Day 75- Movie 66. Smiley Face (2007)

So, this movie isn't so much a romance, unless you consider how much Anna Faris loves smoking pot. In that way, this could be considered a romantic film. Really, this movie is a pretty straightforward comedy. Oh yeah, and it also sucks. I can kind of see where this movie might have been a good idea, but the execution is pretty poor. The film does have a few funny moments, but it mostly consists of long, long stretches that aren't very funny at all.

The story is pretty simple. Anna Faris gets baked beyond belief, and then gets into crazy situation after crazy situation while trying to make it to a Marijuana Festival to pay her dealer before he sells off her furniture. There's really no point, and the movie becomes more and more ridiculous the longer the film goes on. It ultimately becomes so stupid that there's really no point anymore.

I will say the movie did get a number of decent actors for small parts. The film features Adam Brody, Jane Lynch, John Krasinski, Danny Masterson, Danny Trejo, John Cho, and others. Unfortunately, these actors don't have much screen time, so their impact is minimal. Instead, we're stuck with Anna Faris for pretty much every second of screen time. I always struggle with Faris. I really think she has some talent as an actress, but she always plays these absurd, over-the-top characters. She's good at it, but I wish she would on occasion show some restraint. You have to give her credit for showing no fear in the face of looking completely brainless on screen. I wish she had been a little less ludicrous on screen.

The film really only has one joke- isn't it funny how Anna Faris is so stoned and how she reacts to people around her? That's it. This does become funny once in a while, but it grows old pretty quickly. Thankfully, the movie is only 88 minutes long. The film barely has enough material to fill that up. I have to say I didn't think this movie was particularly funny or memorable. I was only slightly entertained. I'm giving this film a 4.5/10.

Anyone have any idea why John Krasinski signed on to this? I have no idea what he was thinking.

Day 75- Movie 65. Two Lovers (2008)

I am still struggling with what exactly I think about this movie. On one hand, it is a very adult movie, looking at relationships in a mature, realistic light. On the other hand, it features pretty unlikable characters, and never really amounts to much. In the end, this is a decent movie, but certainly not a very good one.

The film centers on a young man (Joaquin Phoenix) who finds himself torn between a kind, simple girl (Vinessa Shaw), and the beautiful, troubled next door neighbor (Gwyneth Paltrow). This is a film about complicated relationships- between two lovers, but also between Phoenix and his parents. So often, movies create artificial, Hollywood relationships, instead of "real" ones. This film shows relationships in a more realistic light- messy, complex, occasionally awful, and unexpected. I appreciated that adult, mature look at relationships.

The movie features some good performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. I liked the pairing of these two actors. They are good together and seemed to play off each other quite well. Unfortunately, both of their characters are flawed, and oftentimes hard to care about. I believe movies need people you can root for, and this film didn't have that. There wasn't really anyone to like, and that hurt the film in my eyes.

Unfortunately, this movie just doesn't do enough to hold our attention for 110 minutes. I got pretty bored about halfway through, and had to just force myself to sit through it. The movie telegraphs the ending, and then it's a matter of just waiting for it to arrive. There wasn't much surprising here. The film is interesting, but it's not very enjoyable to watch. It felt like work getting through it.

So, Two Lovers should be commended for not pandering to the audience and instead telling a challenging, difficult, oftentimes likable story. Not every film should make the audience feel good and happy. This is a film that isn't meant to do that. On the other hand, this movie needed to be more engaging. I never cared about any of the characters, which prevented me from really getting into the story. I wanted more. Still, the film features some good performances, and as a result, I'll give this a lackluster 6/10.

Ok, that's two Valentine's Day related movies, and I'll admit, I'm ready for some action and explosions. I'm going to try to stick to more VD appropriate films, but we'll see what happens.

Day 75- Movie 64. The Bodyguard (1992)

So, in honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would watch some more romantically-focused movies today. First up is The Bodyguard. I'm sure I've seen it at some point in my life, but it's been a very long time. The movie does occasionally swerve into the ridiculous, but for the most part, it's not a bad film. I actually liked it more than I thought I would.

