Popcorn in Bed - The Best Years of Our Lives

 

I first came across "The Best Years of Our Lives" when doing the IMDB 250. I was completely floored by it. Especially since I never had even heard about it until that list. It's criminally under-watched, under-seen and in all the years I've been recommending it to people, no one has listened. So glad to see it here. It's swell.

IMDB 250 - Parasite (2019)

If you're looking for a film to watch, I recommend the South Korean film "Parasite" (2019). It's a comedy, it's a drama, it's a suspense/thriller, it's a horror, it's social commentary... it's an experience in every sense of the word. 

Don't read anything about it, but be warned that it's South Korean. South Korean films tend to be intense and disturbing, and this movie is no exception. Disturbing for sure, but the best film I've seen in a long time.

IMDB 250

In addition to the current IMDB Top 250 list, the IMDB website also created several historical lists across the history of their existence. They take a snapshot of what the IMDB 250 looked like at the end of the year 2002, for instance, and call it the Top 250 2002.

If you've watched all the movies on a particular list (and you have an IMDB account), they'll award you the "badge" for that list. This is what my profile looks like as of today:

IMDB 250 - Rang De Basanti (2006)

Rang De Basanti (2006)

Awful. Awful. Awful. Paper-thin characters, paper-thin plot, totally unrealistic but here's the good news - they managed to tell it all in just a hair under three hours. There must be lots of scenes left on the cutting room floor. To top it all off, it's a movie that has the audacity to murder. Huzzah! At one point, a guy joins the air-force and it's a total of 5 minutes of screen time later that the news announces his plane crashed. That's probably the world record for quickest Goose. Just tortuous, stupid manipulation.

I won't bother reviewing this movie in the usual way - it's not worth it. I don't even care. There's no way this should be considered even a good movie, let alone one of the best. If there are enough dumb people out there to keep it in the IMDB 250 then we all deserve what we get.

The good news is, this is IMDB keeps yearly "snapshots" of the Top 250 list. I'd seen every movie in every list from 2007-2012 and this is the final movie I had to watch to complete the list for 2013. The only problem is I just looked and they recently added more snapshot lists going all the way back to 1996 so that'll keep me busy for a while.

It's funny to see what the list of 1996 looks like. Keep in mind that the internet was only for nerds back then so that explains why "Star Trek: First Contact" is somehow the seventh greatest movie of all-time. But the nerd factor of the internet can't explain everything so there are quite a few other surprises. There's not one but TWO Wallace and Gromit shorts in the top 10. Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" at 27. "That Thing You Do" at 35? It's a good movie but how'd that happen? The Transformers movie is on there but not the one you're thinking of... The cartoon from the 80s is on the list. So surreal.

Anyways...

3/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 383.

IMDB 250 - The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

In my previous review of the first "Hobbit" movie I said the movie was enjoyable but I didn't understand the whole magic aspect. This movie picks up where the last one left off and runs with it... and from start to finish, I didn't understand a single thing in it. Not a single thing. I don't know why anything happens to anything else. I'm watching it saying to myself "why?", "what?" and "why?" and also "what?".

At one point, the gang is off on their quest doing the whole "quest" business and Gandalf says peace out and just goes off and does his own thing. I even think he says at the time, "This place is dead anyway", but I'd have to rewatch it to be sure. As much as I didn't understand the "A" story, I understood the Gandalf sub-plot even less. Much less. From memory: he goes to a place, he talks with a guy, he sees a vision, he turns the "Lost" wheel and transports to another Dharma station. Is it wrong to think he's bored? Maybe he's senile and wandering aimlessly. I hope he comes back to the movie at some point.

So without any understanding of the larger picture (or any of the specific details), I'm left with the fantasy and spectacle aspects. Even if I don't know why the giant spiders are attacking, between the spiders and dwarves it's easy to know who to root for. There are many "action" scenes in this movie and they work are at least still enjoyable on a simple visceral suspense level. It would be pretty hard to not enjoy a giant battle or a giant dragon or a giant battle with a giant dragon.

