Alright folks! Cleverness caps on! Time to impress me.
But first, a PSA. I love that this thing has caught on, and has developed a following, but I'd be remiss if I didn't say that I want more people taking part. So, here's what's gonna happen. Pass along the feature to your friends and blogging buddies and tell them to take part. The more new blood the better. Most importantly, tell them to tell me that you sent them. The person who sends me the most fresh faces gets something special (to be determined later).
In no way does this have anything to do with the fact that the LAMMY noms went live yesterday, and I really want this to get nominated for Best Feature!
And now, last week's winner!
Honorable Mentions: "RELEASE THE KRAKEN!" (Courtesy of Castor), "YOU...KILLED...A...MARMOT????" (Courtesy of Rachel [f.g.i]).
The Leaderboard
Castor (4)
Fletch (2)
Simon (2)
Kai (2)
Univarn (2)
Rachel (1)
Aiden (1)
Hatter (1)
This week's took me awhile to choose. I grabbed four screens from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and all of them were equally hilarious. But, I finally went for this one.
Alright folks. Cleverness caps on. Time to impress me!
But first, last week's winner.
Honorable Mentions: "YOU'RE IN THE WRONG FUCKING LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!" (Courtesy of Simon), "Man, this midget blowjob thing sounded way better when we left the house." (Courtesy of The Rapid Reviewer).
And the winner, for the second time is... UNIVARN!!!!!
And no, Univarn. You don't get points for doubling down on the references, although this one was really well played!!!
The Leaderboard
Castor (4)
Fletch (2)
Simon (2)
Kai (2)
Univarn (2)
Rachel (1)
Aiden (1)
Alright, I'm feeling digital this week. Here ya go!
Movie soundtracks are awesome, aren't they? They usually do a lot to heighten and intensify the experience of watching a film, and, as a plus, you can take them with you wherever you go, thanks to Apple and their ever present desire to conquer the world! 2010 had some winner soundtracks, and some that just fell flat, and some that didn't stand out or bring anything new to the table at all. The best soundtracks, however, were spectacular. More than any other year, to my recollection, we had popular artists moving over to scoring films, and it paid off wonderfully. Here are the Top 5 Best Soundtracks/Scores of 2010!
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Beck and Others)
Gonna be honest here, any other soundtrack could have found a place at number five. The top four really spoke to me, but I was left out in the rain searching for a fifth. I eventually settled on SPVTW, which boasts songs written for the film from the likes of Beck, Broken Social Scene and Metric. That's all well and good, but what seals the deal is that this movie is the only one to my knowledge to have the theme song from The Legend of Zelda in it. That's hard to beat.
4. Black Swan (Clint Mansell)
WHAT? IT'S NOT ELIGIBLE FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCORE CONTENTION? BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!! No, really. I'm steamed about that. Though it is based on the actual music of Swan Lake - and it makes sense that it would be - Mansell's score is a truly original piece of work. Beautiful and haunting, it really evokes the craziness and madness that Nina is experiencing. Plus, listening to classical music while someone freaks the hell out is just creepy as balls! That's gotta count for something.
3. Inception (Hans Zimmer)
A traditional-esque score needed to show up on this list at some point, and there was no traditional-esque score this year better than Hans Zimmer's amazing score for Inception. Taking everything he did well with The Dark Knight, and then turning it to 11, Zimmer has crafted a score that is exciting to listen to, giving off a very epic feel, while still feeling shockingly intimate and subdued. Oh, and he has Johnny Marr on guitar. What's not to like?
2. The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
This is something really special. Trent Reznor has made some weird music in his time, and, I gotta admit, a lot of it doesn't really appeal to me; I'm not the world's biggest Nine Inch Nails fan. But, I have to say, what Reznor does with Atticus Ross for David Fincher's film is brilliant. When listening to it out of context, you can't fathom how it will fit with Mark Zuckerberg's tale of the founding of Facebook. When paired with the movie though, it fits seamlessly! Evoking such scores as The Dark Knight and Fincher's own Se7en, the music of The Social Network makes the rest of the movie seem a whole hell of a lot grimmer than it actually is. Which is the way it should have been done! Good job Trent!
1. Tron: Legacy (Daft Punk)
Now, this is perfect! Just perfect! Daft Punk's brilliant score for Tron: Legacy not only fits the film like a well worn glove, but it is also the only soundtrack this year that can be listened to outside of the film and still be a complete experience. Mixing traditional, symphonic scoring with their trademark electronic beats and mixes, Daft Punk have crafted a score that's unlike any I've heard. It's truly marvelous!
