Movie #51 - Above the Rim

"The Hardest Part Of Winning Is Choosing Sides."

This movie showcases the acting talents of Tupac Shakur at a time when his rap career was at his peak. Not only does Shakur portray the role of the villain effectively, you can see how much potential this rap genius truly had.

For those of you that watched the movie Juice, you know that Tupac excels as the villain, despite coming off at the beginning as an ally. In both films, Shakur steals the scenes from the protagonist and by the end of each film, you really hate the character that he has depicted.

Overall, this movie has some highs and lows. The casting of Leon, Marlon Wayans, and Bernie Mac seem out of place - but I guess they didn't want to splurge on casting Samuel L. Jackson - especially as they didn't have a place to put him in this movie.

In the end, the best part of this movie are the cool basketball scenes combined with the soundtrack. You cannot go wrong with Nate Dogg and Warren G's rendition of "Regulate" on this soundtrack.

Its also a breath of fresh air to see a strong villain in a movie like this - which really drove the film to the end. As a fan, I would've liked to have seen Shakur establish himself as a villain in other roles, but he has definitely paved the way for other rappers wannabe actors to make the jump onto the small and big screens.

Movie #50 - Thir13en Ghosts

"Terror has multiplied."

I must admit, a good friend of ours really got me going on thinking that this movie was one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Out of respect of my friend, I gave this film the benefit of the doubt and even spent 2 days trying to find it at a number of local Blockbuster locations. In retrospect, it still represents one of the best $2.49 I have ever spent... not because Thir13en Ghosts was in fact the best horror movie ever, but in actuality, it ranks as one of the worst horror movies ever. Its difficult to get a recommendation that missed so badly, but this one really missed...

Thir13en Ghosts is actually a remake of an older film (1960), which I had the opportunity to watch 50% of thanks to AMC during Halloween. Both are about a family down on its luck financially who inherit a haunted house from a long forgotten uncle. The concept is that this uncle just so happens to also be a ghost collector and that his house which he passed onto his nephew, contains 12 ghosts inside.

This is where the hyjinx begins. Not only are the 12 Ghosts attempting to kill the family once inside, but in both films, the 13th ghost is actually supposed to be one of the family members.

Sorry folks, I had to spoil it for you, but most of you reading this will probably not have the fortune / misfortune of watching either film in your lifetime... so I figured I would enhance your reading pleasure by dropping some plot hints.

As for the 2001 version, this film is cast with Tony Shaloub (Monk, Wings) and Matthew Lillard, with a useless casting of Shannon Elizabeth. I thought, with Elizabeth, we would at least see some T & A in this film, which could've salvaged it from the brink of bad horror movies, but instead, we only see dead prom queen nudity... something that you really cannot enjoy unless you are into that sort of thing.

The only saving grace is F. Murray Abraham... he's the villain of the film and I like his casting in any film, including this one. He ranks up there in underrated movie villains and he definitely went to the school of Donald Sutherland... he's very evil and he's slimy in this film and in his other roles. If you don't believe me, seek out Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), Amadeus (1984) and Scarface (1983). In all 3 films, not only does he steal the show in some cases, but his death scenes in 2 of the 3 films are movie magic.

As for Thir13en Ghosts, it has become sort of a little joke amongst some of my closer friends. If this blog entices you to see it, please don't think that you will get scared... I apologize in advance if you do... because you won't.

Movie #49 - X-Men 3: The Last Stand

"Take a stand."

Alright... I will take a stand. I stand in protest to Marvel Productions from making anymore bad comic book movie adaptations. Stop it! I liked Spider-Man, but then you had to make that into a crappy franchise of poorly cast villains with bad acting to boot. You made everything under the sun in the Daredevil franchise - both movies we could've done without. You made 2 Hulk films now... and re-cast the actor portraying Bruce Banner / Hulk (Eric Bana first time around, now Ed Norton second time around). You seemed to have done well with Iron Man and that proves that casting does make perfect - Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man.

The list can go on. Your failed attempts at some other Marvel films such as Fantastic Four and Punisher are prime examples. Not to mention, you already did all of this in the early 1990's, back when everyone forgot about the original Punisher movie starring Dolph Lundgren (1989) or Captain America (1990), and Fantastic Four (1994). How many times are we going to hash out these poorly done films and bank on the success of teenagers and nerds like myself going to watch them in theatres or buy your DVD's.

