I'm a gigantic cinephile. I needed an outlet for it. Hence, this blog. Come with me into the darkened theatre, bucket of popcorn and ice cold Coca-Cola in hand and we'll get lost in a movie for a couple hours...
It is once again that time of year when I look back over the films that came out last year and highlight my favorites. I deliberately use the word favorite and not "best" because best can be such a subjective term. Besides, I feel favorite is just a more honest term anyway. These are the movies that I loved the most in 2019. Either they were highly entertaining, surprised me, or genuinely moved me, sometimes a combination of all three. With this, I approach the ranking a bit differently, going in chronological order rather than in any sort of more formal ranking system, starting at the beginning of the year and going in order of when the film was first released. With that, let's get to the list.
The Kid Who Would Be King This utterly charming and woefully underappreciated family film from filmmaker Joe Cornish was a real treat. An imaginative and fun contemporary take on the Arthurian legend has a young boy named Alex (played by Louis Serkis) finding Excalibur while trying to dodge a couple of school bullies. Able to pull the sword from the fabled stone, Alex finds himself thrust into an adventure against Morgana (played by Rebecca Ferguson), along with his best friend Bedders (played by Dean Chaumoo) and the aforementioned school bullies Lance (played by Tom Taylor) and Kaye (played by Rhianna Dorris), with assistance from Merlin himself (played at varying points by Angus Imrie and Patrick Stewart). I thoroughly enjoyed this film and was disappointed when it didn't do as well as it should have at the box office.
Shazam I waited a long time for this movie to come out. Oft rumored, but kept getting delayed until finally arriving this Spring. It proved to be well worth the wait. A wonderful and very fun Superhero movie with a great turn by Zachary Levi in the titular role as the Superhero version of young teenage Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel). With Jack Dylan Glaser as his new friend Freddy Freeman and a strong villainous turn by Mark Strong, this one was a lot of fun.
Captain Marvel After the emotionally taxing Avengers: Infinity War and the underwhelming Ant-Man & The Wasp, this was a fun return to form for Marvel with Brie Larson in the title role. The film takes us back to the 90s, predating most of the MCU up to that point to show her origins as she teams up with a younger Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) as they find themselves in the middle of a galactic war between two different alien races, while also dealing with her conflicting memories and amnesia while dealing with assorted villains (something Samuel L. Jackson seems to specialize in *cough*LongKissGoodnight*cough*). This one was a lot of fun and whoever had the idea to set the climactic battle to No Doubt's "Just a Girl", that was an inspired touch.
Avengers: Endgame The previous 22 films come to a natural conclusion in this sprawling epic of a Superhero movie in an emotional and satisfying way. Of course, there will be many more Marvel movies after this, but this feels like a genuine conclusion to the many previous films with a feeling a number of heroes are hanging it up for good after this, a couple certainly are. Joe and Anthony Russo knock it out of the park as they juggle a number of story lines but keep it all coherent as the film's three hour run time breezes by. It's a huge film that really works as it builds and pays off all the Marvel films we've seen for the last decade. No small feat, there.
Long Shot Easily the best Romantic Comedy of the year with some genuine chemistry between Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. Rogen portrays freelance journalist Fred Flarsky, who is hired to be a speechwriter for Theron's Charlotte Field, current Secretary of State starting an election campaign to become the next President of the United States and also, in a quirk of fate, Fred's former babysitter when they were kids. Naturally, sparks begin to fly between the two and hilarity ensues as well. If nothing else, it's worth seeing for the scene where Charlotte is called away from a night of cutting loose with Fred to negotiate a hostage release while trying (and failing) to hide that she's high as a kite.
Detective Pikachu Trust me, no one is more surprised than I am that I have a Pokemon movie on my list of favorite movies of 2019, but damn did I ever love the hell out of this movie. A lot of that has to do with Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu. He is clearly all in on the part and just nails it spouting off one hilarious line after another. Justice Smith plays the straight man, as a young man trying to find his P.I father who went missing and teams up with Pikachu to solve the mystery. A fun and thrilling romp of a movie that also manages to be accessible for the non-Pokemon superfans, which I can attest because I know very little about the fandom and was still able to enjoy the film plenty.
Booksmart Smartly written and wickedly funny film about two friends, Amy and Molly (played by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein), who realize on the eve of their high school graduation that they were so focused on their academic pursuits they never spent any time actually being teenagers. Determined to make up for it by attending a classmate's rager by any means necessary sends them on a hilarious night of misadventures as they try to get to the party. Director Olivia Wilde and screenwriters Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins take the story in some unexpected and insightful places, including a stop motion animated sequence when our two heroines hallucinate that they have been turned into dolls. I also appreciated that Amy is an out lesbian, yet the movie is beyond the sort of coming out story narrative as Amy just wants a to try and get with a girl she has a crush on as her prime motivator to get to the party. It's a refreshing change of pace.
