Top Ten Films of 2012

Top 10 Movies I'm Looking Forward to In 2012: Jeff

1) The Dark Knight Rises (July 20) - All I can say, is whether it is 'The Dark Knight' level of greatness, or 'Batman Begins', or even worse than the two, I'll still have an IMAX ticket to see it.



2) Nero Fiddled - Woody Allen's latest film. For the most part, ever since 2005's 'Match Point', Allen has been on an uphill slope of greatness ('Scoop' wasn't great, but it got better and better from there), and 'Midnight in Paris' is in my top 10 of this year. In the tradition of stellar casts, 'Nero' features performances for Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni ('Life is Beautiful'), Greta Gerwig, and even a small appearance from Allen himself, all in four vignettes set in Rome.

3) Seven Psychopaths - Martin McDonagh. The next film from the playwright behind one of 'In Bruges'. It stars Colin Farrell (like 'In Bruges') and involves dog kidnapping schemes and gangsters. Nice. All I could ask for. The cast also includes Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell (who both performed in his stage play 'A Behanding in Spoken', which I wished I could have seen), Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, and Tom Waits.

4) Prometheus (June 8) - Ridley Scott going back to the 'Alien' franchise. Sweet. Cast which includes Michael Fassbender (getting more and more acknowledged as each minute passes), Charlize Theron (always fantastic), Guy Pearce (hoping he has more screen time, since the guy has been in the background over the past few years, with performances in 'The King's Speech' and 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark') and Noomi Rapace (From the original Swedish 'Millennium Trilogy').

5) Gravity (November 21) - Alfonso Cauron's latest since 'Children of Men' (2006). Cauron has always pushed boundaries in terms of filmmaking, and I'm sure communities everywhere will buzz of its greatness once it has been released. Like most of Cauron's films, they run on simple premises but contain larger thoughts. This one concerns a mother trying to fix the Hubble telescope so that she can return to Earth and reunite with her daughter. With a small cast of George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, Cauron will be pulling no stops in terms of technology and it's guaranteed to be a groundbreaking work.

6) Django Unchained (December 25) - Oh Tarantino. Young and old, is there anyone who can't conveniently pull up some kind of schema for this man's films. Always unique, even when he conveniently cuts and pastes styles from other films, the man knows his dialogue, enough so to make a scene interesting and tense, even if it is just folks sipping coffee and talking. This one sounds even more deliberately self indulgent, with a plot involving a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) who teams up with a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to kill Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio, against type), an evil plantation owner, and save his wife (Kerry Washington). Samuel L. Jackson (SLJ, as I like to call him), Kurt Russell, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, RZA, and Sacha Baron Cohen are among the cast. Sounds like it's gonna be a ultra violent romp along the lines of 'Inglourious Basterd' (apparently spelled correctly, as Tarantino has made), and I'm certainly along for the ride.

7) Dark Shadows (May 11) and Frankenweenie (October 5) - I cheated by picking 2 here. Make all the cracks you want on director Tim Burton, but he's still one of my favorite directors. Burton has a style, one that nobody else matches, and he has mastered it in terms of visual art. No, I'm not the biggest fan of some of the films he has made over more recent years ('Planet of the Apes' (2001) and 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010, People like this one, but I found the plot far to predictable), but I can't argue that the art of every one of his films (excluding 'Apes') is fascinating beyond explanation. The man knows how to direct. 'Shadows' is based on a cult TV gothic soap opera about supernatural things and a mansion, etc. I haven't watched the series, so I'm looking forward to seeing it in fresh eyes, since I don't really have time to watch it (It lasted quite a while). Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter obviously have large roles, but others join them, including Eva Green (the bond girl from 'Casino Royale'), Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz (becoming one of the most sought after "Young" actors, and the replacement for all of Dakota Fanning's former praise, well, except for Elle Fanning), and Jackie Earle Haley (a talented man, in both 'Little Children' and 'Watchmen'). 'Frankenweenie' turns Burton's 1984 live action short film into a claymation feature. I saw the original when I purchased The Nightmare Before Christmas a long while back. It's an imperfect short, as it is mostly the story of 'Frankenstein' but without all the murder and junk. John August pens this one (as he often does collaborations on all of Burton's scripts), and Winona Ryder voices one of the characters, marking a 21 year gap between the two's collaboration on 'Edward Scissorhands'.