The film is interesting because it combines elements of romance and drama, while also managing to be a fairly effective thriller. Some of the most interesting aspects of the film involve the behind-the-scenes look at a professional bodyguard and the lengths one will go to in order to protect a client. The film does a good job of  showcasing these dramatic, thrilling moments.

The story revolves around a famous singer/actress (Whitney Houston) who is being threatened by a series of letters, some which were found inside her house. Her entourage hires a bodyguard (Kevin Costner), much to her dismay. They initially clash, but soon find their relationship becomes more than just professional. I suppose the story is interesting and unique enough so that it is memorable in its own right.

The film would have been better, but Whitney Houston isn't the greatest actress in the world (which makes it even more ironic that she plays an actress nominated for an Academy Award) and her performance greatly hurts the film. I understand they had to edit quite extensively to cover it up. The re-cutting helps, but Houston still is pretty bad. The second issue I had is that the end of the movie is a bit silly. Conclusions are very important, and the film becomes a bit far fetched at the end.

Despite these flaws, I still enjoyed the movie. So much of whether you like or hate this movie depends on how you feel about Kevin Costner. I've always been a fan of Costner, even when other people criticized him. I really thought he did a good job here. That made me like the movie, maybe more than I should have. I could go on, by this movie is over 18 years old, and I'm sure most everyone has already seen it. I'll give it a 7/10, and it would have been higher except for Whitney Houston.

Day 74- Movie 63. Rumble in the Bronx (1995)

Rumble in the Bronx was Jackie Chan's breakthrough American film- the one that launched his career here in the United States. It was the first Jackie Chan movie I'd ever seen, and it has stuck with me for a few reasons over the years. I don't believe I've watched it since the first time I saw it, back in the mid 90s.

I remembered this movie for two reasons- 1. The jaw-dropping stunts Jackie Chan does 2. The horrible dubbing job. We'll start with number one. I still remember seeing Jackie Chan in action for the first time. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. His fighting style was unique- it was acrobatic, almost artistic. It was amazing to see as he used his body, objects around him, and other people as weapons against his foes. Several of the fight scenes in this film remain among my favorite of all time. It's hard to describe watching Chan in action, especially because it was well known he performed almost all his own stunts. In that regard, this movie is amazing.

Unfortunately, it suffers from some flaws as well. The biggest flaw has to be the awful dubbing job of American voices for the Asian characters in the film. The dubbing is done so poorly that it almost makes certain scenes unwatchable. The dialogue is cheesy, forced, and laughable. It really hurts the movie immensely. It renders the entire story almost pointless, because you can't really believe any of the characters.

Another big flaw is the story itself. The first forty minutes are excellent, as Chan battles a street gang who wants him dead. Defending the neighborhood grocery store from these thugs presented a clear protagonist and antagonists, and set up some very good fight scenes. However, at a certain point, the story takes an absurd turn- suddenly there are diamonds, men in black, and a mysterious crime kingpin, which all lead to a pretty crazy hovercraft battle. However cool individual scenes might be, the story becomes completely ridiculous.

While ridiculous, the hovercraft chase scenes are pretty spectacular. It features incredible action, impressive stunts, and is clearly one of the best scenes of the film. It is totally implausible and completely silly, but it's also very, very entertaining.

If I was rating Rumble in the Bronx just on Chan's action scenes, this movie would be incredible. Unfortunately, the film's many flaws ultimately prove to be too much. This film launched Chan's career in the U.S. and for that, I am thankful. Unfortunately, this movie also misses the mark. I'll give it a 6.5/10.

And with that, I've hit 4 movies for the day. I am about to pass out, so I'm wrapping this up. I made a little headway today, but I'm still 11 movies behind the required pace. Tomorrow's going to be another busy day...

Day 74- Movie 62. Jaws 3 (1983)

After the excellent Jaws and the good-but-not-great Jaws 2, it's probably no surprise that the third film was the one that finally jumped the shark (haha). This film is so absurd. It is easily the worst film in the franchise to date, the drop in quality is pretty staggering. There's so much wrong with this film that I almost don't know where to begin.