6/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 382.

IMDB 250 - The Hunt (2012)

The Hunt (2012)

Lucas is a male teacher who lives alone and works at a kindergarten.  He lives in a small small Danish town where everyone knows everyone else. One day a female student says that Lucas exposed himself to her. Could she be making it up? The head of the school suspects not: "I don't think children, not in that way." Lucas is sent home and the girl's parents are called in and told the story. The girl recants, says she made it all up but her parents assure her that it did happen - sometimes when memories are bad, we convince ourselves that we made it up. Lucas finds his life is changed forever - he's fired, ostracized from the community and eventually arrested.

This is Director Thomas Vinterberg's second movie in the IMDB 250 and both deal with sexual abuse. The first was "The Celebration" (1998).

As you'd expect, this isn't the kind of movie that makes for a great Friday evening. Or any evening. This movie is difficult to watch. It's harrowing material. But by no means does that mean it's a bad movie... far from it. It's a thoroughly realistic situation with authentic characters who act the way people sometimes act. Particularly when the stakes are so high and the accusations are so heinous.

7/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 381.

IMDB 250 - Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

This movie is 3 hours, 44 Minutes and 29 Seconds long. Feel free to stop reading the review now because that pretty much tells you all you need to know.

"Lagaan" is a movie about an Indian town in colonial times who challenges the Evil British to a game of cricket. If the villagers win (in a game they don't know anything about) they will not have to pay the back-breaking taxes levied on them. If they lose, they'll have to pay triple.

I say "The Evil British" because the movie makes sure to avoid all nuance and subtlety. The Good Guy is good all the time and is never not good. The Bad Guy is a mustache twirling baddy who has no redeeming qualities. In one of his first scenes, the main bad guy ("Captain Evil") meets a vegetarian and makes him eat meat. But it's against his religion, the man protests, and besides what does Captain Evil even get out of it? Nothing, but he's just pure evil and, as we need to keep the movie under 4 hours, he needs to be established as pure evil.

Following the Good Guy everywhere is the terrifically attractive Love Interest who makes her affections obvious. The Good Guy doesn't seem to notice or care. What is he thinking? Will they ever be together? Then mid-way through the movie he declares that he loves the Love Interest. Why did he not say anything before this? Because that wouldn't be contrived enough for this story.

Of course the movie ends with the climactic BIG GAME... The Big Game... of Cricket. In between song and dance numbers, the movie packs in every cliche from every terrible sports movie ever made by humans. Heightening the action slightly is that it's cricket and I have no idea what's going on. At the midway point of the match the score is 273-3 and it's not looking good for our heroes but there's always a chance that they'll make a miraculous comeback. And at that point in the movie, I knew I was nearing the end and looked at the time... still an hour left. Have you ever "neared" the end of a movie and there was still an entire hour left to go?! I have.

4/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 380.

IMDB 250 - Underground (1995)

Underground (1995)

My first impression watching "Underground" was that it reminded me a lot of "Black Cat, White Cat" and it turned out that it has the same director. So that's a private victory for me.

"Underground" is a Yugoslavian film that follows a group of characters from the beginning of World War II, to the end of the war, through the Cold War until the Yugoslav Wars. It doesn't play the comedy as comedy or tragedy as tragedy, it simply presents life as a series of strange, chaotic and unpredictable events.

I feel I've been saying things like "it's not a bad movie, it just didn't do anything for me" way too often lately. So, I'll skip that. It doesn't help that as charming as some of this movie is, it's almost 3 hours long. I remember liking "Black Cat White Cat" though.

5/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 379.

IMDB 250 - Rush (2013)

Rush (2013)



I'm definitely not a racing fan myself and so I was excited to see "Rush" as an interesting peek into that world. I'll put aside the fact that "I don't get it" and see if the movie depiction of Formula 1 racing can communicate the excitement of the sport, the adrenaline-pumping speed and the reason it stirs so much passion in the fans. The obvious equivalent is "Days of Thunder", of course. I can't stand NASCAR but still really enjoy watching that movie.

