Usually Nevin is the one who reviews these classic films, but seeing as he has never seen this film, and that it’s the film’s 85th anniversary, I decided to review it for him. Now, I have to get this out of the way, I absolutely adore this film. I consider it to be a classic, and one of the greatest “monster movies” ever, if not, the greatest “monster movie” ever. But what is it about? For you five people who have never heard of this legendary film, I’ll explain the plot.
Plot
The film takes place in the 1930s (obviously, as it was made in ‘33), and follows the fateful crew of one of the biggest risks in Hollywood history; filming an entire movie on an island nobody’s ever stepped foot on, known only as Skull Island. As they soon find out, there was a reason for that. Right when they get the right idea to leave, their leading lady (Ann Darrow, played by Fay Wray) gets kidnapped by the 25-foot hulking beast known as King Kong. Soon, it’s up to the cast and crew of this fated picture to save Ann, fighting monsters of mythical proportions along the way.
Positives
This film captures one thing perfectly; adventure. It feels like this entire film is a journey, and it’s exciting from beginning to end. And the creature effects are great too. Sure, they don’t look realistic (at all), but you can appreciate them in the sort of way you’d appreciate a stop-motion film. And the way they blend with the live-action actors is incredible too; again, not realistic, but still a wonder for the eyes. In fact, this film was the reason we have the best visual effects award at the Oscars, since they were so incredibly blown away by this film’s stop-motion techniques. And the effects aren’t the only crowning jewel; the acting is actually really good, something that isn’t seen much in effects-driven films. And the pacing is downright perfect; the film goes through it’s beginning, middle, and end seamlessly. This is something very few films have replicated, including this film’s eventual remakes and sequels. I could honestly praise this film forever, but I will admit that there is a slight problem I have with it.
Negatives
As great as the film is, I do sort of wish we got to know more about Kong himself. Sure, the 2005 version did this perfectly fine, but that film has a terrible problem with it’s pacing, and a very miscast Jack Black, so it does fail to compare with this film. But if you want the definitive Kong experience, I still recommend this classic.
Overall
For an effects-driven monster movie, King Kong is still a masterpiece. I absolutely adore this movie, (I even have a metallic poster of it (hard find)), So of course, I have to give this an 11/10. I highly recommend it, and I wish it was regarded as less of a dumb monster movie.
On December 18, the legendary director Steven Spielberg celebrated his 71st birthday. Seeing as he inspired both my and my friend Nevin’s love of movies, I thought it would be fair to cover his best to celebrate a late birthday. So, let’s kick off 2018 with Spielberg’s best! An honorable mention: Hook. I know it’s far from his best, and it does have its flaws, but it still is a good time.
So far in my series of old movie reviews I have always reviewed good movies. Usually ones I would give a 10/10 or my highest grade of an 11/10. But, since we just finished watching the 1996 Baz Luhrmann remake of the classic William Shakespeare play of Romeo and Juliet, I thought, why not review it? So, on to the review!
If you are not familiar with my reviews, I grade movies like this. I go from a scale of 0/10 (movies that are so bad that they should have never been made), to an 11/10 (movies that are so good, so fantastic, that you just can’t give the average 10/10 grade).
So, since this is a film that I did not especially like, I am going to tell you what I thought was good, what I thought was bad, and what my overall thoughts were of the movie along with my grade.
Good:
Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo: I have always been a big fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. He has starred in some of my all time favorite films such as The Departed (2006), Inception (2010), and Titanic (1997). I think he is an excellent actor, and no surprise, he is easily the best part in this film. But, unfortunately he probably gives his worst performance I have seen from him in this film, but on some of the more emotional parts, I thought he did an okay job. It just sounds so weird calling a Leonardo DiCaprio performance “okay”, but that’s how I felt about him.
The usage of color: Probably the only thing I found visually interesting in this movie was the usage of color in this movie. Name off all the most vibrant, and brightest colors you can think of and that color is in this movie. The color choices are so bright and eye-popping that I thought was at least handled well.
That’s where the good points about this movie end.