Rocketman Well, here it is. My obsession from the Summer of 2019. I saw this movie in the theater three times! I've had "I'm Still Standing" stuck in my head since May. This fantastical musical biopic of Elton John just completely captured my imagination and would not let me go. I just adore every minute of this film that tells the story of the life of Elton John, focusing primarily on the musical partnership and platonic friendship of Elton (played by Taron Egerton) and Bernie Taupin (played by Jamie Bell), as well as John's troubled relationship with John Reid (played by Richard Madden). Director Dexter Fletcher and screenwriter Lee Hall have crafted a genuinely moving and visually spectacular rendition of the life of Elton John, anchored by a fantastic performance by Taron Egerton as Elton.
Yesterday This was an intriguing fantasy from director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Richard Curtis. After a freak incident that causes the entire world to go dark, struggling musician Jack Malick (played by Himesh Patel), awakes to find out that he is the only person in the world that remembers The Beatles. Of course, Jack starts passing off the songs as his own setting off a sudden and meteoric rise to stardom that he finds is pulling him away from the life he knows, especially his friend and former manager Ellie (played by Lily James), who he may have feelings for. It was the little touches that made this film work for me, including a climatic scene I won't dare spoil for those that haven't scene it. This one is well worth a watch, especially if you're a fan of The Beatles (which I am).
Spider-Man: Far From Home After the epic and emotional Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man Far From Home was by and large a far more lighter adventure romp as Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) looks forward to a reprieve from superheroics during a school trip abroad with his friends Ned (played by Jacob Batalon) and MJ (played by Zendaya). Of course, the peace doesn't last long as he comes face to face with a new threat known as the Elementals as well as a mysterious new hero known as Mysterio (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), who claims to be from an alternate dimension. Filled with a number of fun surprises and plenty of humor, this was a fun summer romp that is very much in the same vein as Holland's first solo outing in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Midsommar After terrifying audiences with Hereditary, I was excited for Ari Aster's follow-up film and I can confidently say it did not disappoint. Telling the story of four college students invited to a remote Swedish village to take part in their Midsommar celebration, they find more than they ever could have imagined. Filmed almost entirely in bright, warm sunlight, the film has a disarming quality that makes the scares all the more effective when they do occur. Genuinely frightening with a fantastic cast, especially Florence Pugh, make this a memorably scary movie.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed this look back to 1969 Hollywood, a time when the film industry was in transition, focusing his story on actor Rick Dalton (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt man best friend Cliff Booth (played by Brad Pitt) as Rick deals with a career downturn and tries to figure out what to do next, while Cliff is content with life as it is. Throughout their story, their paths cross with various other figures of the time, including Sharon Tate (played by Margot Robie), who lives next door to Dalton and the Manson Family as well. Told with Tarantino's signature wit with some surprising plot twists along the way made this one of the most memorable films of 2019.
Love, Antosha This was a lovingly made documentary detailing the life of late actor Anton Yelchin, using Anton's own writings and videos to tell his story, supported by interviews with family, friends and the people he worked with. It's an intimate look into his short life and remarkable career, highlighting what a creative, bold, talented and thoughtful person he was. It's a film that rightfully keeps the focus on his life and both what he accomplished and his creative ambitions rather than dwell on the tragic, "cataclysmically unfair" as Simon Pegg rightfully puts it, circumstances of his death. Anton was one of my favorite actors and I loved this documentary as it shines a light on his personal life and some of his more creative pursuits that I was completely unaware of. It's a deeply moving and inspirational tribute to a uniquely talented actor that was taken from us far too soon.
The Farewell Lulu Wang has crafted a tender and moving story about family and Chinese culture that rings true in many ways, probably because it's based on something she and her family actually went through. Billi (played by Awkwafina) finds herself in a precarious position when she learns that her beloved Grandmother (played by Shuzhen Zhao) has been diagnosed with advanced cancer - a fact that has been concealed from their Grandmother. Of course, the American raised Billi has a hard time with this decision, but her parents explain in Chinese culture the belief is that if a person knows they are dying, the fear of dying would cause more harm than the illness itself. So, to explain the family gathering, they are staging a wedding for a cousin to explain everyone reuniting. Awkwafina, who had previously been known for far more comedic roles, gives a great performance in the lead role. She expresses so much of her character and her discomfort with her family's choices while still remaining silent. Shuzhen Zhao is absolutely endearing as Billi's grandmother and the relationship the two share makes the film. It's a wonderfully made, touching and at times surprisingly funny movie
Blinded by the Light I'm a sucker for a good coming of age story and this one from Gurinder Chadha is a fantastic one. Javed (played by Viveik Kalra) is a struggling teenage boy trying to find his place in the world. He takes solace in his writing, while trying to cope with an overbearing father. He finds unlikely inspiration and solace from an unlikely place when a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen. Instantly taken by what he hears, Javed's life is turned upside down as he finds the inspiration he needs to pursue his own dreams and hone his own talents, despite is disapproving and recently unemployed father, who is trying to push Javed towards more practical goals. Wonderfully directed by Chadha, who co-wrote the film with Sarfraz Manzoor, which was based on Manzoor's memoir, this film has real heart and genuine understanding that some films in this genre lack.
