DD

Part way through the past year I wrote an article on my blog that brought up the possibility of 2009 being the best year for movies in the last decade. It was in response to a few articles written in the oscar blog community that believed it might be a possibility, but at the time I wasn’t sure if I agreed. Now that 2009 has come to a close and I have seen most of the year’s best films (I still haven’t seen A Serious Man, A Single Man, The Road, Crazy Heart, and Nine), I can honestly say that 2009 isn’t quite the best year for movies this decade, but it WAS an awesome year for cinema. The year’s collection of films don’t touch the library of films that came out in 2007 and 2002, but there were a LOT of good movies. I’m aware that some people may insist that 2009 was a bad year for films, so let me dig deeper into the reasons why I feel differently.

When I look back at 2009, I think it was an important year for two reasons. Animated films and women directors. There has never been so many quality animated films released in a single year. This year we got Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline, Ponyo, Princess and the Frog, 9, Mary & Max, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Secret of Kells, A Town Called Panic, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Ice Age. That doesn’t even include a number of films that didn’t get rave reviews, but still earned respect from the animation community. Most years we’re lucky to get two or three worthwhile animated films, so it was definitely a huge year for the medium.

It was also great seeing some significant films from women directors. This year brought brilliant films from Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Jane Campion (Bright Star), Lone Scherfig (An Education), Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated), Nora Ephron (Julie & Julia), Agnes Varda (Beaches of Agnes), Claire Denis (35 Shots of Rum,White Material), Christine Jeffs (Sunshine Cleaning), and Drew Barrymore (Whip It). Not only is it likely that Kathryn Bigelow could win an oscar for directing, but it’s also very possible that two women could be nominated in the category. Considering only three women have ever been nominated in the history of the Oscars, the significance is profound.

To sum things up, 2009 simply had a lot of movies that I really enjoyed. Time must pass before the history books look at 2009 as a highlight year for film, but right now I feel that it was. But enough discussion, on to my list!

Movies I enjoyed that at least deserve to be mentioned:

Adam, Away We Go, Bright Star, The Brothers Bloom, A Christmas Carol, District 9, Funny People, Goodbye Solo, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Julie & Julia, Moon, Ponyo, The Princess and the Frog, Public Enemies, State of Play, Sugar, Trick ‘R Treat, Up in the Air, Watchmen, Whatever Works, Zombieland

Runners Up:

An Education

A British period piece with great performances from a talented cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson,  Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, and Olivia Williams.

Coraline

An inventive and painstakingly animated adaptation of the popular children’s book.

The Damned United

Arguably the best sports movie since Field of Dreams.

Drag Me to Hell

Sam Raimi’s thrilling return to comedy horror provided the most fun to be had at the movies all year.

Fish Tank

British Indie film-making at it’s best, with a star-in-the-making performance from Katie Jarvis.

In the Loop

A hilarious dark comedy that provides non-stop (and very vulgar) laughs. Think of it as Dr. Strangelove for modern times.

Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino’s World War 2 epic still frustrates me at certain moments, but there’s no denying that it’s an incredibly well made movie. Most of my problems lie with what I consider to be unbalanced writing and acting, but the occasional scenes of brilliant action and breakout performances by Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent ensure the film gets a spot on my runners up list.

The Secret of Kells

A beautiful Irish animated film that features voice work from Brendan Gleeson. Scenes in a forest are among the most spellbinding animation that I’ve ever seen. In what might be the busiest year ever for the animation medium, The Secret of Kells ranks as one of the best.

Sin Nombre

A shocking Mexican film that explores illegal immigration and gang violence. It’s similar to City of God and Slumdog Millionaire, but still manages to stand out on it’s own.

The White Ribbon

Michael Haneke’s disturbing drama dwells on the goings on in a small German village pre-World War 1. Much like Haneke’s 2005 film, Cache, The White Ribbon leaves you with a lot of questions and very few answers, but it is an experience that refuses to go away.