Don't get me wrong, I used to collect comic books and my favourites have been Spider-Man, X-Men, and Batman (DC Universe). DC learned from their previous faux pas of the Batman sequels sans Tim Burton and finally did something right, re-vamping the prequels of the Batman storyline and casting those films with great performances and a killer script based on the Frank Miller Batman: Year One saga.

Back to X3, I like the casting of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, he actually resembles him quite nicely and you cannot go wrong with a blue Kelsey Grammar as Beast. Not to mention Rebecca Romijn in that murderous blue body suit as Mystique... someone was thinking there. In addition, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as Professor X and Magneto are great ideas on the whole for the trilogy.

What was a bad decision is trying to cram as many X-Men into these 3 films as possible. The biggest fear with regards to the X-Men film adaptations is trying to develop full characters from the movies. Check out the Harry Potter franchise or even Lord of the Rings - this was accomplished, not only be strong scripts, but good casting and lengthy films.

X-Men has a number of core characters who should've been the focus of all 3 films - Wolverine, Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Rogue, Magneto, Iceman, and Professor X. We as fans do not mind the peripheral side characters and villains, but please develop these characters through the films and do not just put a whole bunch of action over 2 hours. Not to mention, you missed out on some cool villains such as Mr. Sinister, Master Mold / The Sentinels, and Apocalypse... all are which would've been easily accomplished with the right voice over actors cast and killer CGI technology.

Brian Singer had it right to attempt to create some films from the X-Men franchise, but I think he didn't map out the progression of the character storylines and didn't anticipate it having to abruptly end in X3. Like in the comic books of the last 15-20 years of plot, we get way too much of Wolverine and little of no one else... if that were to be true, then branch out with some Hugh Jackman Wolverine movies and re-write the Sabertooth foil character to enhance his background... Marvel - you did it with Elektra, now why don't you try it with Wolverine?

So this is my last stand... unfortunately, it is the X-Men's as well... and we shouldn't see another film with this band of heroes until another full generation of teens and tweens becomes old enough to forget about this trilogy - give it 12-14 years at most.

Movie #48 - 1408

"The Dolphin Hotel invites you to stay in any of its stunning rooms. Except one."

In case you haven't guessed it, the room in question is 1408. Based on a Stephen King novel... isn't every good horror movie based on something written by someone with some credibility. Unfortunately, this is definitely not one of King's best movie adaptations. It ranks up there with Thinner.

John Cusack is a writer (of course) of Top 10 haunted locations. There are some additional key plot twists which is supposed to enlist sympathy for the protagonist... what the filmmakers didn't think of is having sympathy for the audience.

There are some weird twists to this movie... but I say weird in a bad reference kind of way... not in the good, 2001: A Space Odyssey type of weird.

Cusack's role is forgettable and unfortunately, he's starting to pick some poor roles for his acting expertise in recent years. I cannot think of anything good he has done recently, except for maybe Runaway Jury - which is already 5 years ago... going back further, you run into Being John Malkovich, which is now over 9 years old by my counts.

Samuel L. Jackson on the other hand... is working about par with what his skills allow. This movie is strictly another money grab for Jackson... something almost every role in his resume includes as a pre-requisite. Jackson does not add anything to the Gerald Olin hotel manager character, nor has he added anything to any of his other recent movies. If you want to look back - maybe Star Wars Episode I-III comes to mind (1999-2005 - mainly because his death scene from Episode III was pivotal to the character development of Darth Vader and he did have some cool fight scenes in the Episode II). But before that... possibly add A Time to Kill and Pulp Fiction, going back more than 12 and 14 years respectively.

I still question Jackson's validity of claiming to be the #1 actor of all-time in terms of gross movie revenues, usurping Harrison Ford in recent years. Many of Jackson's films are obscure at best and many of his roles (e.g. Star Wars) are supporting in nature. Also, although one can lay claim that Ford also has 3 Star Wars films to prop him up in this argument, at least Han Solo is included in the progression of all 3 films, yet Mace Windu is only prominent in pockets of II and III. I beg to question Jackson's self proclaimed movie dominance... hopefully, other actors will change that statement... but Jackson will continue to make crappy films, and you can probably rank many of his 2008 upcoming entries into that category.

Movie #47 - Rudy

"When people say dreams don't come true, tell them about Rudy."

This movie ranks high amongst many men out there. Not only is it a film about football, Notre Dame, and has Sam Wise Gamgee in it... its a film about personal triumph and perseverance.

Sean Astin plays the role of Daniel E. "Rudy" Ruettiger in this movie... a biopic family film about one man's quest to play for the Notre Dame college football team. It follows all of Ruettiger's efforts from obtaining a college education, becoming a walk-on practice squad player, to winning the respect of both his coaches and his teammates.

