film's story. Finally, there are those who attempt to dive deeper, to take the movie apart and try to put it back together, wondering what every little thing meant--what each character symbolized, if certain characters were even real or not, what the themes of the film were, who the *beep* is Franklyn, etc. You can put me in that last group, because while I (think I) understood it on the surface level, there is just so much more to this film than that.

It's a film that explores living with or without faith--in any kind of way. Is it justifiable to be atheist? Does having faith make life easier? Does having too much religion cause more harm than good? It's also a film that explores the boundaries of mental health, and how one brings oneself to survive and cope when everything about you is fighting back hard. And then, eventually, there's a question of fate and, if there is a God, does He make it so everything truly happens for a reason? Is there always order in chaos?

At the heart of this movie are its four stories. Unfortunately, this is also the biggest negative of the film. As I said earlier, you have no idea how these stories connect or where this movie is going for probably the first hour. The fourth story (the dad looking for his son) doesn't come into play for a while, either, and it's a bit jolting when you all of a sudden have another storyline to follow that doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Of course, the best and most intriguing of the stories is the one that doesn't fit the most--the dystopian future. I would have watched an entire movie based on that one scenario alone. Don't get me wrong, the other stories are interesting (and they certainly end up taking you in a direction I can assure you that you probably didn't see coming). But the movie itself plays to one of the themes of its characters--order in chaos. When everything doesn't seem to connect for the bulk of the time, and then you end up with--well--what you end up with, it gives you a journey that might just be more about the destination than the journey itself. Some people will like that. Some won't.

Fortunately, everything else is there to keep you glued. The acting is great on all fronts, particularly Eva Green (who is gorgeous). Ryan Phillippe is kind of a Rorschach character, though thankfully he doesn't try to aim for the gravel in his tone. There's a little there, but it's nowhere close to, say, Bale's Batman. On top of that, this movie is gorgeous to look at. The cinematography is beautiful, and there are some sharp contrasts between dark and bright colors (though not too bright) that are played with at times (particularly reds and greens). Yet at the same time, it has a gloomy feel. It's a hard look to describe, but it works well.

I'd definitely recommend checking this one out (it is currently on Instant Streaming). It's a movie that makes you think about not only what's going on, but about its deeper meanings. If you do watch it, my one bit of advice is to stick it out. You might at times start questioning what the point is, but it all eventually comes together--so stick it out. I think it's very much worth it. I definitely need to check it out again. I think it's gonna be one of those I like even more the more I watch it.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

Musical Monday: Newsies - King Of New York (#21).

[Every Monday, I'm going to be counting down my 52 favorite musical numbers from musical movies and TV shows. I might not like the full movie/show, but the number makes the list for various reasons: 1) I have to like the song, 2) the visual of how the number is performed is most likely unique or fun, 3) both song and visual mixes well to create an exciting or powerful number. So let's get to the next on the list.]

Always my favorite from Newsies, this song is easily the catchiest in the film. It's such a simple number, too. And then the last minute of the number has some fun choreography... ending in my favorite bit--the kid spinning from the ceiling fan. Who hasn't wanted to try that at least once? Anywho, not much to say on this one besides that. So check out "King of New York"!

The Vlog - S3.8: An Unxpected Contact.

Here's episode S3.8.

So, wanna hear something crappy? I had a short joke that, for some reason, was really buggy when I transferred it to my editing program. So it kinda messed up part of the video when I went to save it. Because of that, I just had to take it out and add in a new joke (which should now be obvious when you reach that point). Anyway, this is one embarrassing video for me, mostly because of something I do in it. At this point, I'm still deciding whether or not I want to show you the entire thing since you just got the short bits I put in this (yes, there is a full version). Anyway... hope you enjoy the video!

Update: The Demented Podcast... Hiatus?

Hey all you DemPod fans out there. Now that I've brought you 20 straight shows, including numerous great guests, dynamic discussions, impressive impressions, and some crazy climbs of The Tower (including 2 Battle Royales), I am here to say that the Demented Podcast will be taking a brief hiatus. There are currently some plans in motion, and the podcast is going to be changing slightly (hopefully for the better). I've been trying to catch my groove since the start while simultaneously keeping things fresh, and it's proven to be somewhat difficult. That being said, I think there are some interesting things in the future of the show, but I don't have enough time in the next week to get it ready and have a show for you. With that, I also have the return of my job in a couple weeks, since the school year is about to start up, so I'm not sure how crazy the beginning of the year will have me. All of this is why I'll be taking a brief break, so that I can get things smoothed out and ready for the epic return.