8) Looper (September 28) - Rian Johnson is one of my favorite independent writer/director working today. To be honest, of recent times, with his casts and etc. one would think he would have gotten more recognition with 'The Brothers Bloom' (a fantastic con film in my gracious opinion). 'Looper' is a sci-fi film involving a hit man for the mob who kills people sent to him from the future. He recognizes his next target as himself, hilarity ensues (just kidding about the hilarity). Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars (marks their third collaboration; makes an appearance in Johnson's 'Bloom', his second film, and stars in 'Brick', his first) and Bruce Willis plays his older self. Also Emily Blunt is in it, and she's always great. As an added note, Shane Carruth (the software engineer that refused to dumb down his independent time travel film 'Primer') has something to do with this project, which ensures its going to be fairly accurate, and most likely confusing, in terms of time travel.

9) This is Forty (December 21) - The king of comedy for this generation releases his next film. I speak none other than of Judd Apatow. '40 Year Old Virgin', classic. 'Knocked Up', even better. 'Funny People', misstep, but a valiant one (there's so much personal stuff from Apatow in this that its kind of hard to think its terrible, especially when I actually enjoyed the first half a lot). '40' returns viewers to Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) from 'Knocked Up'. Obviously the cast list besides them is pretty nifty, and I'm hoping that this one returns Apatow to former glory.

10) Moonrise Kingdom (May 16) - Wes Anderson. Like Tarantino, Anderson has a firmly placed style. We all know what to expect on this one, and it's a love it or hate it thing. Family issues, symmetrical and neat cinematography, and plenty of montages to the beat of composer Mark Mothersbaugh (from Devo) and songs by bands like The Kinks. I'm a fan. I couldn't say any of his films were bad, and 'The Darjeeling Limited' and 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' (his most recent films) were both quite good. His films are the feel-good type that make you smile when you walk from the theater. I want that.

Honorable Mention:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14) - After seeing how director Peter Jackson so fantastically transitioned into this EPIC genre over time from gore films ('Dead Alive' is one of my favorite zombie films, by the way), I'm psyched to see the next installment of the 'LOTR' series get his treatment. Although I am a bit more skeptical now that Guillermo Del Toro is not directing (his creatures and ability to make humor ('The Hobbit' is much more family friendly and fun than 'LOTR') which he used in 'Hellboy' would have been perfect). While 'The Hobbit' is one of my favorite books of all time, somehow I'm afraid it will lose some of the elements of loved about it, such as the fact the Bilbo (the main character), an unexpected hero, gets knocked out and the reader misses the entire battle. Sure, Director Peter Jackson will knock Martin Freeman (Arthur Dent in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and Tim, the original version of Jim on the UK 'The Office') out, but the audience will probably have to sit through the entire battle, which will take away from the poetry of the novel in a way. Not to say I'm not excited. Just nervous. Also, I love the old animated 1977 'The Hobbit' a lot.

- Jeff Bassin

Top 10 Movies I'm Looking Forward to In 2012: Jay

1) Dark Knight Rises
With such a great franchise going why would I not want to see the next installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman (Hopefully I can understand Bane)



2) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Being a fan of Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy, ‘The Hobbit’ Novel, and ‘The Hobbit’ animated movie (“Kabash (Thunder Sound)”), I can’t wait to see the great ensemble cast and story come to fruition.

3) Prometheus
Directed by Ridley Scott this film looks as though it may just be the most epic film of the year (Plus it takes place in space!).

4) The Raven
Murders in the fashion of Edgar Allen Poe, sounds fun (and disturbing). With Director James McTeigue of ‘V For Vendetta’ I know it is going to be a fun visual experience.

5) Hunger Games
While I’m not yet hooked on the heroin like substance that is ‘The Hunger Games’ craze yet, I am still definitely interested in seeing how it turns out and who knows, maybe I’ll give the books a chance.

6) Moonrise Kingdom
I am a big fan of Wes Anderson Films so I cannot wait for another fun, quirky comedy (I guess that makes me part hipster).

7) Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov creator of ‘Wanted’ and the ‘Night Watch’ Films this is sure to be both fun and stylized.

8) This Is 40
A Sequel to ‘Knocked Up’ and it is Written and Directed by Judd Apatow (OK, I’ll forgive you for ‘Funny People’)

9) The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Created by Aardman Animations, creators of ‘Chicken Run’ and ‘Wallace and Gromit’ will be a fun movie with a Claymation look.

10) Frankenweenie
Originally a short by Director Tim Burton, he will now be making it into a feature film and I am excited to see how it comes out (Hopefully not like ‘Alice in Wonderland’).

Honorable Mention:
Brave
I would but myself if I didn’t put it on here so it shall be luck number 11. While the plot doesn’t appeal to me that much, I can get excited for another original Pixar film (and not a sequel).

- Jay Bassin

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Chuck Finale- I must say that since I saw the pilot in 2007 it has always been a great ride. In saying this, I believe the finale truly did the show and the characters justice through its ending. In life thing do change so it is nice to see that in the shows ending each particular character is moving forward. While the series does not end with every problem solved its clear that Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak really wanted to reward the fans for sticking around so long with plenty of flashbacks, references, and cyclical plots. It is sad to see such a great TV Show but one can only hope there will be more fun to see from the persons involved. While some shows finales break the show (You know what I am talking about to all those that watched Kyle XY) this finale made it which is why I would definitely recommend the show.



- Jay Bassin

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark- While not perfect, the film is creepy and will give you a nervous feeling after you get out of it, even a second time around. I learned a lot more from this viewing. For one thing, I'm curious how similar this is to the original. They definitely didn't have the effects so I wonder how the managed the creatures. Also, I found the relationship arcs in this film intriguing. You have the daughter, Sally, played by Bailee Madison (who is very good at crying a lot, Fanning-esque hmmmm?), and her love for her father, Alex, played by Guy Pearce (who mostly stands around doing nothing in the movie), and her dislike for her father's girlfriend, Kim, played by Katie Holmes (who it's nice to see doing movies again) in the beginning of the film. Slowly and surely enough, Kim becomes the nice one as she believes Sally, while Alex becomes more of an ignorant villain, keeping Sally in the house full of creepy talking rat things. Neato.



- Jeff Bassin

Friday, January 21, 2012

The Thing- Not a terrible remake/prequel thing, but something isn't right about it in comparison to Carpenter's one (I'm a John Carpenter fan though). It is honestly scarier than the original, since the thing is much more attack prone and visual this time around, but you lose some of the paranoia, when the person turns into the creature after you suspect they are one.
SPOILER
I enjoyed the ending where Mary Elizabeth Winstead burns Joel Edgarton after realizing he was thingized, but honestly it shocked me that the filmmakers didn't find it more interesting to make her kill him, only to realize he was human and that she was just paranoid. I would have had him missing his earring instead of it being on the other side of his ear, so she would think he was killed, but he would protest it must have fallen out as he ran to catch up with her. She would burn him, only for her to realize his screams were that of a human. The film focuses on the shocked face of Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the snow, the real monster, mankind. Cut to black.
Now that's an ending.



- Jeff Bassin

Monday, January 16, 2012

Moneyball- I'm surprised but not surprised I like this one. The reason I'm not surprised is because it got plenty of good reviews from previous critics. The reason I'm surprised is because I'm not the hugest baseball fanatic and this film is essentially many conversations about baseball statistics. Yes there are tense moments of will they win or not, but in reality, not really, since it focuses more on the guy managing the team than the team itself. Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jonah Hill make good work of the script, even though I'm half convinced that Hill's nervousness as a character came from the same nervousness that is working with actors like the two of them. It's also nice to go, hey! is that Robin Wright as the ex-wife? Yes it is. And is that Chris Pratt (Andy from 'Parks and Recreation') as a baseball player on the team. Why Yes, yes it is. The film tells a captivating portrayal of events, even if it didn't always seem completely honest. I also enjoyed the occasional use of archival game footage to depict the reality of the film. The script is sharp and witty as well, adapted from the novel by Michael Lewis, by Steven Zaillian ('Shindler's List', 'Gangs of New York') and Aaron Sorkin ('A Few Good Men', 'The Social Network'). Definitely worth checking out for anyone, although I would further recommend it to someone who has at least a slight interest in baseball.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday, January 15, 2012