The top 10

10. The Messenger
Directed by Oren Moverman
Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morten, Steve Buscemi
Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity

The first of two films in my top 10 that are about the American war against terror. The Messenger makes my list because it has an incredibly moving story involving two American soldiers who make house calls to inform widows that their loved ones have fallen in combat. The script is very smartly written, taking the story to surprising places, and the performances from Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morten rank as career bests.

9. The Informant!
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskie, Scott Bakula
Rated R for language

The Informant! stands out as one of the funniest films of 2009. The cheeky tone of the film is sometimes off-putting, but it works mainly due to Matt Damon’s brilliant performance and the hilarious dialogue and score. I haven’t had a chance to revisit the film since it first came out in theatres, but as of now it sticks in my mind as a highly entertaining comedy/thriller that is more than worthy of a spot in my top 10.

8. (500) Days of Summer
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Rated PG13 for sexual material and language

2009 was a terrible year for Romantic Comedies. Before (500) Days of Summer’s release in the summer, we were treated to critical failures such as Bride Wars, New in Town, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Then along came (500) Days of Summer, with it’s realistic take on relationships, smart writing, and inspired dance numbers and split screen sequences. Not since my first viewing of Annie Hall have I seen such a different take on romance in the movies.

7. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by Wes Anderson
Voice Talent by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe
Rated PG for action, smoking and slang humor

After Wes Anderson’s slightly disappointing 2007 endeavor, The Darjeeling Limited, I kept expections for his first animated film fairly low. The Fantastic Mr. Fox proved that I shouldn’t have lost faith in one of the most talented auteurs in Hollywood. It is a smart, family friendly film that retains Anderson’s quirky style. Making for an entirely new animated experience.

6. Star Trek
Directed by JJ Abrams
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg
Rated PG13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content

I’ve never been a huge fan of Star Trek, although I enjoyed a few of the past films. JJ Abrams series reboot finally gave me a reason to give the series a chance, stripping the series down to it’s bare essentials and making it a more exciting and faster paced blockbuster. Some devoted fans might not be happy with the results, but I for one am happy with the new direction that JJ Abrams has taken the series.

5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Directed by Lee Daniels
Starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz
Rated R for child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive language

Watching Precious can be a demanding experience, as Lee Daniel’s film shows graphic domestic violence. Yet there is a small sprinkling of humour and a sense of hope that makes the film watchable. But it’s the acting that makes the movie one of the best of the year. Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique give the two best performances of 2009, matching each other’s intensity and emotional depth throughout the film and leaving you speechless by time the climax comes knocking.

4. Avatar
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez
Rated PG13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking

After years of hype, James Cameron finally brought Avatar to theatres worldwide and against all odds, it met expectations. The visual effects, CGI and 3D technology is unlike anything ever seen before, but it’s Cameron’s ability to craft a thrilling adventure filled with action that impressed me the most. Avatar joins Aliens, Terminator 2 and The Abyss as spellbinding entertainment (and admittedly cheesy dialogue). Nobody makes action movies like James Cameron.

3. The Cove
Directed by Louie Psyhoyos
Rated PG13 for disturbing content

While The Cove isn’t the easiest film to sit through (dolphin slaughter isn’t pretty), it is so well crafted and such an important topic that it needs to be seen by as many people as possible. It is shot like a documentary version of The Bourne Identity making the disturbing topic slightly easier to watch. The team of film-makers involved in The Cove put themselves at great risk to get this story out there, and seeing them succeed made for one of the most moving film experiences of 2009.

2. Up
Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Voice Talent by Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer
Rated PG for some peril and action

The opening marriage montage alone is enough reason for Up’s high placement. That scene is one of Pixar’s greatest achievements, expertly showing life’s ups and downs in the first 5 minutes of the movie. The following 90 minutes are nearly as good, providing laughs, adventure, and a lesson that is important for people of all ages: that it’s the small joys that make up the best moments of one’s life.

