As a way of looking back I thought I would take a quick look at some of the movies I’ve watched in the last year. So here are 12 movies I saw; one for each month. These are the ones I consider the best that I saw that month. Enjoy and please share your comments with me; I love hearing from all of you!
So get comfy. This could get lengthy (which is how I like my movies).
October 2005
One of the first films I mentioned when I began my blog was Batman Begins. It was definitely one of the best movies I saw that month. It was refreshing and exciting to see the Batman franchise brought back to life, especially after the catastrophe of Batman & Robin. Christopher Nolan’s dark, new vision of the caped crusader created a world that I hadn’t really seen since Tim Burton’s original. I remember gasping when one of the thugs is violently pulled inside a storage container, his scream cut short, and then silence. This was the Batman I remember reading about in the comics.November 2005
It turns out I watched a lot of great movies in November. High Fidelity, The Pianist and Leon stand out among the rest. But I have to mention The Count of Monte Cristo, if for no other reason than I’ve watched it four times in the last year and a half. I just love this movie. The story and characters are so intriguing and the acting is incredibly well done. Everything about this film is entertaining and engaging. I even used a clip of it during this summer’s AYC (Anglican Youth Camp) as an illustration of God’s unending belief in us. That one clip caught the interest of a number of teens who then wanted to see the film for themselves. It also inspired me to read the book (given as a fantastic gift from my wife). Any film that can produce that kind of interest is well worth a look. And another. And another.December 2005
While I had to suffer through Fantastic Four during the holiday season, I’ve got to give kudos to Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I watched it three times over the course of the Christmas week. This is just one of those fun movies that has great action and lots of laughs. Brad Pitt is in his element in this kind of movie. The action sequences are incredible, as long as you’re willing to suspend your disbelief (which is a fundamental requirement of movie-lovers) and the story is extremely entertaining. The image of Brad Pitt careening over a ditch in the back of an out-of-control car while holding his finger up and yelling “We need to talk!” is unforgettable.January 2006
January was all about 24, Lost, and the Band of Brothers Ridiculathon (the first Ridiculathon of 2006). However, I did manage to watch a few movies (including The Count of Monte Cristo) and The Incredibles stands out in my memory. Pixar creates beautiful, hilarious, thrilling films and I think The Incredibles is one of their best. Everything from the soundtrack to the story and the animation was masterfully done. I recently watched the special features and commentary from the film and am blown away by how difficult it is to achieve some of those effects. I haven’t seen the most recent Pixar creation, Cars, but I’ve heard it doesn’t quite stand up to the studios past films. I can believe that; The Incredibles set the bar very, very high. Watch it again, soon. It’s better than you remember.February 2006
The Star Wars Ridiculathon (the second of 2006) made its debut in February. But the one film that stuck out most for me that month was Serenity. It is based on the short-lived television series, Firefly, which I have never seen, but am keen to see. The film is a sci-fi / comedy / action / western / thriller, and it has some of the best writing and dialogue. The quips and comebacks used by the characters are what make this film so entertaining, and the story itself is pretty good too. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I was just expecting a mindless action romp but it turns out there is a fair degree of intelligence in this little gem. I highly recommend it and suggest you all pool your money to buy my the complete Firefly television series on DVD. Only $29.99 at HMV!March 2006
Joaquin Phoenix is fast becoming one of my favourite actors and Walk the Line is a big reason for that. Shauna and I are big fans of the ‘music-related’ movies, especially those based on real-life musicians like Cole Porter (De-Lovely) and Bobby Darin (Beyond the Sea). Apparently Johnny Cash himself, before his death, had selected Phoenix to portray him in the story of his rise to fame, struggle with drugs and tumultuous relationship with June Carter. When I first saw the film in March I was blown away by the incredible acting, and singing, talent of Joaquin Phoenix. It’s almost haunting to see how closely he resembles Cash in his performance. Great music, incredible acting and an engaging real-life story make this a definite must-see.April 2006