But the definitive movie about indie car racing doesn't really focus on indie car racing (or focus enough for my taste). The movie is a true story about two rival drivers (James Hunt and Niki Lauda) from the seventies. In the first half of the movie we see them attracting women, we see them wooing women, we see them getting married, we see things go badly and the divorce that follows. Why should we care about any of this? Show us the racing, show us what makes these people special, show us why they're the best. On that front, the movie is content to resort to exposition - they just put "James wins" on the screen in nice titles.

The second half of the movie steps it up a little bit with some nice racing sequences but overall I don't care about either of these characters, I don't care how many women they've been with and, even going into it with no knowledge of the sport, I really didn't learn anything about Formula One. It made it into the Top 250 though. So, like Formula One itself, certainly some people out there must be enjoying it but I don't get it at all.

4/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 378.

IMDB 250 - Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

As the title suggests, this is a dog story. It's a "G Rated" "Family Film" that's appropriate for the family of all ages.

I went into it quite cynically. Family films rarely make it into the IMDB 250 and this one I'd never even heard of before. Ever. Could it really be that good if it's been out for three years and I've never even heard of it?

The first half is an exercise in formula. Through some sort of mix up a man (Richard Gere) finds a lost puppy. The puppy is about the cutest puppy ever and yet he simply can't find anyone else to take him and nobody comes forth to claim him. So he keeps him despite his wife's disapproval. And, of course, the puppy gets into all sorts of mischief.

But while we've seen the first half in movies before, the second half takes a turn that is a "different take" on things. And even going into it with arms folded, it did get to me. You know how it is... If you've ever owned a dog or simply like dogs or have any feeling towards any animal whatsoever, I think you'd have to be made of stone not to (at the very least) well up at this movie. And it's safe to say I'm definitely not made of stone.

7.8/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 377.

IMDB 250 - Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)

"Elite Squad: The Enemy Within". If you're like me, that title sends a shiver of awfulness up your spine. Well, I can tell you it isn't as bad as the title suggests. It's a Brazilian movie and the title is probably just a matter of translation.

"Elite Squad: beh beh behbeh" examines crime and corruption within Rio de Janeiro at all levels. Drugs and guns are rampant, the police are thoroughly corrupt and the people who command them (the government) are criminals themselves. The gangs are out of control and so the police employ extremely draconian measures to fight back... which makes them ever more unpopular with the people they're supposed to protect. There is seemingly no end to the city's problems and no solution in sight.

"Elite Squad: etc, etc" is more about events than characters and has an almost constant stream of world-weary narration. It's gritty, it's violent, it's "action-packed". It's actually well made and well acted. But it's one of those movies that's not bad, but also didn't interest me in any way. There was no point where I cared about what happened. Thus, the two hour running time seemed like an eternity.

5/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 376.

IMDB 250 - Three Colors: Red (1994)

Three Colors: Red (1994)

"Three Colors: Red" feels like the quintessential foreign movie. It's slow, deliberate, nothing but conversation and it deals with weighty philosophical ideas. It's also a French language film set in Switzerland and has a Polish Director.

A model in Geneva hits a dog with her car and looks for the owner. She finds the owner is a retired Judge who now spends his time listening in to his neighbors phone conversations. She's disgusted but also clearly drawn to the man and attempts to know him.

Although this movie is from 1994, it looks like it's from 1984. It looks and feels like Director Krzysztof Piesiewicz's other work "The Decalogue". That's not a criticism exactly, just an observation. In fact, I liked "The Decalogue" so much that I enjoy it. It must be a particular camera or type of film he used.

"Red" is part of a trilogy in which some of the characters in one movie show up in the other two. There's also a suggestion that some of the characters are actually the same character, but at a different point in time. The "Three Colors" trilogy, and this film, are about the interconnectedness of all of our lives and about the way all of our lives are disconnected as well. And it's all up to chance, destiny or serendipity as to which lives touch which others.

8/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 375.