Ready or Not On her wedding night, Grace (played by Samara Weaving), is told it is family tradition for them all to gather to play a game. Going along with the strange request, Grace pulls a card from a antique box that reveals the game they will all play: Hide and Seek. What she doesn't know until her new husband Alex (played by Mark O'Brien) explains it to her a short time later is that over a century ago his family made a deal with a mysterious stranger known as Mr. La Bail that he would fund their family business but any new member to the family has to play a game and if the game is Hide and Seek, the new spouse is to be hunted and offered up as sacrifice. If they fail, the family is doomed. Horrified, Grace finds herself fighting to survive the night and proves to be a far more formidable opponent than the family may have anticipated. Filled with dark comedy and biting satire made this film is one of the more entertaining surprises of the Summer of 2019.
IT Chapter Two This is the one that probably got the biggest mixed reaction, but I really loved this adaptation of the second half of the classic Stephen King novel. Picking up with our beloved members of the Losers Club 27 years after the events of the first film, now adults they find themselves in a final showdown with the evil shapeshifting monster known as Pennywise (played by Bill Skarsgard. Fantastically cast with the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Isaiah Mustafa, James Ransome and especially Bill Hader, this follow-up managed to be memorably frightening and surprisingly emotional in equal measure. I really dug this one a lot and found it to be a satisfying conclusion.
Downton Abbey As a fan of the television series, this was easily one of my most anticipated films of the year. Julian Fellows and director Michael Engler do a fantastic job of juggling assorted plot lines across the sprawling cast of characters making sure everyone gets their moment while keeping the proceedings largely light and fun throughout it's two hour run time. Among the standouts though is of course Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess as she steals every scene she's in with ease. I was also very happy to see that Fellows finally saw fit to give downstairs punching bag Thomas Barrow (played by Robert-James Collier) something of a happy ending with his romance with Richard Ellis (played by Max Brown).
Doctor Sleep Director Mike Flanagan manages to do the impossible here with his adaptation of the Stephen King novel as his crafts a film that is at once both a worthy adaptation of the novel and a worthy sequel to the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation of The Shining. Catching up with Danny Torrence (played by Ewan McGregor) as an adult, struggling with the trauma of that winter at the Overlook Hotel and the same addiction issues that plagued his father. Getting sober, Dan finds himself coming into contact with a young girl named Abra (played by Kyliegh Curran) who shares his psychic talents known as Shining. Abra is being hunted by a group known as the True Knot, led by a vicious woman known as Rose the Hat (played by Rebecca Ferguson), a group of near immortal folks who feed on the Shine of children. With no other choice, he comes to her aid to help protect her and show her how to use her powers to keep her safe, leading to a final showdown between them and the True Knot at the one place Dan thinks might be as dangerous for them as it was for him...the ruins of The Overlook Hotel.
Jojo Rabbit Taika Waikiki's WWII satire takes a big swipe at fanaticism and blind hatred through his main character, Jojo (played by Roman Griffin Davis), a 10 year old boy and member of the Hitler Youth. He has bought into Hitler's regime completely, yet is also a naive boy who even has an imaginary friend...Adolf Hitler (played by Taika Waikiki). He has his beliefs challenged when he meets a young Jewish girl, Elsa (played by Thomasin McKenzie), his mother (played by Scarlett Johansson) is secretly hiding in their home. Darkly hilarious and surprisingly poignant, this is a fantastic movie. And I applaud whoever cast Archie Yates as Jojo's best friend Yorki. That kid stole every scene he was in.
Parasite Bong Joon-ho's searing and engrossing look into class differences has had quite the year, including winning the Palme D'or at Cannes and four Oscars, including Best Picture. It's all completely deserved as this is a damn good movie too. The film focuses on two families, the struggling Kims and the affluent Parks. When Ki-woo (played by Choi Woo-shik) gets a job as English tutor for Da-hye (played by Jung Ji-so), he sees an opportunity to get his entire family jobs with the affluent family. First his sister Ki-jeong) (played by Park So-Dam) as an Art tutor for their son, and then followed by their father as chauffeur and mother as housekeeper, carefully manipulating the naive Parks to get each position, never letting on that they are all related. As the family becomes used to the comforts that the Parks' enjoy, the question becomes how far are they willing to go to maintain their ruse? The film is an incisive look at class conflict and social inequality, as well as a reflection of modern capitalism, it's impact on society, and the lengths people at the bottom have to go to survive. Despite being a specifically South Korean film, the film's themes make it truly universal.
The Irishman Martin Scorsese's epic length crime drama reunites Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, while also pulling Joe Pesci out of retirement is reason enough to see the film. Premiering in theaters ahead of a Netflix release gave viewers an option how they wanted to take in this unique look into the latter years of Jimmy Hoffa (played by Pacino) and his longtime friend Frank Sheeran (played by Robert DeNiro). It is an absorbing, if slow burn, film that covers a number of years as it follows DeNiro's character's interactions and relationships not only with Hoffa, but as a member of the Mob as well. It's a thrill to see Scorsese back in Goodfellas/Casino form here as well as seeing both Pacino and DeNiro acting together in something worthwhile and bringing Pesci back to acting as well. I recommend checking this one out on Netflix, where considering the 3 1/2 hour run time, viewers may be grateful for the option of a pause button.