50/50 (2012)- I'm not going to lie. With all of the hype for this film, I had Will Reiser's first feature script pegged really high in my expectations. Oddly enough, as manipulated as I felt watching this film, I was entranced, and in good way. The film splits its time half and half (50/50) between comedy and emotional drama, and both are equally effective at its individual time frames. One second you will be laughing around with star Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen as they pick up women and look at the lighter sides to cancer (mostly drug induced), and the next second you are watching Gordon-Levitt's moody face sigh through his mundane normal day activities. Every performance in this film is well done. I always enjoy seeing Philip Baker Hall and Anna Kendrick, and his and her sequences were particular favorites of mine, but Anjelica Huston does good work in terms of comic timing, and I'm finding Bryce Dallas Howard's choices of roles of recent times extremely brave (i.e. this and 'The Help'. It's not easy performing in so many "Villain" roles and partially humanizing them the way she does). Honestly, It's hard to point out flaws besides for the obvious ones (like I said, at times, you do feel emotionally manipulated, for example, cry now, laugh now, ohhhhh, now a cry time). It makes you think, feel, and laugh, and you walk out of it with a smile of sorts on your face. Sure, the film is not entirely happy, but it's comforting, and for a film about coping with such a dark and key word, CURRENT, subject, I think it's an important one.

- Jeff Bassin



50/50- With a premise like this, how could it be a comedy! Well, when it comes down to it, life is funny and this film was very true to life. It is a story that depicts what screenwriter Will Reiser roughly went through in his battle against a cancer with a 50/50 chance of survival. Performances all around were great giving credit to Joseph Gordon-Levitt (I guess he is not just the guy from ‘Inception’ that did not say much). Anna Kendrick also played her role well as an inexperienced therapist. Seth Rogen played his usual self with the twist that he is using his best friends illness to pick up chicks. The change in tone of the film is well, 50/50 when it comes to comedy and drama which is nice because it gives us the chance to recover before being given another healthy handful of cancer. Overall, Jonathan Levine did a great job directing because all the actors of the film gave very strong performances and the look of the film was spot on. If you are worried you will ever get cancer (with this day in age, everyone should be) than you should probably check this one out.

- Jay Bassin

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Repo! The Genetic Opera- Coming into the film I knew it was a cult film and it sure was. Thankfully I get to fall on the side of the fans rather then the critics. It was a campy, fun, and gore-filled Rock Opera with a completely original idea (‘Repo Men’ was not though at least there was a weird organ stealing sex scene). Director Darren Bousman is no stranger to gore as seen by his work on Saw II, III, and IV, taking the opportunity to take this film to a gruesome extent (Nothing like seeing Paris Hilton’s fake face fall off). Filled with songs throughout, it is filled with interesting concepts, ideas, and visuals from the costumes all the way to the drugs (So good you’ll take it from the deceased!). There were strong performances throughout especially in Alexa Vega and Anthony Head (‘Spy Kids’ meets ‘Buffy’). There is nothing like seeing Anthony Head as a father figure and Alexa Vega plays a cooped up teenager fairly well. I can’t say that this particular brand of rock music is my thing but I can always enjoy a good musical and the colors and sounds of this film did not disappoint. If you are into musicals and feeling like a fun movie I would recommend it.