1. The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes
Rated R for war violence and language

The first time I saw The Hurt Locker I sat in my seat completely stunned by what I had just seen. The Hurt Locker isn’t just a well made war film, it’s also an intricate action movie that is intense, emotional, and relevant. Kathryn Bigelow’s talented direction, Jeremy Renner’s bravado filled performance, and the perfectly orchestrated action scenes make The Hurt Locker an instant classic, and arguably the greatest war film of the 2000s.

Starting today I am beginning a new series that will count down my favourite movies of the 2000s. These are the 100 movies that stand out to me as being the best of the decade. Some of them are impactful, others were moving, and some were simply entertaining. This is my list, so of course it’s personal and could cause argument for some people. I encourage anyone reading to take time to comment with their thoughts on each entry. After all, the purpose of this blog is to talk about movies.

#100 - A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Haley-Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, William Hurt, Brendan Gleeson
Academy Award Nominations: Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score
Deserved Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Jude Law), Best Cinematography

Then:

A.I. had been a pet project of Stanley Kubrick’s. When Kubrick passed away Steven Spielberg took over the project. The film opened to positive reviews and did alright at the box office, but word-of-mouth was decidedly mixed. When I saw A.I. in June 2001, I thought it was a beautiful piece of work. Complaints that it was too sentimental and dragged on too long seemed unjustified to me. I’ve never understood why people don’t like Spielberg’s tendency towards sentimentality. While it’s true that he goes over-the-top once in awhile, I don’t think it hurts any of his movies. He’s one of the best directors of all time and has provided some amazing moments in movies, and A.I. has plenty of great scenes.

Now: Watching A.I. for the first time in 9 years, I was surprised at how well it has held up. The story is still as moving as it was then, and the strong production values are quite stunning. Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography for the film ranks amongst the best of his career, showing a future that is beautiful and menacing. The Art Direction, Visual Effects are also top-notch, and John Williams’ score is a subtle masterwork. What I love most however, is the excellent cast. Haley-Joel Osment followed up his Oscar nominated turn in The Sixth Sense with a strong lead performance as the robot boy, and he is supported by a strong cast that includes Frances O’Connor, William Hurt and Brendan Gleeson. The real standout performance of the film belongs to Jude Law, who is a marvel as a sex bot on the run from the Law.

Looking at the film now, I believe it is one of Speilberg’s strongest films, fitting neatly beside his other classics such as Jaws, E.T., and Schindler’s List.

We’re officially into a new year. January is usually the worst month of the year for movies, as studios dump films that aren’t expected to make money into theatres. This week’s three wide releases, which include a screwball comedy, a horror film, and an R-rated comedy, all look intriguing at best. I’m personally interested in all three, but I don’t trust anything that comes out in January until reviews come out. Of the three I am most interested in Leap Year, if only because I have a deep love for Amy Adams and will watch anything she makes no matter how good or bad it turns out.

As far as limited releases go there is nothing noteworthy. Just indie films that got lost amongst last years awards hopefuls.

The week’s big home video releases are The Final Destination (an abomination imo), Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and a variety of old films making their Blu-ray debuts. My pick of the week goes to the second season of Chuck, which is a great season for one of the most under-appreciated Television shows.

Theatre - Wide Releases

Leap Year <– My pick
Daybreakers
Youth in Revolt

Theatre - Limited Releases

Bitch Slap
Crazy on the Outside
Waiting for Armageddon
Wonderful World
Sweetgrass

DVD/Blu-ray Releases

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (DVD/Blu)
The Final Destination (DVD/Blu)
Lorna’s Silence (DVD)
Trucker (DVD)
10 Things I Hate About You SE (DVD/Blu)
Doom (Blu)
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (Blu)
Dogtown and Z Boys (Blu)
Dawn of the Dead - 2004 (Blu)
Jarhead (Blu)
The Last Starfighter (Blu)
Chuck S2 (DVD/Blu) <– My pick
Battlestar Galactica S1 (Blu)
Big Love S3 (DVD)
Superfriends S1,V1 (DVD)
Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures series (DVD)
Iron Man: Armored Adventures V2 (DVD)

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 has come to an end, and with 2010’s arrival we are entering a new decade. I’m taking a moment tonight to break my tradition of never making resolutions and discuss some stuff I have planned for this blog.