The movie is set in a different location- Sea World theme park in Florida. A great white shark accidentally swims into the park, and causes all kinds of problems. I suppose this change works, but I miss the quaint little town of Amity. Our hero is Mike Brody, the son of police chief Brody from the first two films. I understand using the same character for continuity purposes, but how likely is it that a boy living in a small New England town survives two great white shark encounters, moves to Florida, where he again encounters a great white shark killing people? The coincidence would be uncanny. They should have just created a new character and let the Brodys go.

The film is structured similarly to the other film, where we have a number of tension scenes and isolated shark attacks before the big shark finally gets mad and goes crazy, killing as many people as it can. The humans have to mount a furious attack to the destroy the creature once and for all. We've seen this done before, and the film offers almost nothing new (besides a new location). In fact, the movie uses recycled ideas from the past two movies in this one. It all feels very pointless and redundant.

I did appreciate that the film at least tried to give us time with the characters so that we could identify with them. It doesn't exactly work because they are so boring, but at least they tried. Grown up Mike Brody is played by Dennis Quaid, who is fine considering the circumstances. This would obviously not be his finest hour. The film also features performances by Louis Gossett, Jr. and Lea Thompson in her feature film debut.

The biggest problem with this film is that it is all too predictable. We've seen this all before, and Jaws 3 follows the same script. It did use the big new technology of the day- "3D," which looks absolutely awful on regular television sets. The movie also has major holes in logic, which makes the entire film just seem silly. There's not a whole lot to love about this movie.

While this is certainly not a good movie, it does have some redeeming qualities. It's always fun to see a giant shark killing people (although only 5 people actually die). I enjoyed seeing Dennis Quaid run around all serious in the midst of a pretty absurd movie. This film does, though, sadly mark the point when the Jaws franchise should have ended. The premise was enough for two movies, but it ran out of steam with the third (and probably shouldn't have been extended to the a fourth film). I would give this film a 5.5/10.

Well, I've managed to get three movies in today. I need to go for number 4 if I ever hope to reach 100 movies in the next 26 days. I don't know what I need to do to get myself ready to watch another movie, but I will certainly find a way to hit up another one. Unfortunately, I'm going to need a big movie day again tomorrow if I have any hope of getting back on track. Is it weird that my eyes feel like they are about to fall out of my head?

Day 74- Movie 61. The Scout (1994)

I'm pretty sure at some point, I've seen this movie. I remember bits and pieces, but not the whole thing. That could be because I never watched it from start to finish, or it could be because it's a mostly forgettable film full of plot holes. I'm not suggesting that this movie is completely devoid of enjoyment- I was mostly entertained while watching it. Sadly, there are too many flaws that just ultimately sink the film.

The story is about a major league baseball scout (Albert Brooks) who is banished to Mexico after a series of recruits who flame out before they can ever make it to the big leagues. While there, he stumbles across Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser), pretty much the greatest baseball player of all time. He brings him back to the New York Yankees, but Nebraska has mental issues that threaten to end his career before it starts.

The biggest problem I had with this movie is that the team Nebraska signs with is the New York Yankees. Ugh. Unfortunately, there are just so many other problems as well. The film takes some huge liberties with reality in the MLB. So much happens in this film that would never happen in real life. Early in the film, Brooks signs a freshman to a big league contract, and immediately afterwards, he's starting in a Yankees game. There's no way this could happen in real life. It's absurd. The film ignores the rules of the draft, farm teams, etc. I could point out dozens of other reality violations, but it would be giving away too much of the film. Let's just say very little is actually based in reality here.

Albert Brooks and Brendan Fraser work fairly well together. There are some entertaining, funny scenes between these two. That's probably the best part of the movie- watching these two actors interact in funny, comical ways. The dialogue is pretty good. This is the film's strongest aspect, and I wish it had been enough to make this a good movie, but it's simply not.