- Jay Bassin

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World- Now, I could say that this film is crap. It's the combination of gross-out humor, physical humor (lots of ouchies), and tons of puns. But II lost my watch, so I don't have the time for all of that discussion. I'll name positives since the film is comprised of mostly negatives. Let's be honest, films like this, 'Shorts', and 'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl' are the price of being a fan of director Robert Rodriguez (despite that Taylor Laughtner a.k.a. Sharkboy). For every 'El Mariachi' or 'Sin City', there's always a 'Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over' (in my head, the first subpar Family film Rodriguez directed). On the bright side, Rodriguez has always given fairly nice messages, especially in this one with the idea of the importance of time with your family (seems kind of like a personal point, judging by how he runs his career). He also, with his former career as a cartoonist, creates creative and imaginative gadgets and locations, something that has sadly worked less and less since the original 'Spy Kids'. Sure, it's easy to pick on this film. After all, it was the film that recently contained the marketing strategy of smell-o-vision to be tacked on to 3D. But I saw its merits. Especially in the campy performances. Jeremy Piven sure looked like he had a good time on this one. It was also nice to see Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara (the original Spy Kids) playing adult spies. Even Joel McHale has an obnoxiously happy smile on his face for the first half of the film like he's been taking too many "happy" pills, which is nice, I guess. Here's hoping the next one is better, cause I'm tired of defending this talented one-man-show director. He works on pretty much everything on his films, from the score to even shooting it with a camera himself. He seems to do better putting his creative ideas into stylized action films, so hopefully we'll see more of those in the future. Especially since I can't in all good conscious, I can't wholly recommend this one.



Crazy, Stupid, Love- I can't remember if this is the second or third time I've seen this film, but I'll admit it, I enjoyed it the most this time. I'll tell you why. Originally, I was disappointed by the idea that the film convinced me it was being brave but eventually cowered behind hollywood's shining bright and happy ending. The film begins with moments of true comedic honesty, brutal, but very funny, only matched by Christopher Beck's Devotchka styled score (Devotchka did the score on 'Little Miss Sunshine'). But as the film comes to a close, it ends with the same big romantic gestures of typical romantic comedies, and closes with everyone happy. Except for Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon. They get nothing. Nothing, dammit! Anyways, here's why I enjoyed it this time. I looked at it from a new perspective. Now follow what I'm saying. The film is a poem. It's not about happy ending, sad endings, whatever. It's about that crazy, stupid little thing called love. Ah, love. Short and sweet, and most importantly, transcendent. The film wants to show us that love has no bounds. It can be found in a bored marriage, a womanizing rich SOB, and it can even be found in a young child (this film is "Pro" Bieber). The reason it chooses to be happy isn't really to be hollywood and happy, but to make a thesis. It wants to show its audience that love is a undefined concept, and one that can be explored from the oddest places as well. Also, Ryan Gosling is just too cool in this film. I couldn't stand how awestruck the girls were in the theater, but let's be honest, I understood. Gosling is confident, rich, and sharply dressed in this one. This, along with 'Drive' and 'The Ides of March' (the latter I haven't seen… yet) is pointing to him as one the smoother operators working in hollywood today. He also did 'Blue Valentine', which killed me on the insides. Sure, 'All Good Things' was bad, but let's face it, the man knows how to pick his roles. Honestly, the film was a good move on every actor's part. I mean, Josh Groban is in it. And even for Bacon and Tomei.