IMDB 250 - Incendies (2010)

Incendies (2010)

"Incendies" is a Canadian film, filmed in the French language and set in Lebanon. As it begins, two twins are reading the will of their recently deceased mother. In the will she requests that they find their father and brother, both of whom they have never met. In order to track them down, they have to piece together the pieces of their mother's life which we experience in flashbacks.

If there was ever going to be a first scene that hooks me in, it would be this movie's. The film starts with basically a music video for the Radiohead song "You and Whose Army". I'm in. And then later on in the film, the song "Like Spinning Plates" makes an appearance.

Soundtrack aside, "Incendies" is a pretty powerful film with an extremely clever story. One scene in particular I found to be extremely powerful and the ending is quite a twist. It reminds of a modern day "Dr. Zhivago" in the way it cuts to the past to reconstruct a person's life, shows the devastating effects that world events have on the lives of average people and the fact that the ending delivers such an emotional punch.

8/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 374.

IMDB 250 - Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

I don't really need to describe the plot or rate the various aspects of the film. This movie lives up to the Star Trek name, it's as good or better than the previous installment. It's a great action movie. It's everything you'd want a Star Trek movie to be, I think.

In this installment, I got particular enjoyment out of Simon Pegg's performance as Scotty and Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy. Both are excellent renditions of the legendary characters.

8/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 373.

IMDB 250 - Like Stars on Earth (2007)

Like Stars on Earth (2007)

A boy struggles in school and in life until an inspired, vibrant teacher comes along and recognizes that he simply has dyslexia.

Well, it's tough to be cynical about a movie where a little boy realizes his potential because someone cared about him. I will say that this movie is charming and it is somewhat touching in some places. Having said that, it really isn't that good. It's cloying and obvious and filled with cookie-cutter scenes that we've all seen a thousand times. It also has too many songs and there's no reason for a dance number (yes, I know it's the cultural norm).

I wouldn't say it's awful but it's like a "very special episode" of "Growing Pains" if "Growing Pains" episodes were 3 hours long.

5/10.

Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 372.

IMDB 250 - The Hobbit (2012)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

I think I like this movie more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Having not read any of the books, I can't say why for sure but I can speculate.

I guess that when you spread one book over three movies (instead of three books over three movies), the material is allowed to "breath". You can handle things more slowly and naturally. The beginning of the first Lord of the Rings movie feels jarring - they setup multiple characters, races, histories all at once and then things move seemingly very fast (and perhaps seemingly at random). The beginning of this movie only needs to setup a few characters and a few flashbacks to history to get going. It's much easier to get into. As a fantasy movie, it feels less of a "list of scenes that we need to cover" and edges closer to "Alice in Wonderland" or "The Wizard of Oz".

I also think that Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins is easier to like than Elijah Wood. The group of dwarves that he accompanies are also much more fun than "the fellowship". It follows, then, that the action sequences work more because you care about the characters involved.

It also helps that this movie can start at the beginning. The LOTR trilogy didn't have that. It, again, feels simpler and easier to follow. Perhaps if this movie had been released first, I would have enjoyed LOTR more.

I've spoken before in my review of "Harry Potter and the Something Something" about how dangerous magic is in movies. I'll repeat myself slightly here because it most definitely applies. The magic in this movie has no logic. Perhaps it's explained in the books, I don't know. But I do know that one scene begins with Gandalf creating a huge explosion of white light and knocking out hundreds of enemies in all directions and then a few minutes later, he's trying to fight off a single attacker with a sword. How does that work? If you can use magic in one instance, what happened in the next? In fact, when ever ANYTHING bad happens in the movie, I'm wondering why magic isn't used. Seems pretty straightforward. Similarly, if a character has just been pushed off a giant cliff and is hurtling toward the ground and a giant eagle appears from nowhere to pick him up, what does that mean for all future "whatever will they do" predicaments? It's extremely hard to worry about the outcome of any dramatic situation when you've already seen how magic can just swoop in out of nowhere and save the day.

Given that we know everything will always turn out fine thanks to magic, I can only guess that it'll be very hard to really be worried by anything in the series to come. But this is enjoyable, imaginative and colorful entertainment. I enjoyed it.