Not to mention, the respect of one Charles S. Dutton. Dutton serves as his mentor both on and off the field, mainly due to regret that Dutton feels inside for not pursuing the dreams that Rudy hopes for himself.

Without ruining the film for those who have yet to watch it, there are some unimpressive cameos from strong movie personnel including a young Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn (cast as Vincent), and Patrick Warburton - David Puddy on TV's Seinfeld.

If you enjoy cheesy films - then please go ahead and watch this film. It is shown regularly on Family Channel and you are bound to appreciate the set design and underrated acting of Astin in this film. Beyond that... you really don't need to watch Rudy if you can avoid it - but many guys will rank this high on their personal movie lists.

Movie #46 - 300

"Prepare for glory!"

Sounds like a Rickard's Red tagline doesn't it? Anyhow... one of the best films of 2006 and definitely full of action, suspense, drama, and of course, my favourite reason - Lena Headey.

This film represents the breakthrough role for Gerard Butler, who is making a name for himself as a strong leading actor. His portrayal of King Leonidas and his efforts to make himself look and sound like a true warrior are commendable, but I question some of his role choices in recent years... they're somewhat confusing. From 300 to Phantom of the Opera, Lara Croft, Beowulf, and the upcoming Untouchables film to P.S. I Love You. One has to ask Mr. Butler to please make up his mind... he's either setting himself up to be the next Russell Crowe or Mel Gibson or he can settle to be the next Hugh Grant.

What makes this film great is Lena Headey. Not only is she currently starring as one of the hottest renditions of Sarah Connor on television's Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, but her achievement as the queen of Sparta is superb. You truly believe that she is in fact a royal queen as she commands respect, is powerful in her speech and candor, and her eyes say it all.

What makes me laugh in this film... both the casting of David Wenham (Dilios) and Dominic West (Theron). First with Wenham, we might remember him from his Faramir character of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but Wenham is a great story-teller in this film and serves as the narrator of this adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel. Wenham is over the top dramatic in his narration and his acting on screen, which strengthens the movie but also makes you laugh. With West, local Greater Toronto Area people might find a resemblance of Darcy Tucker in his make up, height, and appearance. I just couldn't get over the uncanny resemblance, which I found comical every time he stepped on screen.

Overall, this movie marks the universal acceptance of Frank Miller's stories and adaptations of film. It started with Sin City, but it will swiftly move forward with more films of his characters and his comic book creations. I have even heard that he is directing some films in the future... hopefully, he will break the stylistic methods he is using now and shoot a more traditional film. You can only take so much comic-esque screen shots.

Movie #45 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

"He's back in an all new adventure."

Not the most catchy tagline in movie history... but this is definitely one of those films that marked the start of the marketing scheme and product placement pushes of the late 80's, leading into the early 90's.

I remember when this film was released on Memorial Day in 1989, the commercials were rampant of a multitude of products that the character of Indiana Jones was trying to sell to its consumers. From soft drinks to candy bars, this was the beginning of what has now become common place in the movie industry.

Its not a surprise that it was enhanced by this film, considering it was made by two of the bigger movie "sellouts" - term used in the most complimentary tone - in movie history, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. If you compare how much these gentlemen have made from movie endorsements and product licensing, then you know what I am talking about.

The movie itself... I still believe is the best one of the whole lot. Not only are the whole cast of characters previously developed in this film, ranging from the villains to the side cast, but you add two actors / characters that strengthen the movie in the end. Sean Connery - cast as Indiana Jones' father Dr. Henry Jones and River Phoenix - cast to portray a young Indiana Jones. Both added depth to the Harrison Ford character and both allow Spielberg and Lucas to delve deeper into Jones' past.

I especially like the context of this film - the search for the Holy Grail. Its a great storyline and one that has been told in various adventure books and films - in a sense, the search for eternal life. The two collaborators get it right with this film and thus, should've represented the culmination of the Indiana Jones trilogy.

However, in the spring of 2008, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls was released. Not only is Harrison Ford now 19 years older, but the appeal of the Indiana Jones franchise probably will not translate to success with this new generation of fans. Although the Indiana Jones franchise represents the advancement of the adventure movie - the CGI era has definitely taken away form many of the thrills one used to enjoy with plain old camera tricks and great set design. At least the villains changed for this one. I haven't seen the film myself, but I will definitely pick it up on rental just to ensure that I watched them all.