- Jeff Bassin

Friday, January 6, 2012

Green Lantern- No, not a good film. But you already knew that. Which is probably why you didn't watch it. I, on the other hand, feel the need to watch all superhero films (even Electra! *Gasp) which is why I took the time to watch this one. Overall, 'Green Lantern' is nothing special. But it is edible in that way like when you try to cook something new. It could use work, but if given time and respect, who knows? Plus, it's always entertaining watching Peter Sarsgaard, but especially so if he has a giant forehead that pulsates. Yummy. I never enjoyed first parts to superhero films (with a few exceptions, duh, i.e. 'Iron Man', 'Spider-man', etc.) since it's all about backstory and each has the same structure as any normal hero myth with "Departure, Initiation, and Return". So predictable and cliche at this point, that 'Thor' was actually kind of a relief in all its oddness. Despite complaints of the film being overlong, I think the biggest problem was that the film actually wasn't long enough. There's a whole lot of ground to cover in the mythos of the "Green Lantern Corps." and it really doesn't leave the film with a whole lot of time to build a good villain (Sarsgaard was only good for show (oh that forehead!)) and because of it, the final battle at the end of the film was fairly rushed and slightly mundane. I didn't feel any stake in the characters because there was no time to build on them with so much backstory. Maybe if it were three hours, it could have better developed some characters and actually done the actors some justice (especially Blake Lively, who I actually think is quite good… just not in this). Honestly, that kind of seems amusing. A 'Lord of the Rings' length superhero film, with tons of backstory, plenty of time for character development (which means lengthy convos in Critic Talk), and brilliant special effect (it actually was quite dazzling, even if the imposed suit on Ryan Reynolds (Hal Jordan) was a little wonky, at best.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Adjustment Bureau- I welcomed in the new year with the classic fate vs. free will debate. Technically with an anti-religious answer too. But don't let that spoil the film if that doesn't sound like an appealing concept for a hollywood film. Matt Damon and Emily Blunt have nice chemistry, have interesting banter, and the film is surprisingly light and comedic. But if you are worried, I ought to let you know, the message of not allowing a group of suit dressed men, all working for a mystery (never seen as well) chairman boss, put us on a defined path through life, despite the comfort of having the path, is certainly nailed into the brain. But I enjoyed it. Like I have said before, I love a nice romantic comedy with a winning couple. I wanted them to get together. I didn't care if that meant his and her fame filled careers would be damaged. That's a good love story. Even if they did a few fairly long time cuts like "Three Years Later" and "Eleven Months Later", I was entertained by the antics of the film. Definitely a under-seen film this year, and it deserves viewers, so I'm glad I gave it a shot. It's not a classic, but it's certainly good. THIS REVIEW HAS JUST BEEN ADJUSTED. See it. Love, Love, Love. Instant Classic. WINNING.



- Jeff Bassin

Friday, December 30, 2011

The Devil's Double- Yes, comparisons to 'Scarface' are almost certain, but overall, it's a fairly unique film. Dominic Cooper does a good job portraying the psychopath of Saddam Hussein's son Uday, which makes most of the film. It's an intriguing concept. A look-alike type 'Prince and the Pauper' story cept' it never truly goes where you want it to go (I'm guessing that's because it's "based on a true story", though it obviously takes quite a few liberties). Throughout the film, Uday is sadistic human being, killing, raping, and pillaging in any which ay he wants to, while Cooper's better-half character, Latif Yahia, basically just sits there with his arms crossed and goes, "I don't like it". I mean, it's nice that we have such a protagonist in a film that mainly focuses on its antagonist, but honestly, it might sound wrong, but I would have been more interested in Latif slowly becoming Uday, the man he hates but must act like, over just hating him the whole movie. I mean, if you are going to take liberties with history, might as well, right? Not to say it's bad, I actually liked this one quite a bit. I just wish there was more conflict in the hero's mind than "this is right, this is wrong".



- Jeff Bassin

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Drive- I won't lie to you, I had high expectations. When this film came out, it was most certainly that movie where everyone said "Hey, have you seen 'Drive' yet? This is my second time, it's so goooood" (Feel free to reread that statement over and over again in the condescending tone it applies) and all the reviews from critics screamed Nicolas Winding Refn's film was the most original thing they have seen in the action action genre in years. Luckily, my expectations were mostly met. Drive, while not being the most character driven film ever, fulfills both the viewer's need for an ominous dark neo-noir tone, and crazed ultra violence that one would ask for in a crime film. It's one of those odd circumstances where if I analyzed most things individually, it would only end up with okay as an average, but together, it's quite magical. Gosling delivers a mostly quiet performance, as does the film itself, keeping moments of silence and long european styled takes before pumping up the action and soundtrack to 80s style music and the ominous score by Cliff Martinez. This film certainly original, especially when it makes use of slow quiet moments more often to create tone rather than using extensive dialogue. I wish we saw a bit more of his life as a stuntman driver moonlighting as a getaway driver before we got into the big story, but overall, it's well worth the view.



- Jeff Bassin

Monday, December 26, 2011 - Tuesday, December 27, 2011

American Horror Story Season 1- The first season, completed in a 24 hour period. Saw the first 4 one night, and spent the next day finishing the 12 episode season. Yes. This is an accomplishment. A perfectly fine day wasted on some mindless television. Worth it. Sure, the show essentially is horror cliches molded in a 'Dark Shadows' formula with not so unique ideas, then pop in all the sexual and violent nature that Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk brought to 'Nip/Tuck' (Not 'Glee', silly!) and there was season one of 'AHS'. While the show didn't hook me from the pilot episode, I was hooked by the series' best episode 4 and 5 'Halloween, Part 1 and 2'. If you don't enjoy the show at that point, I would give you free range to quit watching.