It’s difficult to only pick one movie from this month. Somehow I found the time to watch 23 movies in April and Shauna and I saw several that were very, very good. Rent, King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia are just a few of the movies we managed to squeeze in. However, this was also the month in which I saw Scarface for the first time ever. I have always appreciated Al Pacino’s acting talent and I thought I should finally see one of his debut roles (and his most famous). While it’s certainly not the best film I have ever seen I will admit that Pacino does an incredible job in bringing Tony Montagna to life. I think some viewers underestimate just how much work was involved in simply getting the accent right. Pacino makes it seem second nature. And the thematic elements of Scarface have become some of the most well known, and used, in film making. Say hello to my little friend and give Scarface a viewing.May 2006
With summer on the horizon my movie watching started to take a dive. But it’s not hard to pick my favourite from May. Russell Crowe is another favourite actor of mine and his performance in the Ron Howard film, Cinderella Man, was more proof of his ability. It’s not just a “boxing movie”, as my wife describes it. First, it’s a true story and brings to light the struggle and reality of America during the Great Depression. Second, it’s a brilliantly directed film with wonderful cinematography and writing. And thirdly, it’s a really, really good boxing movie. The movie doesn’t pull any punches (sorry, couldn’t resist) about its clichéd plot (read: happy ending) but the telling of that plot is what makes it so entertaining. I strongly recommend it.June 2006
The low-point of the year, as far as movie watching is concerned. I only found time for 9 movies in June. I’ll never forgive myself. On the plus side it makes it very easy for me to pick my favourite from that month. The Red Violin is a diamond-in-the-rough film that Shauna and I discovered a few years ago. We both instantly fell in love with it and I’ve been hunting the globe for the perfect DVD release ever since (so far there have been problems with all 3 different versions I’ve tried). This is the beautiful story of a violin as it travels over the world and through the lives of a variety of different people. It’s a story of life, love, music, passion, violence, greed and perfection. You’ve never seen a film quite like The Red Violin and I urge you to see it if you haven’t already. This is the kind of film that could be written about and spoken of for hours and days and years.July 2006
While watching the Band of Brothers series a while back I gained an appreciation for Ron Livingston. His performance in the WWII mini-series was phenomenal. Neither Shauna nor I had ever seen Office Space, which stars Livingston, so we decided to give it a blind buy. I’m very glad to say that our decision was not fruitless as Office Space is the definitive comedy about office politics, cubicles, staplers and life in general. This little cult classic features some very memorable characters and is a must-see for anyone who has ever worked in a Dilbert-like environment. The printer-smashing scene is one of my favourites; great music.August 2006
My birthday month saw an unofficial Ridiculathon (#3 of 2006) with some friends (8 films in 2 days), one of whom had never seen any of the Indiana Jones films (I won’t mention any names, but his initials are Chris Siegle. Oops!). It was also my chance to work AYC and make the teens watch some of my favourite movie moments. But my favourite of the month was probably Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Quite simply, it’s a classic. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are the classic film duo in one of the last classic westerns of cinema. Like Scarface, if you have any interest in films you owe it to yourself to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. You won’t regret it.September 2006
Last month was the start of Lost: Season 2 for Shauna and I, so I’m amazed I was able to watch any movies at all. In addition to catching Mr. & Mrs. Smith again I was fortunate enough to discover Inside Man. While my review of the film indicated that the ending may have been a bit of a let down, the film itself is very well done and one that I will remember for a long time. If you like heist films then you’ll love Inside Man. Whether or not you discover the “mystery” early on like I did, you’ll still enjoy seeing how the robbery takes place. There are a lot of intelligent ideas in this film and the acting is top notch. Clive Owen gives a great performance as the heist leader while Denzel Washington is his usual brilliant self as the detective attempting to stop it all. A great film with some intense moments.Well, there you go. A 12 film year-in-review. I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you and I hope you’ve taken the opportunity to see a few films this year that you’ve never seen before. Now hit that ‘add comment’ button and share with us some of your favourites from the past 12 months.
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