For now, I wouldn't expect an episode until at least late August or early September at the earliest. So until then, please keep reading and commenting on my posts, as well as viewing (and commenting) on The Vlog--which shall be wrapping up in roughly a month itself. Also, keep an eye out for an announcement on 60/60 Part 2 (next year's edition... yes, I'll be doing it again). That announcement should be coming in the very near future, as well.

Thanks!

COWBOYS & ALIENS.

Warning: This review has major spoilers. I try not to do that, but I couldn't help it for this one.

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Yes, there are cowboys. Yes, there are aliens. But how well do they play together? We're introduced to Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), a former outlaw who can't remember anything--including his name. And he has a strange metal device attached to his wrist. He soon stumbles into a nearby town that's run with an iron fist by Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his good-for-nothing son, Percy (Paul Dano). He meets some of the other inhabitants, including Doc (Sam Rockwell), Meacham (Clancy Brown), Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine), and the sheriff's son, Emmett (Noah Ringer). He also runs into a mysterious young woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde) who is very interested in Jake's past. But just when things are rough enough as it is, them darn aliens have to show up and make things even more complicated by kidnapping half the town. Now those left are forced to team up and find the alien base so they can rescue their loved ones. But this is still the old west, so they also have outlaws and Indians to deal with, too.

When I first saw the trailer, I was surprised at how serious the movie seemed to be taking itself. You'd think a movie with such a title would appear to be a lot campier. But I (and others) held hope that maybe the trailer was a bit off and figured it would still be campier in the film. However, while there are a few goofy moments... the movie plays pretty straight faced. And maybe to its detriment, that makes it come off like two different movies shoved together.

On the one hand we have a pretty solid western. An outlaw with amnesia wakes up in the desert, strolls into town, and takes care of a thing or two before getting shown for who he is. They have to deal with the tyrannical ruling of the man who keeps the town alive and, thus, must put up with his son. Eventually it becomes an adventure film and they must face other outlaws and angry Indians along the way. I'm not a huge fan of the genre, but I did like the normal aspect of this film quite a bit.

On the other hand, you have War of the Worlds mixed with Battlefield Earth. Aliens invade, take people prisoner to study them, and their reason for being here in the first place... is that they want gold. Yes, that's right. Gold. But you also have a decent alien abduction story with a man who was taken along with his lover, accidentally gets a super-weapon attached to his arm, escapes, and helps fight back and destroy the invaders. It's actually not quite as strong as the western element, and there are parts of it that don't feel like they meld well.

Fortunately, everybody seems to be having a good time in the film. Well, Daniel Craig is relatively stoic as always, but everybody else seems to be having a good time. Harrison Ford is really good as the gruff tyrant-esque businessman/cowboy. My only real complaint about him is that his character arc has a notch missing somewhere in the middle. He starts as... not a good person. By the end, he's good. But there's somewhere in the middle when this transition starts that feels as if it missed a beat, some drastic moment that begins his change (besides his son being taken). And speaking of Paul Dano, he was hilarious in this movie. He was probably my favorite part, at least his interactions with Daniel Craig, and it's sad that he's not in it a whole lot. Though Sam Rockwell is pretty good, too. The one that kinda bugged me the most was Olivia Wilde. As soon as she was introduced, I felt she was out of place. And then I was like "she's an alien," because she--well--looked like one. Her head was bulbous in this movie. And what do you know...

I think the best thing I can say about this movie is that I don't feel like I wasted my time or money. I was entertained while watching it (though it is a tad bit too long). But as others have said, there's not a whole lot that's very memorable about it. I think that's in large part due to how serious it took itself. It didn't allow for camp or cheesy one-liners or epic dialogue. Had it loosened up a bit, I think it could have been a lot more than what we got. But still, it was entertaining enough.


Stop Saying OK! OK.

60/60 Extra: The French Connection.