First of all…news.

I am going to attempt to count down my top 100 films of the last decade. I will post the first entry tomorrow, and will hopefully follow up with entries every few days. We’ll see if I can keep it up.

Also, I will be changing my review score format from the 5 star system to a letter grade. I don’t think it really matters. It’s just a personal preferrence.

I have never seen the point of making Resolutions. I’ve always seen them as something that is only broken a month into a new year. But seeing fellow Bullshisher Lauren’s success I felt inspired to change my ways and attempt something that is actually possible over the course of the next 12 months. There are actually two things I plan on doing.

1. Stop reading the Oscar blogs on a regular basis. Lately I’ve been wondering if my reading oscar news every single day could affect my ability to enjoy a movie. After months of reading about a film’s awards chances, it’s probably more likely that I will end up feeling underwhelmed. So this year, I will try to avoid reading the oscar news/reviews and only check Rotten Tomatoes to see which films are being well-received.

2. Watch every “noteworthy” film made by Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, and Billy Wilder. Those three directors are probably the most famous of their time, and I’ve only seen a few of their classics. It’s time I rectify that and I think it might be fun to watch every good movie that they made. I will list them out. Bolded titles are ones I have already seen, but I will watch them again anyways.

Akira Kurosawa

1. Drunken Angel (1948) I actually watched this tonight)
2. Stray Dog (1949)
3. Scandal (1949)
4. Rashomon (1950)
5. The Idiot (1951)
6. Ikiru (1952)
7. Seven Samurai (1954)
8. I Live in Fear (1955)
9. Throne of Blood (1957)
10. The Lower Depths (1957)
11. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
12. The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
13. Yojimbo (1961)
14. Sanjuro (1962)
15. High and Low (1963)
16. Red Beard (1965)
17. Dodes’ka-den (1970)
18. Dersu Uzala (1975)
19. Kagemusha (1980)
20. Ran (1985)
21. Dreams (1990)
22. Rhapsody in August (1991)
23. Madadayo (1993)

Alfred Hitchcock

1. The Lodger (1927)
2. The 39 Steps (1935)
3. Sabotage (1936)
4. Young and Innocent (1937)
5. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
6. Rebecca (1940)
7. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
8. Suspicion (1941)
9. Saboteur (1942)
10. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
11. Lifeboat (1944)
12. Spellbound (1945)
13. Notorious (1946)
14. Rope (1948)
15. Strangers on a Train (1951)
16. I Confess (1953)
17. Dial M for Murder (1954)
18. Rear Window (1954)
19. To Catch a Thief (1955)
20. The Trouble With Harry (1955)
21. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
22. The Wrong Man (1956)
23. Vertigo (1958)
24. North By Northwest (1959)
25. Psycho (1960)
26. The Birds (1963)
27. Marnie (1964)
28. Frenzie (1972)

Billy Wilder

1. The Major and the Minor (1942)
2. Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
3. Double Indemnity (1944)
4. The Lost Weekend (1945)
5. A Foreign Affair (1948)
6. Sunset Blvd (1950)
7. Ace in the Hole (1951)
8. Stalag 17 (1953)
9. Sabrina (1954)
10. The Seven Year Itch (1954)
11. The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
12. Love in the Afternoon (1957)
13. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
14. Some Like it Hot (1959)
15. The Apartment (1960)
16. One, Two, Three (1961)
17. Irma La Douce (1963)
18. Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)
19. The Fortune Cookie (1966)
20. The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
21. Avanti! (1971)
22. The Front Page (1972)

I just got the AK100 set (below) over Christmas, so I’ll probably start with Kurosawa’s films.