The performances where all quite good, with the most notable ones being from Jessica Lange (the crafty and nefarious neighbor),


Kate Mara (the crazed ex-lover),

-She's usually so much hotter.

Evan Peters (the psychopath boyfriend)… I'm noticing that the most memorable performances came from the show's villains.

- I saw never back down, and lets just say, this is different.

Not to say that it isn't nice seeing Dylan McDermott again (since I haven't seen him in anything since Bobby Donnell in 'The Practice'),


or Denis O'Hare (who is slowly winning me over in the unknown character actor category with his performances on this and 'True Blood' as Russell Edgington),


or how about the edgy and emotional performance by Taissa Farmiga (this is the first most, including myself have seen of her, and I can tell she has talent),


and Connie Britton (I haven't watched 'Friday Night Lights', I know that's her claim to fame, but I have been meaning to and will certainly get to it faster now).


Jeez, all the performances were great so I want to just go over them all. How about the altered perception thing they did with Frances Conroy/ Alexandra Breckenridge (hot or not?). Either way it was effective and shocking.



But I'll stop now.

On the note that the series will be continuing season 2 with a different story completely, I'm actually glad. Not that this story was bad… just completed. It ended. I don't need to watch some of supposed "To Be Continued…" type stories they set up. Those sound boring to me. I think the season ended fantastically, going from it's typical overbearing soap opera drama, to a lighter tone with a slight homage to the movie 'Beetlejuice'. If you watch the season, which you should in my opinion, you will know what I mean. No, it's not the greatest thing on television. No, it's not unique. But yes, it is consistently interesting.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work- One of the better expose documentaries I've seen, which is the reason I've watched it for the second time. Rivers is more than just marvelous comedienne (I didn't realize that is what you call female comedians until I saw this film). She's a tragic figure, a workaholic, a constant genius, and a real interesting person. You could learn a thing or two from this woman and her life.



Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010 Remake)- Interesting fairy tale horror film that spooked me quite a bit, but would have instilled great fear in me if I were younger. This is a creepy film. First time feature director Troy Nixey is an expert at mood, especially with his experience on his short film 'Latchkey's Lament' (which I also enjoyed when I saw it a bit ago) and with the help of the academy award nominated writer/director Guillermo del Toro as Producer. Nixey also has an eye for good visual art, clearly from his experience as a comic book artist. While the performances were nothing to special, Bailee Madison (the child in the film) is fairly believable and it's nice to see Katie Holmes doing work again (I still sigh when I watch her missing from 'The Dark Knight'). Certainly good for a nice scare, even if it's not perfect.



- Jeff Bassin

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Lucky- As much of a chance I wanted to give to Gil Cates Jr.'s off handed SXSW comedy, 'Lucky' really just isn't all that funny. Colin Hanks' performance seems remarkably offhanded, but I don't know if I want to blame him or the writers. I can't tell if I should pity him or fear him, since he is a goes from awkward quiet type to confident 'Dexter' type in only a few minutes time. With Ari Graynor, his romantic interest, she put on a nice performance, both a little zany and vulnerable. But honestly, none of the characters were really likable, which kind of puts a halt on a romantic comedy. How could you want Hanks and Graynor to end up together if they are both terrible people? It was not a waste of time, but I don't think I enjoyed it.



Rise of the Planet of the Apes- Like the first time I saw this film, I enjoyed it.