Well, that does it with the superficial stuff. Now we get into the real meat of The Retrospect. Tune in tomorrow for MVPs of the Year (Actors). It's gonna be lovely! See you then little ones. Get some sleep.
At every movie you go to, there's that one moment that sticks in your mind as you walk out of the theatre. You know, that one scene that just wowed you with whatever excellence it was displaying? You know what I'm talking about. Picking the Top 5 Scenes of a year is always a hard task, since there are so many to choose from. But, I persevered for you like the savior I've deluded myself into thinking I am. Here are the Top 5 Scenes of 2010! (Warning: Possible Spoilers)
5. "Rub the furry wall!!" (Get Him to the Greek)
Easily the funniest sequence of any film this year, this ten-ish minute scene comes right at the beginning of Act 3. Sergio has cornered Aldous and Aaron at some elaborate hotel in Vegas. He proceeds to "mind-fuck" them into oblivion so that they continue on their journey to the Greek Theatre. What follows is a chaotic stew of gunfire, arson, sodomy, adrenaline rushes, all capped off with a mad chase through the hotel hall ways. Funny stuff!
Audio's a little funky on this one...
4. Nina's Freakout (Black Swan)
The punchline before the punchline, if you will. The night before her big opening, Natalie Portman's Nina finally loses any remaining sanity that she had. Starting with a crazed hallucination of a woman stabbing herself in the face, Nina descends into a crazed freakout, seeing pictures move, hallucinating that people are following her, and, to top it off, imagining that she painfully morphs into a massive swan in her room. It's terrifying and memorable scene.
Can't find a clip of it, so here's the trailer, which will suffice.
3. The Lightcycle Battle (Tron: Legacy)
The action scene that gives most other action scenes a run for their money. Though it comes early on in the film, it sets the bar high, and is not topped for the rest of the runtime, despite the fact that everything that comes after it is visually astounding. Once Sam is outed to the world as a user, CLU throws him into the Lightcycle ring, forcing him to engage in heated combat against programs far more powerful than him. It's a beautifully made scene, exciting, with an aesthetic touch unlike anything out there.
Quality on this one's not the best...
2. The Creation of Facemash (The Social Network)
We've all been dumped, I'm sure. It's never a good feeling. We usually retreat to our respective fortresses of solitude, wallow in self pity, until someone comes along an slaps us in the face and tells us to get a grip. Well, most everyone does that. Mark Zuckerberg, on the other hand, goes back to his dorm room, gets drunk, and proceeds to build a website rating the hotness of his female classmates. He'll narrate for us, showing off how much of a hacking genius he is, while many of the girls he is rating are off partying up a storm. Oh, and it'll be set to a song written by Trent Reznor, and it will be one of the most enthralling scenes of the year.
Can't find the actual scene, but this one's pretty cool...
1. The Hamster Wheel Hallway (Inception)
Well, duh! It's the most exciting sequence of the most exciting movie of the year. Cobb and the rest have entered the third level of the dream, leaving Arthur on the second to guard them. Unfortunately, Yusuf's driving on the first level is making this difficult. Yusuf is suddenly forced down a hill, causing the van to tumble wildly. Since the environments of each dream level are effected by the preceding level, this causes the hallways on the second level to suddenly start spinning. Arthur enters into a heated fistfight with a projection in the middle of all this. Pure! Amazing! Awesomeness!
Ignore Jimmy. He's not welcome...
I'm enjoying these. Aren't you? Tune in tomorrow for the Top 5 Soundtracks/Scores of 2010, and be sure to refresh yourself on all the Black Hole's opinions regarding the year that was with 2010: The Retrospect. See you tomorrow younglings. Listen to Yoda.
Day 3 of 2010: The Retrospect is gonna focus on the most popular part of a film's advertising, the trailer. It's the thing that gets people most excited about upcoming movies, and the aspect of a films production that many film bloggers avoid like it's the plague... or Battlefield Earth. People like going into movies blind, and they have every right to. I, on the other hand, love trailers. Not only do they lovingly tease me with what I'm going to experience, but they also help me decide whether or not I should go see a film. You didn't see a review of Burlesque from me, did you? Maybe its lame trailer had something to do with that. There have been some amazing trailers this year, but only five can make the cut. Sit back. Enjoy.