It’s the final day of 2009, so it’s time to finish off this series of lists with my favourite films of the 90s. Tomorrow I will be starting something new.

1. The Shawshank Redemption - 1994 - Frank Durabont

2. Schindler’s List - 1993 - Steven Spielberg

3. Beauty and the Beast - 1991 -Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day - 1991 - James Cameron

5. Rushmore - 1998 - Wes Anderson

6. Leon: The Professional - 1994 - Luc Besson

7. Pulp Fiction - 1994 - Quentin Tarantino

8. The Truman Show - 1998 - Peter Weir

9. Magnolia - 1999 - Paul Thomas Anderson

10. (tie) Saving Private Ryan (1998,Steven Spielberg), The Thin Red Line (1998,Terrence Malick)

honourable mention:

Being John Malkovich
Groundhog Day
Heat
The Insider
LA Confidential
The Lion King
Princess Mononoke
The Silence of the Lambs
Toy Story
Unforgiven

The busiest week of the year for movie releases is followed by the slowest week. The only new theatrical release is the German film The White Ribbon. It’s a very methodically paced foreign language film that examines the human nature tendency to do evil things. It’s an art film to say the least, so most people will probably be more interested in catching up on the ton of quality films in wide release right now. Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, It’s Complicated, Princess and the Frog, Up in the Air, and Nine are all playing in theatres everywhere right now, so it’s not like there’s nothing good to choose from.

DVD selection is a little better, with Paranormal Activity, 9 (the animated film), Jennifer’s Body and The Perfect Getaway to choose from for movies and Glee and United States of Tara for TV shows. The release calendar is pretty quiet right now, but things will pick up again in a couple of weeks.

Theatre Releases - Limited

The White Ribbon <– My pick

DVD/Blu-ray Releases

Paranormal Activity (DVD/Blu)
9 (DVD/Blu) <– My pick
Jennifer’s Body (DVD/Blu)
The Perfect Getaway (DVD/Blu)
The Marine 2 (DVD/Blu)
Facing Ali (DVD)
Weather Girl (DVD)
Glee S1,V1 (DVD)
The United States of Tara S1 (DVD)

Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
Rated PG13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking
5 out of 5 stars

No film has received as much hype in this decade as James Cameron’s sci-fi epic, Avatar. After setting himself up as one of the best action directors in Hollywood and creating the biggest box office hit of all time (Titanic), Cameron disappeared from Hollywood to do deep sea research. He returned to moviemaking in the mid 2000s and started work on Avatar, claiming that he was going to change the face of movies by using new filming techniques and 3D visuals. After 5+ years of work and a budget surpassing $300 million, Avatar has finally been released in theatres around the world.

The first question most people are going to have when seeing the movie is “does it live up to the hype?” I believe the answer is yes. My first time watching this movie was spent taking in the visuals and having an overwhelming sense of awe. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like Avatar. The 3D is used in subtle ways that don’t feel gimmicky like previous 3D films. Rather than throwing random crap in your face, Avatar uses 3D to pull you into its world. Also impressive is the CG. This is as close to photo-realism that I’ve seen from computer animation. It’s nearly impossible to seperate real sets from scenes shot with CG backgrounds. It’s easy to see why Avatar cost so much money because it’s all on display onscreen.

As I revisited Cameron’s previous films this past week I saw numerous connections between each one. They all tend to have average (at best) storylines and cheesy dialogue, balanced by Cameron’s ability to create tension and stunning action sequences. This is the same with Avatar. The story has been seen countless times before in movies and literature, and the dialogue is pure cheese. That said, it works for the movie. As generic as the plot is, I found myself getting involved and finding it enjoyable for the most part. There is a good flow of action throughout the film, and having a more complicated story might have made for a more confusing film. The point of the film is to give the audience a beautiful world to be immersed in for 160 minutes, and in that aspect it succeeds on all levels.