Man, this was a tough one. I'm gonna get Hell for this one... so let's just get this over with. The film follows two cops in the narcotics unit, the foul-mouthed 'Popeye' Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner, Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider). They start getting wind of a big drug deal about to go down, so they spend a couple months following its suspects and staking everything out before they make their move. But there's a French connection--a French man who has come to the States in order to make the deal.

This might sound confusing to those who read the Heat review, but my issues with this film are almost the exact opposite reasons of my issues with that film... but at the same time, almost the exact same reasons. Let me explain. As I mentioned, Heat had too many unnecessary subplots that tried to deepen the characters but ended up just staying at a shallow level and never amounted to much. Despite this, I could follow that film easily and always knew--and even, at times, cared--what was going on. This film had no subplots. It didn't try to make its characters very three-dimensional whatsoever, with the exception of the last minute of the film (which I'll get to later). And even watching with my fullest attention, I had a hard time following or caring much about anything.

First and foremost, I didn't give a damn about any of the characters. And it wasn't because I disagreed with their personalities or anything like that. They just felt so foreign (no pun intended). Almost nothing about their personal lives was explored. All we saw of them, for the most part, was them following people for the entire movie. I just... felt nothing for these characters. And if I can't get invested in the characters, then... you're gonna have a hard time grabbing me for the movie.

Of all the kinds of "cops" films out there, the narcotics/drugs ones always tend to be my least favorite (Training Day notwithstanding). They just don't really catch my interest. So, as with Training Day, they tend to need to catch me with great characters and some fine acting. They've already lost me on the characters. Can they at least make up for it in the acting?

Gene Hackman does the best with what he's given. And as he's the main character, I'm happy for that. He's at least interesting as the "bad cop," the one with the attitude. I suppose maybe because of the time the movie was made, but I would have liked to have seen more with the character. Besides that, he has a moment in the last minute of the film where you notice he's really lost it due to his obsession. And then you get the ending--which I think might have worked better had they stopped there and left it ambiguous. But whatever.

There are two scenes that I feel should be mentioned, both involving trains. First is my favorite scene in the film: Gene Hackman is following the French dude into a subway station, but the Frenchman knows he's being followed. So he keeps getting on and off the trains at that station to throw off Hackman, and Hackman keeps having to come up with excuses to follow him on and off the trains. It's almost a comedy routine, but I found it pretty clever. The other scene is the famous "still holds up today/most epic scene ever" car vs. train chase scene. Going in, I heard nothing but excellent things about this, and I was waiting just to see this bucket of awesomeness. And then it happened and... I was so sorely let down. Not only is about half the car part done in first person so you're rarely even seeing the car as it speeds on, but the car and train are almost never shown in the same shot. It gives a feeling that it's not really a race as much as two separate scenes juxtaposed against each other. And on top of that, almost literally the entire thing has Gene Hackman honking that damn horn, and it got really annoying pretty fast.

I'm just gonna end this review there. On the whole, I can say that director William Friedkin made a solid film. "WHAT?" you say, after I just finished ripping it apart. No, I think that on a technical level, this movie isn't bad. I mean, Hell, it won 5 Oscars, after all (nominated for 8). And you know the guy is a talented director. Right after making this, he went on to direct The Exorcist, nominated for 10 Oscars (winning 2). (Coincidentally, co-star Roy Scheider was only 4 years away from starring in a little known horror film of his own.) Anyway, all of my issues with this movie are--for the most part--purely personal. The story and the characters and the filmmaking, etc., weren't bad by any means. They just weren't what I want and like in a film. Hence, that's why I feel this was a tough one.


Stop Saying OK! OK.

60/60 Review #39: Heat.

PLEASE WATCH BEFORE READING. THANK YOU.



So what a better way to start a month of heists, cops, and robbers than with Heat? It's more a movie of themes than one of structured story, so it's difficult to give a plot synopsis. The best I can give is that Neil McCauly (Robert De Niro) is a professional criminal who is continually pulling big heists. Lt. Hanna (Al Pacino) is the cop hot on his trail. And there are over a dozen other characters, almost all with their own subplot, it seems. I know that doesn't give the story justice, but it's the best I got.

