Monthly Archives: April 2013
Happy Birthday to Jerry Seinfeld
Happy Birthday to Jerry Seinfeld! He turns 59 today.
Although I mainly like to write about movies, I wanted to recognize Jerry on his birthday because I absolutely love his TV show Seinfeld.
What is your favorite Seinfeld episode?
Most of them are so good that I don’t think that I could come up with a favorite.
Happy Birthday to Daniel Day-Lewis
Happy Birthday to Daniel Day-Lewis! He turns 56 today.
He most recently won an Academy Award for Best Actor for Lincoln (2012). He was nominated for Best Actor 5 different times and he won 3 times. Besides Lincoln, the other 2 movies that he won for were There will be Blood (2007) and My Left Foot (1989).
My favorite Daniel Day-Lewis movies are The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Gangs of New York (2002).
Can you name the 2 movies that he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, but didn’t win?
Oblivion (2013)
Oblivion (2013)
With Tom Cruise in the driver’s seat of this Sci-fi thriller, all that he has to do is do what he does best, act. Forget about his crazy private life. He may have had a lot of drama with his marriages (jumping on Oprah’s couch and whatnot, etc., etc.) and his religious beliefs (Scientology) may seem a bit weird, but lets face the facts. The guy can act and he can act well. He is one of the most solid actors of our time and he still draws a crowd. Tom gets comfortable in his character, hits “Cruise Control” and all of the viewers in the audience are in for a treat. He proves it time and time again that he is highly capable of carrying the majority of a movie on his back. Oblivion is no exception. In fact, the majority of Oblivion is Tom Cruise in one way or another.
After the world has been virtually destroyed by nuclear war and natural disasters, a couple (Tom Cruise and Andrea Riseborough) become part of “the cleanup crew” to help salvage the remaining natural resources that the world has to offer. They are also there to protect their mission and make sure that it runs smoothly. After a while things may not be what they seem.
I am not a huge fan of a lot of Sci-fi movies. Many Sci-fi movies these days are filled with so much special effects that they make the movie seem totally fake. I do not watch movies simply for the special effects. I enjoy Sci-fi movies where the special effects are tastefully done to the point where it doesn’t take away from the movie. The film also has to have an interesting plot, solid characters that can act, and a well written script and story to tie it all together nicely. Oblivion fulfilled all of my requirements of a great Sci-fi movie quite nicely.
Joseph Kosinski does a superb job of writing and directing Oblivion.
The special effects are not overdone. They are beautiful and awesome and some of the greatest that I have seen, but they are not too much.
The film does not have too many characters in it and that is okay. Tom Cruise is great as always, and everybody else is as good as they can be. Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau all performed to the best of their abilities with what they had to work with.
The plot had many twists and turns which made it very entertaining. The story itself was very original. However, a little bit of the movie was hard to follow and I left the theatre scratching my head. I love movies that really make you think as you put each piece of the story together. I figured out the gist of it, but I felt like it could have been explained a little better. That was one of the only problems that I had with the movie.
Given that I am not much of a Sci-fi fan, I was very pleasantly surprised by how good Oblivion was. It is definitely worth seeing in the theatre and because of the excellent special effects, it will certainly be better on the big screen.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Inglourious Basterds is a World War II film of epic proportions. I think the title of the movie is enough to turn some people off from wanting to see it. That is unfortunate because those people don’t know what they are missing. The film is absolutely incredible. At the time that I saw it, I did not think that Quentin Tarantino was capable of making such a perfect movie. He writes, directs, and has an uncredited part in the film.
“Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France…”
A group of Jewish American soldiers known as The Basterds, along with a famous German actress and, a Jewish girl seeking revenge, all find themselves in a plot to try to kill high ranking Nazi leaders.
Inglourious Basterds is one of my favorite films of all time. It is definitely in my top 5 and maybe even in my top 3. I wish I had seen it in the theatre. I was a little bit skeptical of the movie when it first came out, and therefore I ended up waiting to watch it on DVD. Big mistake! If they brought it back to the theatre tomorrow, I would see it in a heartbeat.