5. Tron: Legacy (Comic-Con Footage)
It's not an official trailer, doesn't delve into plot at all, and doesn't reveal anyone involved with the film with the exception of Jeff Bridges. But, that's all technicalities. Even though it wasn't played in theaters, this is the one that got me über excited to see the return of Flynn and all that it would bring. It may be cheating, putting Comic-Con footage on my list of best trailers of the year, but, since when have I played by the rules. Got a problem with it? Talk to the caribou outside. He's wise.
4. The Tourist
So, apparently, the movie actually sucked. Well, that's a shame, because this trailer kicks ass. It's kind of awesome, looks cool, and all that, but you all know why I love it. It's the Muse track that's playing in the background. Oh, advertisers. You have a key to my heart, and I love you so! It's a weird thing though. The last film to have a Muse song in its trailer was disappointing as well, despite having talented people working on it. LE GASP!!! Maybe Muse is cursed... Oh, whatever. Here's the trailer.
3. Inception
Oh, please. What did you expect? The most exciting action movie of the year. Of course the trailer would show up on this list. The music is epic! The imagery is epic! It beautifully tickles you with plot elements and character motivation, while still keeping most everything a mystery. For an example of quality advertisement for a pop product, look no further than this.
2. The Social Network (IM Trailer)
This one inches past the competition because of its totally bitchin' idea. No characters are shown. No scenes from the film are shown. Just dialogue, shown via a Facebook chat. That's brilliant. It got me excited for the film, and adequately showed how friggin' boss the dialogue of the film was.
1. Sucker Punch
I could tell you, but why would I do that, when I could show you?
Hope you enjoyed that. Tune in tomorrow for Top 5 Best Scenes of 2010, and be sure to refresh yourself on everything that 2010 had to offer with the Black Hole's 2010: The Retrospect. See you tomorrow kids. Eat your vegetables.
In which Dylan, James, and I shoot the shit on Tron: Legacy, talk Kevin Smith's new film, and play some Remember the Time. It was a lot fun being on the cast again, and can't wait to do it for real again come summer. Take a gander.
I know we're adverse to facing the music, but let's just be honest! The fanboys are running everything! Don't believe me? Fine! Chew on this. Video games are a fast growing form of legitimate entertainment. The most profitable movies are the ones that involve mystical worlds, monsters, magic, and lots of digital spectacle. Oh, and Tron: Legacy got made! Convinced? The first Tron didn't make much of a splash, didn't do all that well at the box office, and, let's face it, does not hold up at all today. But, it amassed a cult following and is now considered a tentpole of the beginning of the CGI movement. Then, something happened. The fanboys that made up the cult following of Tron took over the world, and now, 28 years after the fact, we have a sequel.
Ok, I'll admit, I've seen this twice. I would say I saw it once to get the story, and then again to get the meaning, but such a lie has never been uttered... on this blog. No, the truth is that I fell asleep in the first viewing. I know. That's bad, but I had just arrived back home in SF and had not slept at all the night before. Don't hate on me! Now that the full thing is comfortably swimming around in my system, I finally have an opinion. It's good, not great, with the best use of special effects and 3D since Avatar, but carries all the story and script issues that plagued that eye-gasm. If anything, it's a testament to how far CGI has come! This is a visually stunning, but shallow and pointless, tour de force!
It's time to root through some trailers! What sort of wonderful things will be alluded to today?
I'm going to take a quick break from relentlessly groveling at Joseph Gordon-Levitt's feet to talk about the latest trailer for what is now, with Inception in the past, my most anticipated movie of the year!
TRON: Legacy is the sequel to the 1982 cult favorite. In this new one, Kevin Flynn is apparently trapped in the computer simulation, and it is up to his son, Sam, to insert himself into TRON and save him. It sounds like a good enough plot for a sequel, especially since the first didn't really have all that great of a plot to begin with.
Jeff Bridges returns to his iconic role as Flynn, though, if this trailer is anything to go on, he will be playing the villain as well as the hero. Thanks to some special effects wizardry, Bridges can now look twenty years younger, letting him play two characters, Flynn, and the villainous Clu 2.0. Garret Hedlund is Sam, and Olivia Wilde is his ally, Quorra. Michael Sheen and James Frain show up in the mix as well. Damn impressive looking cast, if I do say so myself.
This trailer is pretty much sex! It's visually stunning, has some great music, courtesy of Daft Punk, and delves far deeper into the plot than the previous ones. It's not quite as cool as the initial teaser that saw two nameless foes duke it out on Light Cycles, but it's more then enough to whet my appetite as I wait feverishly for December 17th. This is one sick trailer for one sick looking movie! I'm excited as hell!