Bad:
Claire Danes as Juliet: I did not like her character in this movie at all. I found her character extremely weak and felt like she was lacking something, I never felt her performance was that great and the way she played her character didn’t feel like a Juliet to me. I’m not sure why, but she just didn’t seem like she was playing Juliet in that movie, at least not well.
The screenplay: Look, I have nothing against Shakespeare when I say I hate the screenplay. The film uses Shakespearean language and some actual dialogue from the play. I love Shakespeare’s brilliant writing skills and believe that he is one of the greatest writers who has ever lived, but having his dialogue take place in present day just does not work whatsoever. It came off as weird, extremely unnecessary, and especially awkward.
The acting: Wow, I haven’t seen this much cringe worthy acting in a long time. It seemed like every single line that was delivered from these actors was so awkward and very, very, very cringe worthy, which is very upsetting since the film has a surprisingly good cast.
The direction: I’m just going to go out and say that I hate the director’s style in this movie. His direction was so energized to the point that it made it so everything was so uncomfortably in your face all the time, and many unnecessary shots didn’t make any sense in the story besides “metaphorical imagery.” I did not like Baz Luhrmann’s direction in this movie at all. I know what he was going for with having the film fell as energized as possible, but what was supposed to be exciting just came off as too fast, confusing, and making me want to throw up.
Overall:
Overall, I did not like this movie whatsoever. Like, at all. I’m sorry for people who actually like this movie, but I did not. Sure, there was one semi-good performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, bright and interesting colors, and very, very, few pretty shots, but other than that, I hated the movie, and shall give it a 4/10.
Hello, once again fans of classic films, and I am so, so happy to finally talk about this film. It is considered one of the best films of all time and is a perfect film about the struggles of family life, the Italian mob, and just a perfect film in general! So, here we go into one of the most celebrated films of all time, The Godfather!
If you are not familiar with my grading system it goes like this: I grade films on a scale from 0/10 (movies that are so horrible that they should have never been made) to an 11/10 (movies that are so good, so amazing, that you just can’t give the average 10/10 grade).
This magnificent film tells the story of the struggling Corleone Crime Family after its leader, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando, in one of his best roles), survives an assassination attempt from another family. Because of this, the new patriarch of the Family, the youngest son of Vito, Michael (Al Pacino, who gives by far his best performance), is determined to avenge his father. The rest of the film follows the near fall and hysteria of the Corleone Crime Family.
I will just go out and say that in my opinion, this is the best American film ever made. I have never seen a single movie throughout my entire movie-watching journey that I have found better than this one. Some may back down and not watch this film and it’s equally amazing sequel because of it’s length, but because of that, these people are missing a phenomenal film. Francis Ford Coppola’s direction is stunning, along with the brilliant Oscar-winning screenplay that so believably brings to life these characters. The cinematography is also excellent with interesting metaphorical imagery to express the difference between these people’s “normal” life and the crime business life in which they are forever entrapped. And I do believe that almost every single shot in this movie could be a perfect framed photograph. The performances in this movie by everyone are also perfect. Marlon Brando does an amazing job portraying the heartbroken Don, which garnered him a very worthy Best Actor Oscar. But, by far the best performance in this film, that I also think is still to this day the most Oscar-snubbed performance ever, is from Al Pacino. Sure, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for this film, but why in the world did he not win it?! He deserved that Oscar so badly, but of course, he did not win it, and I have to deal with that. I mean, even in the second movie he gives a performance that some may argue is a better performance than what he does in the first one, and he still didn’t win Best Actor for that film either! Anyway, I just can’t talk about this film enough to tell you how great this movie is. It is a timeless masterpiece, and will forever be a cinematic masterpiece, and definitely deserves my highest grade of an 11/10.
It’s December! You know what that means… CHRISTMAS!!! I absolutely adore this holiday, and celebrate it proudly every year. Maybe too much. But I still love it. So, here’s a list of my (and Nevin’s) 10 favorite Christmas movies. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, that’s perfectly fine. And these aren’t all good movies; I just did a search for Christmas films, and these are the ones I got. And I’m counting legitimate Christmas films, not the ones that just take place around the holidays (like Batman Returns or Love Actually). And, I’m listing these from least best to best. And I needed some help, so I brought fellow film critic Nevin Hooper into this (like how I did with our Halloween special). Now, let’s get this party started!