The film has everything. Love, hate, blood, guts, war, beautiful landscapes, spies, traitors, loss, tragedy, revenge, hope, tension, an excellent story, a huge cast of amazing characters, a great director, a perfect script, and just enough humor to bring everything together.
Inglourious Basterds is probably Brad Pitt’s best movie. It is definitely his best character, but it is a toss-up between this movie and Fight Club (1999), although in recent years he has chosen his roles very wisely.
Quentin Tarantino managed to not only get a perfect cast, but somehow he got the best possible performances out of most of them. It is amazing how incredibly awesome everyone in the movie is. This is Tarantino’s best movie. He may come close, but I don’t think that he will ever top this film.
Christoph Waltz broke into American movies with his part in this film. Up until Inglourious Basterds, he was basically just a well-known foreign actor, mostly in Germany. His performance in the movie was nothing less than perfect and nobody could have done a better job. He did receive the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor which he wholeheartedly deserved. As I mentioned in my Django Unchained (2012) review, he received the same award in back-to-back Tarantino directed films. Those are both 2 characters that have really stuck in my mind. He got the role of a lifetime twice.
Like Waltz, Melanie Laurent came out of nowhere and was just astonishing. I can’t think of an actress off the top of my head that in recent years has done a better job than she did in this film. The only actress that could maybe come close is Diane Kruger also for her role in this film.
Eli Roth gave the best performance of his acting career.
The not very well-known Daniel Bruhl made his mark in this film and let his presence be known.
Til Schweiger has been acting for a while, but his breakout performance was definitely in this film. Any reference to him will be a reference to this movie.
This was Mike Myers best movie since Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).
Michael Fassbender was an up-and-comer before he made this movie and now he is a household name.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the part of the narrator and you also hear the voice of Harvey Keitel.
The movie also includes Gedeon Burkhard, B.J. Novak, Omar Doom, August Diehl, Denis Menochet, Sylvester Groth, Martin Wuttke, Julie Dreyfus, Richard Sammel, Alexander Fehling, Rod Taylor, Samm Levine, Christian Berkel, and Lea Seydoux.
If you have not seen Inglourious Basterds then after you finish reading this review, stop what you are doing, drop everything and go out and buy it immediately. It is that good. I am not kidding. Go now!
I rate this movie a 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? BUY!
Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland (2009)
When I saw Zombieland for the first time, I was absolutely shocked at how much I loved it. A friend had recommended it and I watched it shortly after it came out on DVD. I went into it knowing nothing at all about the movie and it caught me completely by surprise.
After a zombie apocalypse, there are few human survivors remaining. Zombieland follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) as they fight their way through zombie-ridden America in search of safety, solace, and Twinkies. They run into Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) along the way and their journey gets bumpy.
Zombieland put Jesse Eisenberg on the map. The only other movie that I had seen him in before was The Village (2004) and at that time I had no idea who he was. His performance in the film blew me away. He proved that he had the power to carry a movie by himself and when he teamed up with Woody Harrelson, it was priceless.
A year after Zombieland, Eisenberg was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing the part of Mark Zuckerberg in the film The Social Network (2010). He has since been popping up all over the place with Now You See Me (2013) (also with Harrelson) coming out later this year.
Harrelson was tremendous. He played a great tough-guy and yet he was hysterical. Not many people can pull off that combination. On screen you could really tell that he had a lot of fun with his character.
My friend who recommended the movie to me actually dressed up like Tallahassee for Halloween because he loved the character so much.
Zombieland also served as a big stepping stone for Emma Stone. She was very likable in the movie. Like Eisenberg, she became super popular after Zombieland came out. The only difference is that she was already a little popular from a few previous roles.
Abigail Breslin didn’t need a stepping stone. The youngest of the group, she had already earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). Zombieland served simply as a tool to further her acting career. She was only 13 when she made the movie, but she held her own along with the rest of the cast.
Bill Murray has one of the best cameo appearances that I have ever seen in a movie. It was completely random and hilarious.