Without getting into the film's conclusion, let's just say it is one of the most absurd, ridiculous, awful conclusions I've seen in a sports movie. Everything just defies logic. The movie completely falls apart, and we're asked to believe events that are simply too preposterous. The ending ruins the movie.

So, while The Scout is a flawed movie, I can't say I completely hated it. There's enough here to at least be passably entertaining for 101 minutes. There's far, far better baseball movies out there, but this one isn't unwatchable. I'd give it a 6/10.

On the 100 in 100 days- I know I'm still far behind. I've gotten two movies in today, but I'm behind schedule. I slept for over two hours because I feel so awful. I still have time to knock out two more movies, but it's getting increasingly hard to keep my eyes open. I'm not even sure if what I've written here makes sense. My head is pretty much in a fog. I'm going to take a short break and try to move on to movie #3. You know, I actually can't wait until March 11th so I can go back to watching movies only when I actually feel like it.

Day 74- Movie 60. I'm Still Here (2010)

This movie would probably have been a whole lot better had Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix at least made it seem plausible that anything happening here was real. Sure, there were a few moments when the media questioned what the hell Phoenix was doing, but the whole thing had "hoax" written all over it. It didn't help matters when a source close to Phoenix leaked the news that it was all indeed a hoax. That really cheapened the whole thing.

Now that we know 100% that this was a hoax (Casey Affleck admitted it), it changes the way we have to look at this movie. In some ways, it makes it even better. Watching this "documentary" and believing it was all true would make Phoenix look like one of the biggest scumbags in Hollywood. In the film, Phoenix mumbles incoherent nonsense, treats his friends like crap (one them actually defecates on his head- it was fake, though), and comes across as a narcissistic, out of touch moron. I'd probably hate Phoenix if I thought this movie portrayed him in a realistic light.

However, as a hoax, this film is significantly more impressive. Before starting this, Phoenix was at the top of his career. He had received a host of nominations and awards for Walk the Line. He had offers galore, and could have done pretty much anything he wanted. There are thousands and thousands of struggling actors who would kill for even a piece of his fame at that point. Instead of using his fame for terrific roles, he instead grows a disgusting beard, puts on tons of weight, retires from acting, and embarks on a misguided rap career- all for the sake of a documentary. It took some real balls to do this, and I respect Phoenix for it.

The film itself, though, does leave something to be desired. I admit that I'm impressed with Phoenix, knowing that he was playing a character here. Some of it might have been based in reality, but he's basically acting throughout the entire film. The fact that you have to occasionally wonder if it's real is a testament to his acting ability. That part I liked.

Unfortunately, the film is just too long and too much of a one trick pony. After 20 minutes of the film, we get it- Phoenix is unbalanced, crazy, and willing to go to obscene lengths for the film. Unfortunately, we still have another 80 minutes or so. The film really breaks down at the halfway point. I ran out of patience around 50 minutes in. The film does pick back up for the last half hour or so, so at least it partially redeems itself. I wish more had happened than just watching Phoenix be self-destructive.

It is pretty amazing the lengths that they go in this film. We see Phoenix snort drugs, cavort with hookers, scream at his friends, embarrass himself in front of large crowds and on television multiple times, annoy Sean Combs, and overall, present himself as a trainwreck. This is hard to watch, but it's crazy when you think about how everything in this movie is fake. It might be stupid and pointless, but it's impressive that Affleck and Phoenix pulled this off regardless.

While I tend to appreciate anytime people push the boundaries of what we expect and what we're used to seeing, I still couldn't bring myself to like this movie very much. It isn't that exciting, and once the initial shock value wears off, it just comes across as a bit sad. I wish that this film had at least had the appearance of being real, instead of so clearly being fake. Still, it is very, very impressive that Phoenix basically played this character for 2 years, giving up the opportunity to capitalize on his fame and critical acclaim, all for this little movie. I appreciate that, and I've giving this film a decent 6.5/10.

I will say that I've always liked Joaquin Phoenix, I still like Joaquin Phoenix, and I, for one, am glad that he's still here. I'm looking forward to his next movie role.