10. Elf (2003)
Review by Brandon Matzke
I’m not much of a Will Ferrell fan. I’ve only seen two of his movies that I’ve enjoyed. One of them was Talledega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby (which is a guilty pleasure), and the other is 2003’s Elf. It’s so rare that a film this bizarre manages to become such a classic. Elf follows Buddy (Will Ferrell in an amusingly cheery role): a human who was raised by elves (as in, Santa’s elves). One day, he discovers he is not actually an elf and that he’s a human. He journeys across the magical land of New York City to meet his dad and his human family. Turns out his dad is on the dreaded naughty list, and it’s up to him to redeem his dad. It’s a very weird film, but one that manages to always make me smile around this time of year.
9. Arthur Christmas (2011)
Review by Brandon Matzke
A modern holiday classic, Arthur Christmas, follows Arthur, the youngest son of the master spy known as Santa Claus. As in, the “ho ho ho” Santa. During one fateful Christmas, Arthur discovers a toy Santa forgot to deliver, and it’s up to him, an elf who mastered the art of wrapping, and a retired former Santa (it’s a job title in this world) to find the rightful owner of this gift and unite toy and child. This film really surprised me; it seemed really cheesy, and at times, it was, but for every cheesy moment there was a heartwarming and/or fun moment. The visuals are very appealing, the humor is surprisingly good, and the film just makes me feel like a kid again. I just recommend it.
8. A Charlie Brown Christmas
Review by Brandon Matzke
I honestly didn’t know if I could include this one, considering it’s extremely small runtime of 30 minutes. But, it does have a touching message about the real meaning of Christmas along with the signature Peanuts charm. And Charles Schultz’s animation has this strange quality that just adds to this film, even beating the recent Peanuts Movie (which is still a good movie by the way). If you’re feeling a little down around the holidays, this was a film made just for you.
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Review by Brandon Matzke
Honestly, this is more of a Halloween film. But it has Christmas right in the title! I’ve already discussed this film, so I’ll just use some quotes from my original review: “For one, I find it to be beautifully unique. I mean, it’s not everyday you see a movie where individual holidays have their own worlds. But it also has great animation, some brilliant music by the talented Danny Elfman, and a sweet and simple plot based on a poem written by Tim Burton. So, before you rant about seeing Jack Skellington at every Hot Topic (I mean, what is it with this film and Hot Topic?!), give the film a shot. You might be humming “This is Halloween” before you know it. 11/10.”- Top 5 Halloween Movies article.
6. Gremlins (1984)
Review by Brandon Matzke
Gremlins is a horror fan’s Christmas film. This film managed to earn the 1984 Saturn award for Best Horror film, beating out darker, grittier films like A Nightmare on Elm Street. And for good reason, too! This film is the reason why PG-13 exists; it pushed the boundaries so much that it (and the second Indiana Jones film) made a new rating. That’s not the only reason why this film works; it’s a brilliant dark comedy, blending horror and comedy seamlessly. The screenplay by Chris Columbus is weird and original, and also hilarious and scary. But without a doubt, the best part of this film is… the gremlins. Holy cow, these buggers are so much fun, whether they’re watching Snow White and singing along with it, or violently destroying the small town of Kingston Falls, they’re a blast to watch. Is this for everyone? No. But for the right audience, it’s a blast.
5. A Christmas Story (1983)
Review by Nevin Hooper
A cult classic. I am so surprised that Brandon has not seen this film yet, especially since it plays all day long every Christmas day. But, either way, I am reviewing it. All Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is a “Red Rider air rifle.” After the constant excuse from everyone around him “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid,” Ralphie is still determined to have that rifle for Christmas, while still suffering through the random misadventures of his family and friends. This film is gut-bustingly hilarious. There are so many memorable lines and scenes, with the parents (especially from the father) and famous scenes including the scene where a kid gets his tongue stuck on a telephone pole and the teacher has to pull him off. But, Ralphie’s exotic visions about his yearning of the rifle is hilarious and totally make some of the greatest scenes of the film. This is a necessary watch around Christmas, and I highly recommend it.