Ford v Ferrari Telling the true story of Carroll Shelby (played by Matt Damon) and driver Ken Miles (played by Christian Bale) tasked with designing a car that can race in and beat Ferrari in the 24 hour Le Mans race, James Mangold and writers Jason Keller, Jaz Butterworth and John Henry Butterworth craft a film that is thrilling, exciting and at times quite funny in a exquisitely satisfying fashion. Both Damon and Bale are perfectly cast in their roles and play off one another perfectly with their character's differing personalities. This was a fantastic movie from beginning to end and one I throughly enjoyed.
Knives Out Writer/Director Rian Johnson crafts an old-fashioned whodunnit with a few unique twists. When family patriarch Harlan Thrombey (played by Christopher Plummer) dies under mysterious circumstances, detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) is called in to investigate. With a dysfunctional family full of suspects that includes cast members Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, and Don Johnson, the murderer could be anybody. With plenty of twists and turns and a healthy dose of dark humor, this was one mystery that kept me on my toes from beginning to end.
1917 A stunning achievement of a film from director Sam Mendes is one of the absolute best movies of 2019. The film follows two men, Blake (played by Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (played by George Mackay) in the middle of World War I who are tasked with getting a message from their General to the front line calling off an attack that is in fact a trap by the Germans that will lead to an absolute slaughter. Mendes and Director of Photography Roger Deakins carefully crafted the film to appear to be all one shot leading to an unusually immersive filmgoing experience. Drawing inspiration from his own Grandfather's WWI stories, Mendes and co-screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns craft a suspensful and emotional tale of heroism and determination. Beyond the incredible technical precision, the acting in the film is top notch, especially from the two leads, as well as an impressive number of cameo appearances from some of the best contemporary British actors, such as Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch all turn up at various points throughout the two men's journey.
Comedy sequels are notoriously hard to pull off with far more of them failing that succeeding. The fact that Zombieland: Double Tap succeeds as well as it does is nothing short of a miracle. Is it as good as the original film? No, clearly not. But as a follow-up to a beloved Zom-Com 10 years later with a game cast, it's still plenty of fun. As the film opens, we are once again greeted by Columbus (played by Jesse Eisenberg) who thanks us for choosing returning to Zombieland among the plethora of Zombie related entertainment options (a nice little lampshade hanging on the fact that we are overrun with Zombie content these days). He gets us caught up on what has happened since we last saw this post-apocalyptic surrogate family. Zombies have evolved, ranging from the stealthy and lethal ninja zombie to the easily distracted and harmless "Homer" zombies, named after the eponymous Simpsons character. Meanwhile, Columbus, Wichita (played by Emma Stone), Little Rock (played by Abigail Breslin) and Tallahassee (played by Woody Harrelson) have decided to move to nicer digs, settling on none less than the White House. They settle in together making the White House their own playground of sorts while raiding area buildings for various resources and decor. When Columbus proposes marriage to Wichita, with the Hope diamond no less, she gets scared and runs off with Little Rock, who was wanting to strike out on her own after growing tired of still being treated like a kid by Tallahassee. Saddened by their departure, Tallahassee and Columbus venture out to the local deserted shopping mall, where Columbus meets and hits it off with the incredibly dense Madison (played by Zoey Deutch). Tallahassee is less impressed as he accurately pin points for Columbus why she's still alive: "Zombies eat brains and she ain't got any!" Still, looking for a rebound, Columbus takes Madison home with them. It's not long before Wichita comes back looking for weapons because Little Rock ditched her, taking off with a pacifist survivor named Berkeley (played by Avan Jogia). That's not all, there's also a new and extremely hard to kill breed of zombie out there heading their way, dubbed the T-800 by Columbus. Determined to save Little Rock, Tallahassee, Wichita and Columbus hit the road along with Madison to try and find her. The film is once again directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick. Despite the film coming out almost exactly ten years after the original, the film does a great job of picking up more or less where we left off with our four intrepid heroes. It's a few years later, but it is still recognizably Zombieland. The filmmakers also have a fun time expanding their zombie ridden world, from our main characters moving into an abandoned White House, to introducing us to new survivors such as Nevada (played by Rosario Dawson), who lives an Elvis themed hotel not far from Graceland. They also introduce us to Albuquerque (played by Luke Wilson) and Flagstaff (played by Thomas Middleditch) who are basically doppelgangers for Tallahassee and Columbus in one of the film's more amusing gags. They also have our heroes track Little Rock and Berkeley to a huge compound filled with pacifists who have forbidden anyone there from having guns (to Tallahassee's understandable horror). The zombie action is expanded in interesting ways as well, with the different species of Zombie that have developed (the most hilarious for me was the harmless Homer zombies that aren't even worth a bullet). They also stage some great zombie fight sequences, including an extended single take as Tallahassee and Columbus fight off two zombies at once that was impressive in it's execution. The cast do a fantastic job picking up their characters again after all this time. Woody Harrelson is still having a blast playing Tallahassee and the fun is infectious. Jesse Eisenberg once again captures Columbus' insecurity although he has grown a bit since the first movie, even working up the courage to propose to Wichita, even if that backfires a bit. Emma Stone recaptures Wichita's feistiness quite well and does very well playing off Zoey Deutch's Madison. Speaking of which, Zoey Deutch absolutely nails the role of the air head Madison. She was hilarious from her first introduction throughout the rest of the movie. Abigail Breslin has a lot to play with as Little Rock is going through some serious growing pains, wanting to strike out on her own and feeling smothered by her surrogate dad, Tallahassee. This leads her directly into the arms of Berkeley, a pot smoking pacifist who has inexplicably survived in the wilds of Zombieland. Rosario Dawson is a fun addition to the cast as a potential love interest for Tallahassee and is every bit his equal in the badass department, as we quickly discover. Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch have fun with their cameo roles as Albuquerque and Flagstaff as they find fun ways of twisting the traits of Tallahassee and Columbus that we know and love. Zombieland: Double Tap is a better than average sequel that finds plenty of new material to mine as we continue to follow the adventures of Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock. It doesn't quite have the novelty of the first film, but I don't think a sequel was ever going to recapture that. This follow-up is still a brisk, funny and worthy follow-up to the original film. If you liked the first one, chances are you are going to enjoy the second one as well. I know I did.