First, we have to look at this cast list. Besides this being the first time De Niro and Pacino were on screen together, we have a cast that also includes the following: Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Tom Noonan, Hank Azaria, Danny Trejo, Henry Rollins, Mykelti Williamson, Tone Loc (seriously), Jeremy Piven, and Xander Berkeley. Now that's a freakin hardcore cast right there.

My biggest complaint on the movie is that it's way too damn long. It's just shy of 3 hours. This is mostly thanks to subplots that really didn't need to be there. Sure, you could argue that they add a more human element to the story and the characters. However, there are so many of them that all you get is surface level stuff and aren't left with enough time to truly explore the intimacies of each one. Natalie Portman has daddy issues--we get about 3 scenes letting us in on it before a climactic moment near the end, but we're never given anything beyond the point of him never being there for her. A lot of these guys have marital or relationship issues, but outside of some arguments in the home, it's never explored within the psyche of each character. It's left at the scene and just waits until they're together again before they argue some more. It's almost like it's there just for the sake of being there, not to affect the characters in any personal way (the closest it gets is at the end when De Niro has to make a choice, but that's about it). And there are so many other little subplots that do nothing but take up time and don't add much. Don't even get me started on Dennis Haysbert's character, who only seems to be there for thematic purposes.

I suppose in this sense, the film tries to be grander than the box it puts itself in. It wants to be a size 14 shoe in a size 10 box--it almost fits, but it needs to shrink a few inches in order to do it. And I'm not saying it should remove them completely... just choose more carefully and expand on what you have left. Really, I feel the film is easily an hour too long (at the least). It also says a lot that while there were times I was distracted on my laptop, I could look up at the scene and know exactly what was going on without even hearing dialogue. Most times I'll get lost and have to rewind or something to catch what I missed. But I was easily able to follow this film even while not paying close attention (don't worry, I only did that for no more than 20 minutes of the whole film, and sporadically). You can take that how you want--as a sign of good film-making or a sign of being clearly formulaic.

But I personally don't find that really to the detriment of the film. Besides some slow pacing here and there, there are some fantastic scenes in between. The shootouts and robberies are fun and loud and adrenaline-filled. But the best scene, hands down, was (obviously) the diner scene. Sure it might not have been as long as you wanted it to be, but it portrayed some of the finest acting between De Niro and Pacino inside or outside of this film (definitely Pacino's best moment in this film, as I was otherwise trying not to laugh at his over-the-topness throughout the rest, particularly the first half of the film. But that's just Pacino).

The last thing I want to mention is the soundtrack. It was strangely quiet through the majority of the film. I noticed while watching how low the music was, even during an action scene where it was heavier music that would normally be cranked up to increase your adrenaline and get you going. To me, it was almost non-existent. That being said, it only increased my reaction to the music of the final scene of the film. Not to spoil anything, but as we're given our final shot, we hear this haunting music playing at an actual normal level, which leads us into the ending credits. It's a fantastic number, and it really elevates the mood of the closing.

So I'm glad I've finally seen Heat, and if you wanna talk about it (I'm not a loser!) and/or argue why I'm wrong about everything, feel free to comment below. It's a fine crime film with an outstanding cast. It just could have used some trimming. I'll probably revisit it someday, but probably not for a while. So until then, I'll just leave it by saying I enjoyed it.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

(P.S. This rating is ironic considering Keanu was apparently originally up for Kilmer's role in the film, which I find really funny after-the-fact since I kept thinking early on how the role would have fit Keanu nicely.)

Top 10 Favorite Luc Besson Productions.

I've always stated that Luc Besson is a favorite of mine. Either directing, writing, or producing, I always tend to enjoy (almost) whatever the man touches. Sure, a lot of it is mindless action, but some of it is much more than that. So today, inspired by Steve's review of The Fifth Element at Man, I Love Films, I'm going to share with you my Top 10 Favorite Luc Besson Productions--and I say productions because I'm including not only what he's directed, but things he's written or produced, as well. Here we go...

Note: I have yet to see The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, so I can't include that on this list.

Top 10 Favorite Luc Besson Productions

10) La Femme Nikita (1990)

Affiliation: Directed, Wrote, Co-Produced

About: This was the film that somewhat started his popularity. It's about a female felon who is given the chance to become an assassin instead of going to jail. It received 2 spin-off TV shows (one in the 90s, and one very recently). And it was remade 3 years later as Point of No Return. Jean Reno's character in this was also the inspiration for another one of Besson's films...