I don’t know if I agree with the critics who are comparing Avatar to groundbreaking classics such as Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz. It’s too early to tell how it has affected Hollywood. But it WILL have some kind of impact on the films we get in the future. We’ll just have to wait and see. But at this moment, Avatar is the biggest “EVENT” film since Lord of the Rings. It is a film that needs to be seen in theatres and should be enjoyable for people of all ages. Go see it this Holiday Season. No other film out right now offers action, romance, adventure and wonder all in one package.

Oscar Chances: Likely: Picture, Director, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score. Possible: Cinematography, Art Direction, Song. Longshot: Actor (Worthington), Actress (Saldana), Sup. Actress (Weaver), Costume Design, Makeup, Original Screenplay

The last two days have involved 12+ hours of driving and two viewings of Avatar, so please forgive my lateness. This is Christmas week, and as usual there are a ton of wide theatrical releases. The widest release of the week is the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. I think it looks horrid, but children will probably love it. For those who crave action and adventure there is Sherlock Holmes, which looks more like a mainstream blockbuster than a traditional detective movie. For older audiences and/or couples there is the latest Nancy Meyers rom-com It’s Complicated. Early reviews are slightly mixed but it looks like might be worth seeing just for the cast. Finally, Nine and Up in the Air (two Awards contenders) are expanding to wide release.

In limited release this week are three smaller films trying to get noticed for awards. The first is Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginerium of Dr. Parnassus, which is a fantasy film that just happens to be Heath Ledger’s final film. The Last Station is a Leo Tolstoy biopic filled with great actors, and Police Adjective is a critically acclaimed Romanian film.

The Lovely Bones, A Single Man and The Young Victoria are slightly expanding, but are still just limited releases.

District 9 and (500) Days of Summer are the highlights of this week’s DVD releases. Both films are among the best of the year. Also of interest is the music documentary It Might Get Loud and Mike Judge comedy, Extract. The critical bomb All About Steve is also seeing release this week. Sandra Bullock fans are likely better off seeing The Proposal or The Blind Side instead.

Theatre - Wide Releases

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
It’s Complicated
Sherlock Holmes <– My pick
Nine
Up in the Air

Theatre - Limited Releases

The Imaginerium of Dr. Parnassus <– My pick
The Last Station
Police, Adjective

Expanding

A Single Man
The Lovely Bones
The Young Victoria

DVD/Blu-ray

District 9 (DVD/Blu)
(500) Days of Summer (DVD/Blu) <– My pick
All About Steve (DVD/Blu)
It Might Get Loud (DVD/Blu)
Extract (DVD/Blu)
Family Guy: Something Something Something Darkside (DVD)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (DVD)
American Pie: The Book of Love (DVD/Blu)
Taxi series (DVD)
The Secret Life of the American Teenager S3 (DVD)
Kyle XY S3,S4 (DVD)

I fell behind on this series the last few days so I’m finishing it off with a threesome of Cameron awesomeness. Avatar is now in theatres (many people have seen it the last two days), so go see the movie! I’ll be driving 10 hours tomorrow to see it at the nearest IMAX cinema, so I probably won’t have a review up until Monday.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Cameron staples: Tough woman, Nukes, Robots, Stan Winston effects
IMDB Rating: 8.5 (ranked #44 on the IMDB Top 250)
Academy Awards Nominations: Visual Effects (win), Cinematography, Sound (win), Sound Editing (win), Makeup (win), Film Editing, Cinematography

The other day I said that Aliens is one of two films that I consider to be the best action movies of all time. Terminator 2 is the other one. Every aspect of T2 is a huge step above the first film. The story is more logical, the action sequences are perfect and continue getting bigger in scope throughout the movie, and the film editing and cinematography work together to create a fast paced film that doesn’t let up for 137 minutes. And then there are the visual effects.