4. Home Alone (1990)
Review by Brandon Matzke
I have very pleasant memories of this film: it was the first film I really begged to own (and I got a VHS of it for Christmas one year, which I still own), it was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I always thought that Marv looked like my first grade teacher. I honestly don’t know why. But there was something I always watched this movie for: not the message of the importance of family, or watching an immature kid turn into a young adult; it was the VIOLENCE. For a film with a PG rating, this is a very violent film. Yeah, it’s played for laughs, but having a nail go through a guy’s foot?! That’s something that the guy from Saw would consider inhumane! But it’s so fun to watch that I honestly stopped caring about how violent it was. But I have to go back to this film: the score by John Williams makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, the directing is actually pretty good for a “kid comedy”, and Macaulay Culkin as Kevin Mccallister has so much wit and charm that I honestly started rooting for this kid, even after watching his violent torture traps dismember the poor burglars who decided to rob his house. This is a family film with an edge, and earns my seal of approval. But seriously, those traps could kill someone!
3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Review by Brandon Matzke
I usually can’t stand Chevy Chase. I don’t think he’s that funny, I usually find him annoying, but this one little film is the sole objection. This is a very unconventional film for the holidays: it’s about family, sure, but it also has a truly evil squirrel hiding in a Christmas tree, Chevy Chase nearly blinding his stuck-up neighbors with his magical Christmas light magic, and everything a comedy needs to be a classic. It’s basically an examination of a christmas gone wrong; the tree is too big to even fit in the house, the family hates each other, etc., but it’s always played for laughs. And let me tell you; those laughs are well earned. And Chevy Chase, while having his absolutely hysterical moments, also manages to play a convincing everyman with a chaotic life. This is not only one of my favorite Christmas films, but also one of my favorite comedies. And it’s one that I highly recommend.
2. Die Hard (1988) (TV version)
Review by Brandon Matzke
Most of the films on this list are cheerful and happy. They make you feel warm inside, and get you in that perfect holiday mood. And then there’s Die Hard. Is this the most Christmas-y film ever made? No. This film and Christmas share as much in common as a paperclip and a beaver. But this is a great film to watch around this time of year. Taking place on Christmas Eve, Die Hard follows John McClane (Bruce Willis in an excellent role), a divorced man visiting his ex wife at a christmas party in the iconic Nakatomi tower. When things seem at their calmest, a break-in occurs, and it’s up to John McClane to stop a group of terrorists (lead by Hans Gruber, Alan Rickman in his most charismatic villain performance) from killing everyone in the building. This is a very well made action movie, and has some absolutely thrilling scenes. Bruce Willis gives a very likeable performance, and is so much fun to watch thanks to with his now-iconic one-liners and everyman charm. The characters are very memorable, and the film is a ton of fun to watch. I highly recommend it for action movie fans.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Review by Nevin Hooper
On its first initial release this film was not praised at all. But, over the years, it has gained a reputation by being one of the most influential Christmas films of all time. Starring James Stewart in one of his best roles, he plays the suicidal George Bailey who wishes that he was never born. Then an angel by the name of Clarence (Henry Travers) comes to show him that the world needs him and what the world would be like if he was never born. Not only is this a great Christmas movie, but this is a great film in general. The film has amazing acting and a phenomenal screenplay that deals with themes about one’s place in life and the importance of family and friends. The direction is also very exceptional and is helped by the excellent black and white cinematography. The story of this movie is just so phenomenal, it is original, imaginative, hopeful, sad, humorous, and very deep in themes that are important to us and the people around us. It’s a Wonderful Life is a great watch around Christmas and I very much hope you can watch it and enjoy it as much as I did.