Thoughts: I'll be honest, I've only seen this once, and I wasn't all that enthralled with it. It's OK, and I respect it for what it is, but I honestly can't say I love it enough to put it past the number 10 spot on this list.

9) District B13 (2004)

Affiliation: Wrote, Produced

About: Made in conjunction with parkour inventor David Belle (who also stars), this is a pure dystopian action film that really shines with its parkour style. It's a 'near future' film where the ghettos of Paris have been split up into districts, and a cop teams up with a criminal in order to infiltrate a gang and stop the detonation of a bomb. It recently received a sequel... but it's not that good.

Thoughts: As I said, this is a fun action film thanks to its parkour stylings. If you don't know what parkour is, it's the urban ninja free-running stuff you see all over the place these days. This movie has a very minimal plot, and it's not deep whatsoever, but the only reason you'd want to see it is for the action anyway.

8) Wasabi (2001)

Affiliation: Wrote, Produced

About: Teaming up yet again with Jean Reno, Luc Besson wrote this strange action/comedy. Reno plays a French cop who is forced to take some time off. He goes to Japan to settle some issues with his ex-girlfriend, only to discover he has a teenage daughter... and that he's also inherited a lot of other problems, including the reason why his girlfriend left him in the first place.

Thought: It's a fun movie, but it's definitely not perfect. It's the strangest mix of French and Japanese cultures that I've ever seen in a film, though. If you like Besson's more recent productions of action/comedies, definitely check this one out. It's not fantastic, but it's worth your time if you're a fan.

7) The Transporter (2002)

Affiliation: Wrote, Produced

About: Not necessarily the film that made Jason Statham famous (you can thank Guy Ritchie for discovering him), but definitely the film that brought him to popularity in the States. For those that don't already know, Statham plays a hired driver who will help get you out of sticky situations or deliver packages--all with no questions asked. But when he breaks his own rules and discovers his recent package is a young woman, things get complicated. The film has received 2 sequels, only one of which is actually worth watching.

Thoughts: I love this movie. Statham is a badass, and there are a ton of amazing action sequences--the famous oil slick scene merely one of many. Sure, there's very little substance to the film, but this is a pure popcorn action flick.

6) From Paris With Love (2010)

Affiliation: Story, Produced

About: Like Wasabi, it's an action/comedy that mixes cultures--this time British, French, and American. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays an assistant to the US Ambassador who is hired to drive around John Travolta, an American spy who is out to stop a terrorist attack... and a few other things along the way. Chaos ensues.

Thoughts: The first 15 minutes of this film prior to Travolta's introduction is painfully dull. But Travolta is truly what saves this picture. He's hilarious and awesome in this movie. And while I didn't love it nearly as much the second time through, I was still thoroughly entertained on all fronts by this flick.

5) Taken (2008)

Affiliation: Wrote, Produced

About: Everyone knows this movie by now. Liam Neeson once had a job where he had acquired many skills. But when his daughter is kidnapped and brought into a sex trafficking circuit, Neeson turns into a badass and goes out of his way to shoot first and ask questions later.

Thoughts: Like The Transporter, the plot is just a vehicle to give us some great action. Sure, there's a bit more substance to the film than the former, but not much. Even so, Liam Neeson is freakin' awesome in the film, and you truly believe him and are scared of him when he threatens the men over the phone. Chilling stuff.

4) Angel-A (2005)

Affiliation: Directed, Wrote, Produced

About: Here's one of his directorial efforts not too many people have seen. It's essentially a dirtier, more grown-up version of It's A Wonderful Life. A con man is in some serious trouble and owes a lot of money. When he tries to kill himself, a very tall woman jumps off the bridge first and he ends up saving her. Turns out she's an angel, and she helps him get his act together and get some money to straighten his life out. Unfortunately, love gets in the way.

Thoughts: I own this movie, but I've only seen it once. I really need to watch it again, but I loved it when I saw it. The acting is great. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous (and the whole film is in black-and-white). Is it the most original film in the world? No. But it's still one I'd highly recommend.