Amber Heard also has a small part in the film.
The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer. Fleischer has since directed Eisenberg in 30 Minutes or less (2011) and Stone in Gangster Squad (2013).
Zombieland is a comical masterpiece. It has already become a cult classic and has recently spawned a TV show. It is a movie that I could watch over and over again. The film is not so much about zombies as it is about the camaraderie between the main characters as they try to survive among the living dead. It is a hilarious thrill ride that will keep you laughing all the way to the end.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 3
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 3
If you are thinking about renting a movie from the Redbox, you might want to read this list to help you decide exactly which movie to rent.
Here is another edition of my top 13 current Redbox movies, back by popular demand.
Click on this link to read Vol. 1 from 2/10/13.
Click on this link to read Vol. 2 from 3/14/13.
Click on this link to read Vol. 4 from 5/9/13.
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews July 2013.
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews August 2013.
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movies Reviews September 2013.
I have updated the list based on all the movies that are currently available to rent at the Redbox as of 4/21/13. They will change some of the titles weekly, but the list should still be pretty accurate for a while and hopefully be able to help you find a good movie to rent. I have included the DVD covers and previews. If a movie doesn’t have a cover or preview above it, simply click on the title for my full review of the movie along with the poster artwork and preview.
I do not claim to have seen all of the movies that are currently available at the Redbox, but I have seen 77 of them. Of those 77 movies, here is the list of my top 13 Current Redbox movies:
1. Django Unchained (2012) My Rating: 10
2. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) My Rating: 10
3. Ted (2012)
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) My Rating: 9
8. Looper (2012) My Rating: 8.5
9. Titanic (1997) My Rating: 8.5
11. Flight (2012)
12. Sinister (2012)
13. Lincoln (2012)
These movies in my opinion, are the best movies that are currently available at the Redbox.
Django Unchained has taken over the number 1 spot. Both The Machinist (2004) and The Raid: Redemption (2011) are no longer available to rent at the Redbox and therefore they have vanished from the list. Newcomers Hitchcock and Lincoln have knocked Moneyball (2011) out of the park and off of the list. The other movies continue to hold strong.
Now that you have seen my Top 13 Current Redbox movies, click on this link to check out my Top 13 Disappointing Current Redbox Movies from 3/27/13.
Are you a fan of Netflix? Click on the following links below for Netflix related material:
Netflix Watch Instantly Movie Reviews September 2013
20 Best Drama Movies Based on Real Life Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
20 Best Classics Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Mind-bending Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Romantic Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best War/Military Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Gritty Action/Thriller Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
Happy Movie Watching!
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To all of my awesome readers,
Thank you for visiting and checking out my website. I appreciate all of your continued support. Thank you for reading and thank you for commenting.
I have really enjoyed writing about what I love. You are all my motivation to continue writing and adding to this site. I always wish that I had more time to add more posts. 13movies has now become www.brockingmovies.com. Now that I have changed my domain name, I am hoping that will motivate me to write more. Now the site will be a little be easier to find.
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Thank you for being here. I hope you will return.
Very Sincerely,
Brock Winspear
Stallones Big Question for Chuck Norris
Was this perhaps the real reason why Sylvester Stallone wanted Chuck Norris to join his cast of tough guys in The Expendables 2 (2012)? Maybe he didn’t feel comfortable asking him this question unless they were on the set of a movie together.
Enter Chuck Norris joke here. Who has the best Chuck Norris joke out there? There are tons of them. Can you top this one?
Trailer for R.I.P.D. (2013)
R.I.P.D. (2013) (Click on the title for my full review.)
R.I.P.D. looks like a cross between Beetlejuice (1988) and Men in Black (1997).
The movie is directed by Robert Schwentke and stars Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, Robert Knepper, James Hong, Mike O’Malley, Stephanie Szostak, Devin Ratray, Larry Joe Campbell, Marisa Miller, Josh Sussman, Alexandra East, and Tobias Segal.
This action comedy looks like it will be right up my alley.
The film is set to release on 7/19/13.
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