It's a little hard to believe the zombie horror comedy Zombieland is ten years old now. Essentially America's answer to Shaun of the Dead tracks four misfits as they traverse their way across an America that has long fallen to the Zombie Apocalypse. With a much heavier emphasis on comedy over horror, Zombieland quickly became a favorite comedy of mine, even now ten years later. Anxiety ridden and overly cautious Columbus (played by Jesse Eisenberg) is probably not someone most would have pegged as surviving the zombie apocalypse but he has due to a long list of carefully established rules, such as making sure to double tap all zombies to ensure they really are dead and always wear your seatbelt. He soon meets the far more free spirited and tough Tallahassee (played by Woody Harrelson) who has taken to the new reality quite well, proving quite adept at offing zombies. He takes pleasure in using assorted weapons, such as a banjo or a pair of hedge clippers. He also is a man on a very specific mission: He has a craving for Twinkies that will not be denied. This leads to a detour when they stop at a grocery store only to encounter sisters Wichita and Little Rock (played by Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin). Initially, the two sisters hijack Tallahassee and Columbus' guns and ride, but when they re-encounter them down the road, the four decide to team up after Columbus points out they collectively have bigger problems, like being stuck in a world filled with murderous ghouls that would love nothing more than to make any one of them their next meal. With no better options, the four of them agree to keep traveling west, each looking for a home. Preferably one that is zombie free. The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The novelty of this film is the film is a much lighter look at the Zombie Apocalypse than most films. The film is narrated by Columbus, who gives us a darkly witty and humorous look at how the world fell to hordes of zombies. Much of the humor of the film comes from our four main characters and their interactions with one another. There are also frequently re-occurring jokes, usually tied to Columbus' many rules for Zombieland. These rules frequently appear on screen to great comedic effect, usually when another character does or does not adhere to one of the rules (such as when Tallahassee pulls a muscle smashing up a mini-van to let off some steam (breaking the Limber Up rule). Another interesting touch is that we never find out the characters names and they are only referred to by the city they are trying to get to. The film juxtaposes the frequent humor with a good amount of zombie violence, much of it inflicted on the zombies by our four main characters as they make their way through the United States of Zombieland. Much of it is over the top and played for laughs, so it works. Jesse Eisenberg is great in the lead role of Columbus, giving his character a certain neurotic charm that also provides a good amount of humor to the film. He really establishes his character as being overly cautious and excels at anticipating and planning while also being and efficient combat pragmatist. Emma Stone makes a good foil for him as Wichita, who prior to the zombie apocalypse worked cons with her younger sister and now, things have not changed so much. She's tough, smart and clever as she frequently outsmarts both Columbus and Tallahassee. Woody Harrelson is clearly having a ball playing Tallahassee, a bonafide badass who finally found his calling in offing zombies. He also finds pleasure in the small things in life, such as automatic weapons, destroying things and the aforementioned love of Twinkies. Abigail Breslin is the perfect companion to Emma Stone's Wichita and the two play off one another wonderfully. You totally buy them as sisters and she is every bit as cunning as her older sister, which Breslin plays wonderfully. I also loved her bonding with Tallahassee as the film went on. One of the biggest laughs for me is her explaining the show "Hannah Montana" to him while they're driving late at night and Tallahassee is genuinely interested. Zombieland is easily one of my favorite horror comedies. It moves at a brisk pace, is frequently very funny and, perhaps unexpectedly, shows the upside of the zombie apocalypse. The film keeps it's focus on it's four intrepid, misfit heroes as they deal with a world gone mad and try to make the best of it, forming a surrogate family of sorts in the process.