- Jeff Bassin

Friday, December 23, 2011

Abduction- Would be really silly, popcorn fun, though it's not very fun. I knew what I was getting into. Sure, Taylor Lautner has some stuntman skills, but in the end, the story wears everything else down. Maybe not even the story, The script is to blame. The dialogue is phony. When the lead characters point out that "wasn't this an interesting first date?" "definitely", I sigh. It points out the fact that this film is just as much of a plot as I thought it was. Taylor Lautner shirtless. Check. Taylor Lautner mackin' on the ladies (just Lily Collins, but you know what I mean). Check. And Taylor Lautner basically being better than anyone else in the film (except for the Dad character but he's never seen so he's not so much a bad@$$. Oh Well. I guess it was enjoyable, sort of. But not really. I wish it went to darker places, or created more three dimensional characters, or did anything interesting besides just exist. Director John Singleton has done interesting work, and Lautner clearly has the potential to be an action star (he clearly does a lot of his own stunts and is a talented martial artist i.e. 'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D', and they look quite good too) but the script leaves wasted space for the both of them.



- Jeff Bassin

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Shark Night- Shlocky fun like 'Piranha 3D', but without the gore to back it up. None of the acting was great, the sharks looked fake, and the PG-13 rating really limited it. It's a bad movie and you know it, but somehow I didn't stop watching. Katharine McPhee is beautiful though. If it helps.



- Jeff Bassin

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Bag of Bones- Not amazing, but definitely entertaining. The performances were nothing too special, but the story was intriguing, and thoroughly chilling. Mick Garris (director of 'Hocus Pocus' and creator of 'Masters of Horror' and 'Fear Itself') gives the film a nice look, and provides interesting enough story for its 3 hour duration. The script isn't perfectly paced, especially in terms of taking a steady half of the first part to even get Pierce Brosnan's Mike Noonan to the lake house. Give it a chance if you have the time. From the outside perspective of a person who has not read the King novel, I was fairly surprised by its outcome.



Early Californication: Season 5 Premiere- What was once a show I looked forward to, I now want to push back and save it for later. Sadly, with the main story arc of Hank's unfortunate misunderstood crime now completed, the show no longer has any room to grow. The show ended last season. It's a shame the show will most likely end in 'The Office' category of zombie television shows (they just won't die!!!!).



- Jeff Bassin

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

TV Finales and Premieres

Allen Gregory Finale- I don't think there will be a season 2, so lets just call it a mini series to make it sound like that was all part of their plan. I agree this show is bitter hearted and clearly isn't the kind of show to last generations and become a cultural phenomenon like 'The Simpsons', but honestly, I'm sad to see it go. Why? Not because it's hilarious (though it really does have its moments), but because I really am not looking forward to the new 'Napoleon Dynamite' animated series as a replacement.



Dexter: Season 6 Finale- By now, I find it are to believe the show can last more than 2 more seasons in the annoying holes it has dug itself into. As much as I enjoyed Mos Def's performance in this season of 'Dexter', this has by far ranked itself just above third season's pointlessness in story arc. Dexter didn't even really serve to much justice with his dark passenger this season. With the exception of some weird incesty stuff and the final scene, this season was completely predictable and forgettable, which is a real shame.



Misfits: Season 3 Finale- Like I said, it has got to be one of the best shows on television right now from my preference. It has enough comedy to create beautiful characters, but it still finds enough ground to create some thoroughly touching moments. Despite in some ways going exactly where a viewer thought it would eventually go with some of the characters, the moments were effective and has not diminished my enjoyment of the program one bit. Even though two important characters have departed the show, with the recent success Howard Overman has had in my opinion with the character of Rudy, I still believe the show has the ability to get back to it's roots.



Early Shameless: Season 2 Premiere- I enjoyed the new season opener in the American adaptation of the UK series, and even though it isn't the most exciting or even controversial thing on television, it definitely has it. It's not laugh out loud funny, but keeps that comedic realism tone that the UK is so known for. Certainly worth checking out if you have an open mind.



- Jeff Bassin

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Our Idiot Brother- I really enjoyed this movie. The performances were nice and natural all around, the story was interesting all the way through, and the film had a nice thesis message. Despite being a bit generic, this film goes above and beyond in making up for Jesse Peretz's earlier directorial effort, 'The Ex'. Paul Rudd puts on one of my favorite performances by him and the film just has a nice heartfelt tone. Even though a few of the concluding scenes felt a bit forced and overly happy, it didn't really hurt my overall impression of the film. I would recommend this for a nice warm feeling on a rainy day.



- Jeff Bassin