3) Unleashed (2005)

Affiliation: Wrote, Produced

About: Otherwise known as Danny the Dog, this is one of Besson's most underrated productions... and one of my favorite Jet Li films. Li is stolen as a child by Mario himself, Bob Hoskins, and is trained to be a dog and used as the man's personal attack force whenever his collar is taken off. But after an accident, Danny escapes and is taken in by a blind Morgan Freeman and his white (older-)teenage daughter. He's slowly shown the beauty of human life... but things go out of whack again when Bob Hoskins returns to the scene.

Thoughts: Another film I love, love, love. If you haven't noticed, a lot of Besson's productions are low on substance and high on action. This is one of those exceptions. It has a great story, some good substance, and some amazing and brutal action. If you're a fan of Jet Li or action movies in general, and you'd like to see one with a lot of heart to it, I strongly recommend this one.

2) The Fifth Element (1997)

Affiliation: Directed, Wrote

About: Strange that this is the one film on this list he didn't actually act as producer in any kind of capacity. Originally meant to be a trilogy of films, they couldn't get the budget to pull it off, so the three scripts were shoved into one and we're left with 3 very different acts to one very awesome Sci-Fi movie. Bruce Willis plays an ex-military cab driver in the future (where cars fly!) when a strange, young, half-naked Milla Jovovich almost literally lands in his lap. He discovers that she's the key to stopping the universe from ending, so he must go on a mission to find 4 stones that, when aligned with Milla's fifth element, will stop the big bad destruction blob thing from taking over. Unfortunately, Gary Oldman is after the stones, too.

Thoughts: One of my favorite Sci-Fi films ever. I loved this movie when I was growing up (it came out when I was about 11, so I was basically the perfect age for it). Despite having been in other films prior to this, it popularized Milla Jovovich and kick-started her career. Yes, it has some really weird costumes (I still have no idea what that is on Gary Oldman's head). Yes, it has Chris Tucker being really, really hyper. But I find all of it vastly entertaining and I can't help but love this movie.

1) Leon, The Professional (1994)

Affiliation: Directed, Wrote, Produced

About: Could there have been any other in this spot? Inspired by Jean Reno's character in La Femme Nikita, Leon is a professional assassin who lives right down the hall from a young Natalie Portman (in her debut role). Portman's father is a drug dealer that tries to steal from a crooked DEA agent played by Gary Oldman and ends up getting the whole family (sans Portman) killed. In order to not get killed herself, Portman ends up at Leon's door. He takes her in and, despite the mixed emotions at first, ends up caring for her and teaching her the ways of assassination. But things go downhill when Portman wants to get revenge on Gary Oldman--not for her parents' deaths, but for her little brother.

Thoughts: I'll say this again: If you're going to see this movie (and you should), you NEED to see the director's cut entitled LEON, not the American release entitled solely THE PROFESSIONAL. The latter is an abomination to this film, cutting out over 30 minutes of footage, removing the heart and soul of the film. Leon gives us every taboo moment, from them going around with Leon teaching her how to kill people... to her getting drunk... to her admitting her love for him and wanting to sleep with him. The American version makes it a senseless, shallow action film, while the original/director's cut gives it the depth and heart that Besson originally intended. This used to be my favorite film prior to Shaun of the Dead (remember, I never include Little Shop of Horrors, as that's an automatic Top Spot), when it changed. It's a fantastic film, and Luc Besson has unfortunately never been able to top it since.


So what are your favorite Luc Besson productions?

Musical Monday: Aladdin - One Jump Ahead (#22).

[Every Monday, I'm going to be counting down my 52 favorite musical numbers from musical movies and TV shows. I might not like the full movie/show, but the number makes the list for various reasons: 1) I have to like the song, 2) the visual of how the number is performed is most likely unique or fun, 3) both song and visual mixes well to create an exciting or powerful number. So let's get to the next on the list.]

And now for something much more fun than last week's! It's no secret that this is one of my favorite animated Disney films (and I've already had one song from it on this list). And, strangely, not only did I just talk about this movie with friends last night, but we quoted this very song (without me realizing it was today's song). Anywho, I love all the songs in this film, but I really like this one as it's the first big number of the movie... and it sets up your main character nicely. Not to mention it has some puns and very clever wording. And it's catchy, to boot.