It's funny to reflect back on the legacy of The Sixth Sense twenty years later. It's a movie that is so overshadowed by it's twist ending, and to be fair it is a doozy. But initially when it was released, it didn't have a lot of buzz behind it. From the trailers, it looked like another Bruce Willis saves a troubled kid movie that bore a striking resemblance to another recent Bruce Willis movie, Mercury Rising, that had been greeted by audiences with a collective shrug. But word of mouth quickly spread from people who did see it, telling other people they needed to see it too. That was how I initially saw the film as I was dragged to the theater by my friend who insisted I had to see it. Needless to say, I was blown away by one of the more tightly plotted supernatural thrillers I have ever seen. Celebrated Child Psychologist Malcolm Crowe (played by Bruce Willis) is injured in his home in a confrontation with a disturbed former patient, Vincent (played by Donnie Wahlberg), that broke in. Several months later, he encounters a kid named Cole Sear (played by Haley Joel Osment) who Malcolm realizes shares several traits with that same former patient. Quiet, withdrawn and clearly troubled, he also displays bruises and scratches he can't or won't explain to the worry of his mother Lynn (played by Toni Collette). Slowly, Malcolm is able to gain the trust of Cole who opens up to him and tells him what is going on...he can see ghosts. Initially, he doesn't believe Cole but as he reviews old session files with Vincent and recordings of their sessions, he discovers the tapes picked up voices of ghosts speaking to Vincent. Convinced, Malcolm sets out to try and help Cole find a way to cope with his abilities and in the process find out what these spirits want from the boy. The film was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and he has created a carefully plotted movie that keeps it's focus squarely on it's characters rather than the scares (although there are some solid ones in this film too). I loved the way he took his time establishing his characters, especially with Malcolm and Cole and the way their bond grows over the film. Because we care about the characters, that only heightens the drama and the scares. The way the film is structured is very interesting as well and how it carefully reveals it's secrets. Upon rewatching the film for this review, I was struck with the realization that we never see any of the ghosts until Cole tells Malcolm, and by extension us the viewer, about his ability. We see what they do, but we don't actually see the ghosts ourselves until after that pivotal scene. I thought this was a really clever touch. The film has a phenomenal cast led by a very much against type Bruce Willis as Malcolm Crowe. I don't think I've seen as gentle and subdued performance from Willis before this film or after. It's one of his best performances, especially compared to now where he is basically just collecting paychecks and phoning it in in most of the movies he appears in. Haley Joel Osment has a star making turn as Cole Sear. He is so endearing as Cole, who has become withdrawn and is frequently terrified by the ghosts he sees. He does a great job showing Cole's growth throughout the film with Malcolm's help. Toni Collette gives a fantastic performance who desperately wants to help her son but isn't sure how to. You really get the sense of despair her character is going through, especially when a doctor she takes Cole to see suggests he might be abused after seeing the scratches and bruises. The Sixth Sense still holds up 20 years later as a fantastic thriller and drama. It's scares may be infrequent, but the ones that it has are quite good. But more than that, the film has a strong and genuinely moving story backed with fantastic performances from a great cast. It's still a movie I have fond memories of seeing in the theater all those years ago. It was a movie that really was a sleeper hit of 1999 as word of mouth spread from those who saw it. I wound up seeing it twice in the theater myself as I went back bringing my brother along with me. The whole time I was half watching the movie, half watching his reactions. It was just that kind of movie. And surprisingly, it still holds up to multiple viewings too. I enjoyed it just as much now as I did the first time I saw it all those years ago.
As I reflect back on The Blair Witch Project 20 years later, I find myself immediately remembering the publicity machine that was operating behind this movie. Before this movie, the whole concept of a "found footage" movie didn't really exist aside from a couple fringe movies here and there. But this one was playing multiplexes throughout the country and trying to play up that this whole thing was real, when it really wasn't. Heather (played by Heather Donahue) is a college student making a documentary on the legend of the Blair Witch in Burkittsville, Maryland with two fellow students, Josh (played by Joshua Leonard) and Mike (played by Michael C. Williams). The film we see unfold is the footage they shot for their documentary that was shot in 1994 by the trio who disappeared in the woods outside Burkittsville and only the footage they shot was found a year later. The beginning unfolds like a standard documentary with Heather explaining the legend of the Blair Witch and local residents are interviewed about the legend. Things take a turn when they head into the woods to find evidence of the Witch herself camping out for a few nights as they hike through the woods. Things start getting eerie as weird stick sculptures start showing up, their map goes missing and they quickly get lost. Things only get more intense from there as we watch their final days unfold through the footage they left behind. The film was carefully conceived by directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez who drew up a 35 page outline for their three actors to follow but left the three of them to improvise the scenes between the three of them with the actors acting as their own camera operators as well. They also told all three actors all the information about the Blair Witch legends as if it were a real thing, planting actors for them to interview to make everything that much more real for the three actors. The filmmakers also kept in contact with the actors as they shot the film. They would stage certain things for them to react to throughout the film, most of it things the actors were not expecting making their reactions all that much more authentic. Shot on a shoestring budget of $60,000, the filmmakers manage to craft a film that works with a frightening authenticity as their situation grows more and more dire. The fact that the actors themselves are shooting the film adds another level of authenticity to the film as well with the shaky camera footage and poor lighting. Then they were brilliant in their marketing of the film utilizing the internet to build buzz for the film by playing up the mystery of what happened to the three main characters and playing it all as authentic. This marketing continued as the film was picked up by Artisan Entertainment and continued into the Summer of 1999. It wasn't firmly revealed to be a fictional film until just