6/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 371.

IMDB 250 - Memories of Murder (2003)

Memories of Murder (2003)

A young woman is raped and murdered in a small South Korean town. The police force looking at the case may be from a rural area, but they have seen their share of murders. Except there's one thing that makes this one different: no evidence. It appears that the killer is a professional - he's systematic enough that they have nothing to go on. Soon after, there is another murder. And then another.

"Memories of Murder" is based on the true story of the first serial killer case in South Korea from 1986 - 1991 which remains unsolved.

Leading the case are two different detectives with two very different methodologies - one from the big city, one from the country. I know that sounds like every buddy cop movie ever but the movie is good enough to make it seem fresh and real. Aside from the almost total absence of guns, there's another aspect that makes this movie rise above the formula - it counterplays the drama of the situation with black humor. South Korea, after all, was under a dictator at that time and police brutality was not unusual. In one scene of the movie, when a detective is unhappy that a suspect will not confess, he dropkicks him after a running start. In a later scene, same situation, another dropkick of the suspect.

Scenes like these are at the heart of why this movie works - it has such a delicate balance to strike and it succeeds. We want justice so we root for these cops but we watch them use brutal tactics and it reminds us of that they're not exactly "the good guys". We want them to succeed to catch the killer and yet, in moments that show their bumbling ineptitude, it works as comedy. It's a very strange and unique stew of feelings and genres.

"Memories of Murder" does all of these things well - it's smart, it twists, it turns, it leaves us guessing. So what's wrong with it? The problem is just the movies format. Police officers trying to track down a serial killer in a procedural drama is something we've (perhaps literally) seen a hundred times before. They find clues, they investigate leads, they bring in suspects - even if these elements are done well (and they are) they can't possibly have the same impact after 3,000 episodes of "Law and Order" have aired.

A very good film - interesting and entertaining - and with a very strong and memorable ending. But it just doesn't rise to the level of being great.

6/10.
Total "Top 250" Movies Seen: 370.

IMDB 250 - Oscar Roundup

Since my last visit to the IMDB 250, Oscar season has come and gone. I watched all the nominees and many of them made their way onto the list... before being bumped off. There are two left, however. Unfortunately they're my two least favorite. Can you sense my excitement?

Django Unchained (2012)

Plot: A bounty hunter frees a slave and employs him in his business.

If you want to play the averages, you should definitely see this movie. People apparently love it. Obviously - it's still on the list. But I don't like it. Continuing with his "grindhouse" style, Tarantino has made a blacksploitation/revenge movie where the slavery is what sets up the need for revenge. It seems to me that this is taking the topic of slavery way to lightly - it's only a device, it's a "MacGuffin".

Is it ok to invent fictional aspects of slavery (mandingo fighting)? Tarantino would answer "Of course it is! It's just a grindhouse film, afterall." Is it ok that when real horrors of slavery are shown, they're just used as cheap ploys to "shock" the audience and get more people buying tickets? "Sure, it's just a movie."

To me, this is a technically well-made movie, but one that isn't entertaining. To me, it's almost offensive. Even though I know I'm in the minority.

5/10.
Total Top "250" Movies Seen: 368.

Life of Pi (2012)

The main plot of "Life of Pi" is a story within the story. Early on, the main story is set up thusly:

Adult Pi Patel: What has mamaji already told you?

Writer: He said you had a story that would make me believe in God.

That's a pretty good hook to start your movie. If this movie is as good as everyone says it is, this sets up a really intriguing experience. I'm hooked. What story could it be that would make a person believe in God? Interesting! Except the movie never delivers on that promise. I won't give away the ending but I can say that the story doesn't do anything close to that. It's a fact that most reviews seem to overlook or not understand. They'll talk about the special effects and the cinematography - and I agree the movie looks great - but not mention that the "beauty" is totally empty of content.