The visual effects were groundbreaking in 1991, inspiring future film-makers (Peter Jackson said that it was seeing T2 that made him realize it was possible to make Lord of the Rings) and setting new ground in the movie business. Unlike the badly aging visuals of the first Terminator, the sequel still looks good to this day. As an action movie, there are few that are as technically well-rounded as Terminator 2. Aliens is its equal, but I don’t think anything else comes close.

True Lies (1994)
Cameron staples: Nukes, Tough woman, Bill Paxton
IMDB Rating: 7.2
Academy Awards Nominations: Visual Effects

True Lies is probably my least favourite James Cameron film, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. It’s a very goofy action comedy that has all of the Cameron trademarks. It has the same cheesy story and script, good visual effects (in 1994), and insane action sequences. Watching it again this week I was reminded of how funny the film is, while still delivering intense action. Tom Arnold is hilarious, and Arnold has great chemistry with Jamie Lee Curtis. Bill Paxton is a riot in a glorified cameo role. Also, it was odd seeing Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) playing the teenage daughter. She’s probably the weakest part of the movie, but she does her job. True Lies is too goofy to be taken as seriously as the rest of Cameron’s films, but it’s a fun ride none-the-less.

Titanic (1997)
Cameron staples: Tough woman, Bill Paxton
IMDB Rating: 7.3
Academy Awards Nominations: Best Picture (win), Director (win), Actress, Sup. Actress, Film Editing (win), Cinematography (win), Makeup, Art Direction (win), Costume Design (win), Sound Editing (win), Sound (win), Visual Effects (win), Original Score (win), Original Song (win)

I missed seeing Titanic in theatres because my parents were the only people on the planet who didn’t care about the movie. By the time I finally did see it on VHS I wasn’t even allowed to watch certain scenes because of the nudity and language. These factors meant that my enjoyment of the film was extremely limited. By the time I was an adult I began catching up on big movies I had missed seeing and was finally able to watch the film in its entirety. I liked it overall, but didn’t understand why it was so popular.

Over the years Titanic has gotten a slightly bad rep. I always hear complaints about it being the #1 all-time box office hit and the winner of the Best Picture oscar. I’ve slowly come around to defending the movie. No, I don’t think it actually deserved Best Picture in 1997, but I do think it’s an incredibly fun movie with stunning production values. The dialogue is cheesy and at some points the acting is over-the-top, but for the most part Titanic is beautiful to look at and the thrilling action sequences are top-notch. I believe Titanic deserved all of the Oscars it got with the exception of Best Picture.

The Abyss (1989)
Cameron staples: Tough woman, Nukes, Aliens, Underwater Shots
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Academy Awards Nominations: Visual Effects (win), Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound

The Abyss is much like the rest of James Cameron’s films. It has laughable dialogue and a cliche ridden plot, but it is balanced out by superb action scenes, groundbreaking visual effects (in 1989), and unbelievable tension. What Cameron pulled off with the underwater action scenes is stunning to this day. There are probably five or six sequences in the film that rank it as one of the most intense Sci-Fi movies of all time. It also helps that the cast of characters is so likable. Ed Harris gives one of his best performances, and the supporting cast works well despite the cheese coming out of their mouths. The only caveat is a predictable villain, but that’s easily ignored.

In my opinion The Abyss is not quite the classic that Aliens and T2 are. While the action and pacing is perfect through the first two-thirds of the film, the ending kinda falls apart for me. It’s not the a fault of the film. It’s more of a problem of me not liking where the story goes in the final 30 minutes. That said, I still think it’s a great movie. The thrill of action sequences alone makes it a near classic. It is worth noting that I’ve never seen the Director’s Cut of the film, which some people say is the superior version. I’ll give it a look some day.