before the film premiered. The level of hype behind this movie was huge, especially for such a small movie. The bulk of the movie is carried by the three leads and they give fantastic performances in the film. The experience of making the film for them was basically method acting to an insane degree. So much of what Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C Williams convey in their performances is based on what they went through filming it in the cold, rainy woods. Throughout the film they grow more irritated with one another as the actors themselves are cold, hungry (because the directors increasingly left them less and less food as the shoot went on) and exhausted. Of course, this authenticity plays through in the film making their desperation and fear all that more palpable. They had no idea what was going to happen each night so the majority of their reactions are genuine. They're not just acting scared, they are legitimately terrified. It had to have been a hell of an experience shooting this movie and those feelings read on film to a palpable degree. Since so much of what is going on in the woods is only heard and not seen, it's the reactions and performances of the three actors that stir the imagination of the audience and can only make those scenes more tense and scary. Revisiting The Blair Witch Project 20 years later, after all the hoopla and the subsequent backlash and parodies has died down was interesting. The film started a trend of "Found Footage" horror movies but none of them really amounted to much or had the impact this one did, at least with me. In fact, it was a genre I came to actively hate and avoid so I wasn't sure I wanted to come back to this one because of that. But I can't talk about the horror movies of 1999 and not acknowledge this cultural phenomenon. But, to my surprise I still found it genuinely scary. I was able to get into it just as a movie on it's own terms and it really freaked me out again. Maybe because it played into my own fears and anxieties. I hadn't seen it in probably a good fifteen years but it all came back to me. I know this movie has been mocked endlessly, especially Heather's famous "I'm so sorry" confessional, but with some distance from all that I was surprised to find for the most part the movie still worked for me. Except for the plot point about the map. That's still stupid.
One of the more enduring movies of 1999 has certainly been Stephen Sommers' remake of the classic Universal Monster movie, The Mummy. In fact, when the film was rebooted with Tom Cruise in 2017, that film was met with a collective shrung with audiences just wishing Universal had made another movie with Brendan Fraser and company instead. One can hardly blame them too, as this movie is still a blast 20 years later. Evie Carnahan (played by Rachel Weisz) is a librarian and aspiring Egyptologist living in Cairo when she is presented with a unique artifact from her brother Jonathan (played by John Hannah). It is a intricate box that contains a map that Evie quickly recognizes as the lost city of Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. Jonathan reveals he got the box through less than legal means from an American Adventurer Rick O'Connell (played by Brendan Fraser), who was at the city three years prior while fighting with the French Foreign Legion. After negotiating his release from prison, Rick agrees to take Evie an Jonathan there. They soon discover another group of American treasure hunters led by a former comrade of Rick's, Beni (played by Kevin J O'Connor), are searching for the same place in pursuit of treasure. Both groups soon arrive at the fabled lost city and begin exploring. Evie, Rick and Jonathan discover the mummified remains of the High Priest Imhotep (played by Arnold Vosloo) while the Americans discover the Book of the Dead. Later that night, Evie sneaks over to the American's camp and quietly steals the Book of the Dead. Reading a passage from the book, she unwittingly awakens the mummy of Imhotep. With Imhotep unleashed, he sets out to begin sucking the lives out of the people who invaded his tomb, restoring himself in the process. He also sets his sights on Evie as the perfect person to use to resurrect his beloved Anck-su-namun. This leaves our trio of intrepid heroes scrambling to figure out a way to put the all powerful Imhotep back in the grave and save Evie from similar fate in the process. The film was written and directed by Stephen Sommers, who took the basic plot of the original 1932 Universal monster movie and mixed in a heavy dose of Indiana Jones Saturday Morning Serial adventure and plenty of humor to craft a thoroughly thrilling and fun film. Still, there is a fair amount of horror elements throughout the film too with the main villain Imhotep working his way through the Americans in a bid to restore himself to his former glory, as well as targeting Evie to use to resurrect his beloved. These elements never stray out of the usual realm of a PG-13 movie, but still can be rather creepy even if some of the CGI effects, especially a partially deteriorated Imhotep or the ancient scarab beetles that love to burrow under people's skin, don't quite hold up all these years later. Yet what the film may lack in effects, and they hold up more than they don't, it makes up for in it's own spirited and at times genuinely funny storytelling. The production design of the film is exquisite, from the wide open deserts to the ruins of Hamunaptra as well as the flashback to ancient Egypt that opens the film. It all gives the film a wonderful sense of scope on which the filmmakers are able to tell their goofy little tale. The film has a wonderful cast led by Brendan Fraser as the quick-witted Rick O'Connell, always ready with a firearm and a one-liner. Fraser imbues the character with plenty of charm and is clearly having a blast playing the role. Rachel Weisz does a great job as Evie, showing her character's intelligence with ease as she is an incredibly accomplished librarian, including able to read ancient Egyptian. And like all true voracious readers she isn't always careful about what she reads aloud, which unfortunately directly leads to the resurrection of Imhotep (whoops!). John Hannnah is a lot of fun as Evie's scheming and carefree brother Jonathan. Kevin J. O'Connor is equally fun as the cowardly Beni who is willing to do anything to survive, including helping Imhotep just to save his own skin. Arnold Vosloo is great as Imhotep, especially when he is back to full power, proving to be a powerful and frightening adversary that proves immune to Rick's preferred way of dealing with such threats - copious amounts of ammo. It's hard to believe that The Mummy is really 20 years old. I still remember fondly when it was released in theatres, as well as the the trailers for it playing repeatedly on the monitors in the Blockbuster Video I used to work at back in the day. The film itself was a huge hit, spawning two sequels and an animated series. It's a film that remains beloved by it's many fans to this day and rightfully so. It's a fun adventure yarn with a monster movie twist that everyone seems to be having a lot of fun making and that fun remains contagious to this day.