Hello, once again, fans of classic cinema, and today, since it is nearing Thanksgiving, I thought, why not review one of the best Thanksgiving films of all time, John Hughes’ Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Since the film is nearing its thirtieth anniversary, it felt necessary to review it.
If you are new to my film reviews, I have a grading system that goes like this: I grade films on a scale of 0/10 (films that are so horrible that they should have never been made), to an 11/10 (films that are so fantastic, so amazing, that you just can’t give the average 10/10 grade). Now, onto the review!
Workaholic Neal Page (Steve Martin, in one of his best performances) is desperate to get home to his family for Thanksgiving, but his plane to Chicago gets rerouted to Kansas because of a monstrous snow storm. He meets up with the extremely talkative Del Griffith (John Candy, in another lovable performance, rest in peace), who offers to find a way to get him to Chicago in time to see his family, so they have to overcome their numerous problems with each other to get Neal back home.
John Hughes has always been a favorite director/screenwriter of mine. With some of my favorite films of his being The Breakfast Club (1985), and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), I immediately raced to see this film and loved it. Hughes uses his brilliant writing skills to create a hilarious, yet at times extremely heartfelt, atmosphere with excellent dialogue and chemistry between Martin and Candy who give some of the best scenes in the entire movie.
Another thing that I appreciated was the music in the film. Some may like it, some may not, but I thought the music in the film was great for the mood and tone of the story. The only very minor negative that I see with this film, that doesn’t even affect my grade as it just bothered me a little bit, are a few times in the film where they have an argument and they threaten to separate, but then they stay together. Since this happened multiple times, I was like “Just stop arguing and make up your mind! Leave or stay, it’s your choice!” But, that is only very minor for me, so I still have to give this film an 11/10. It is a great film to watch around Thanksgiving.
So, have any of you guys seen this film? If so, what did you think of it, because, as you can tell, I loved this movie. Not my favorite Hughes film, but still pretty good. Tell me what you think in the comments, or what is your favorite film to watch around Thanksgiving. I will be back soon writing more reviews!
Hello, fans of classic films! Today we are tackling a film that most of you will probably know: Titanic! The epic romance mixed with the historical epic disaster of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. And now you can go experience, or re-experience the film with its re-release in theaters for the film’s 20th anniversary!
If you are not familiar with my grading system, it works like this: I grade films on a scale from 0/10 (movies that are so horrible that they should have never been made), to an 11/10 (movies that are so phenomenal that you just can’t give the average 10/10 grade).
For those who have not seen this film, it follows young Rose (Kate Winslet, in a fantastic performance that earned her a nomination for Best Actress) as she boards the “ship of dreams,” as some people at the time called it, called the Titanic, for a trip to the Americas. Along with her comes the poor but adventurous, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio, in his most beloved role), with goals of returning back home to America. On their trip, they fall for each other, and so starts their unlikely romance until the dreaded day that the colossal ship runs into an iceberg and starts to sink. This is when the film takes a huge turn from being a heartfelt romance, to an edge of your seat disaster flick.
Being one of three films to win the most Oscars a film has ever won (11 Oscars to be exact, including Best Picture), it is phenomenal. It appeals to a wide audience, being both a romance and a fast paced thriller, which is astonishing and partly why I loved it. The chemistry between Jack and Rose is extremely believable, and the characters were so well developed that you wanted to see them both succeed once the ship started to fall apart around them.
The film looks amazing, the special effects, cinematography, masterful camerawork, and direction still hold up twenty years later. The set decoration is fantastic, and you truly feel that you are in the Titanic, which makes it an even more exciting film. The acting is great, especially from Kate Winslet in one of her best performances, along with DiCaprio, who is always amazing. Many of the supporting roles also deserve recognition, like Gloria Stuart who plays the old Rose and is the oldest person to be nominated for an Oscar. Billy Zane, I felt, did a great job too as a great antagonist. The whole film is a marvelous spectacle in modern filmmaking and I have to give it an 11/10.
What did you think of Titanic? Did you think it is one of your favorite movies (like how I personally think of it), or did you think it was too long and boring? Either way, tell me in the comments, and I will be back with more reviews of old films!