It's not enough for a movie to have a tiger for me to say "Yayyy tigers are pretty!", it should go somewhere, it should do something. Again, I seem to be in the minority on this one as well but, to me, this is a visually beautiful movie that goes nowhere and does nothing.

5/10.

Total Top "250" Movies Seen: 369.

For what it's worth, if you're curious which Oscar-nominated films I DID like... I liked them all. My two favorites are "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Argo".

IMDB 250 - 3 Idiots (2009)

3 Idiots (2009)

In this Indian film, three college students go on a series of misadventures but are opposed at every turn by the crusty dean who rules with an iron fist.

This movie is awful. If you took "Animal House" and took out everything about it that's good, it would be this movie. "Saved by the Bell" was more self-aware and nuanced. "Lizzy McGuire" was more subtle in its approach to humor. Most cartoons are more smartly written.

Speaking of cartoons, this movie wisely punctuates jokes with cartoon sound effects. Did someone drop their pants? SPROING! The stodgy dean of the college has slightly crossed eyes, a comical under-bite and speaks with a lisp. In case they haven't beat you over the head with the stupid humor enough, the director's overlayed it with loud, overbearing circus music to jam that message into your skull with a jackhammer. You know that Bollywood tradition of always having musical numbers in non-musical movies? They didn't forgo that particular custom. The music and dance sequences are so bad that even cast members of "Glee" would be embarrassed.

OK, so all that amounts to a bad movie. So what? Here's the part that put me over the edge.... it's 3 hours long. Someone somewhere actually thought this dumbed-down frat boy mess needed the David Lean treatment. I don't know how or why this movie got into the IMDB 250, but I don't want to know. I just sat through 3 hours of this tripe and I'm finally done with it.

3/10.
Total Top "250" Movies Seen: 367.

IMDB 250 8.5 - The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Of course everyone's already seen this movie so this is all a bit pointless. Everyone agrees it's a good movie so I'll be focusing more on the negative to make it more interesting.

Bi-Villainy

I've always felt that the "Dark Knight" tradition of having two villains per movie is a bad thing. In the first one, the Scarecrow added nothing to the movie - they should have focused completely on Ja Rule.

The second one is much worse. You've got Keith Ledger as the Joker. Every second devoted to Harvey Dent is a waste of everyone's time. He's half good, he's half bad, he's all I don't care. Of course, Ledger's performance is so great, even the scenes focusing on Batman suffer by comparison.

In the Dark Knight Rises, the extra villain is Anne Hathaway's Catwoman. Even though this is the most acceptable instance of the three, at almost 3 hours long, it could have easily been omitted.

Bane

I don't know anything about comic books but it seems to me that in the great pantheon of Batman villains, Bane is quite far down the list. Ok, maybe the Riddler doesn't fit the tone. And, hey, maybe the Penguin is on vacation. But how many rungs down the baddy ladder do you have to go down before you reach Bane.

That aside, does it work in the movie? Kinda. I mean, Bane is a good villain in theory but the voice is ridiculous. Every time he opens his exhaust vent it's like a Batman villain parody. I was trying to nail down what his voice reminds me of and the closest I could come is it's something like Dr. Evil meets Yoda. But then when he's making his sweeping pronouncements to the citizens of Gotham I kept having flashbacks of Theodore Roosevelt. You can't expect me to root against Teddy!

Speaking of speeches. There's one scene where Bane addresses a stadium of people over the PA system. I can't imagine they strived for accuracy in this scene. If you truly combined Bane's own distortion with that of a public address system in a stadium, it would sound like he was taking your McDonald's drive-thru order (McBane?). It wouldn't work. He'd have control of a nuclear bomb but no one to tell it to. In all the years I've watched the Peanuts specials, I never assumed Charlie Brown's mom was threatening nuclear holocaust.

Conclusion

Obviously, "The Dark Knight Rises" is a good movie. Its special effects are phenomenal, great acting, great direction, great writing. Michael Caine gives a particularly strong performance as Alfred. From an IMDB 250 perspective it seems pretty overrated, but it is well worth seeing.

7/10.
Total Top "250" Movies Seen: 366.