As I was looking back at the horror films I wanted to feature this year, I noticed there were a number of them from 1999, each turning 20 years old. So, I decided to dedicate a week to these members of the Class of 99, so to speak. It was a banner year for horror with a number of unique films within the genre. I decided to kick things off in high fashion with a look back at Tim Burton's spirited and quirky take on Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Constable Ichabod Crane (played by Johnny Depp) is sent to the small village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders. Upon arrival, he is greeted by Katrina Van Tassel (played by Christina Ricci) as well as her father Baltus (played by Michael Gambon) and stepmother Lady Van Tassel (played by Miranda Richardson). He soon meets with Baltus and the other town elders, Magistrate Phillipse (played by Richard Griffiths), Reverend Steenwyck (played by Jeffrey Jones) and Notary James Hardenbrook (played by Michael Gough). They inform him they believe the culprit to be the undead apparition known as the Headless Horseman. Skeptical and certain his culprit is made of flesh and blood, Ichabod begins his investigation using cutting edge scientific methods of his own creation, with assistance from the young Masbath (played by Marc Pickering). Soon enough, he comes face to face with the horseman himself. Surviving the ordeal unscathed, he realizes the Horseman is not killing at random. With the assistance of Katrina and Masbath, Ichabod tries to find out the connection between the Horseman's victims and put him to rest once and for all. The film was directed by Tim Burton from a script by Andrew Kevin Walker. The two do a great job expanding on and reinventing the classic Washington Irving tale into a a fun and scary piece of Gothic horror. Burton himself draws from the pantheon of Hammer horror films in the design of the film, creating a fantastic sense of mood and dread to the film. At the same time, they infuse the film with a cheeky sense of humor to keep things from getting too dark. It's a delicate balance, but they manage to pull it off quite well. The film is nicely de-saturated of most color with much of the film shot through blue filters. You really get a cold feel for Sleepy Hollow and how dead it seems, with the threat of the Horseman looming large. The production design of the film is positively exquisite in the way it crafts the village of Sleepy Hollow as well as the surrounding woods that are easy to believe are haunted. It adds a lot of character to the film that only helps the overall mood and atmosphere. The film has a fantastic cast led by Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane. He plays Crane as an intelligent man but also one who is throughly unprepared for dealing with something like the Headless Horseman, prone to repeatedly fainting after each encounter. Probably my favorite scene of the movie is Ichabod cowering in bed after his first run in with the Horseman, shaking in terror as he tells Baltus and Katrina of his encounter and them calmly responding yes, we told you there was a Horseman. It's a wonderfully comedic moment that is played perfectly by Depp. Christina Ricci is quite enchanting as Katrina Van Tassel, who proves to be a bit of a witch herself, working spells to help protect Ichabod as she watches over his investigation. She gives her character a lot of strength and smarts, as Katrina is one of the few willing to ride into the woods to track the Horseman with Ichabod. Michael Gambon is clearly having fun playing Baltus who is at once able to be welcoming to Ichabod while also seeming to be someone one hiding a secret or two. Christopher Walken makes a couple brief appearances as the Horseman in flashback (when he still had a head) and makes for a suitably menacing character, even if all he gets to do is growl as he mows through he opponents with a broadsword. It was also a nice touch to see Christopher Lee pop up in a cameo as the Judge who sends Ichabod to Sleepy Hollow at the beginning of the film in another nod to the film's Hammer Horror inspirations. I've always had a soft spot for Sleepy Hollow with it's creepy atmosphere and entertaining mix of humor and horror. The film is well directed by Tim Burton and his style really fits the material quite well. It's a handsomely mounted production that has a fantastic cast to match. If you've never seen it, or it's been a while since you have, it's well worth checking out and perfect viewing for the Halloween season.
