Notes from a Genius

It's New Year's Eve and my movie blog project is coming to a close.  Here are the final films over the past two days. I tried really hard to make it to 400, since I surpassed my goal of 365. What a great trip it's been, watching these films and learning a lot. I found some great, hidden gems, too. I saw some pretty terrible ones, but you know, it's going to happen. ...................................................................... Film 390 "Room 304" (A Danish indie film) starring: Mikael Birkkjaer, Stine Stengade, David Dencik, Luan Jaha, Lourdes Faberes, Aridna Gil It's hard to really give a decent synopsis or critique of this Danish film other than to say it was interesting, albeit hard to follow sometimes. I enjoy the story, the suspense, and the intrigue, which is really what a decent movie needs to survive. It all takes place in a Copenhagan hotel, specifically, all the action takes place in one room- Room 304- which has definitely s...

Film 385 "Mystery Men" starring: Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Wes Studi, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, Pras, Artie Lange, Claire Forlani, Tom Waits I am beginning to think that Ben Stiller is either a terrible actor, a one-trick pony as it would seem, or he deems it necessary to be in terrible movies more often than not, in order for us to appreciate him in a decent movie (which unfortunately doesn't happen often when it comes to Ben Stiller). I've grown tired of his schtick. And "Mystery Men" is just another example of how terrible, undisciplined and messy his comedies can be. Sure, every once in awhile his comedies can generate a laugh or two, but they come very few and far between. I'm also convinced that Ben Stiller thinks he's hilarious and he doesn't seem to care if anyone else thinks he's funny, because he'll still be cashing in the payche...

Film 380 "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" directed by: Peter Jackson written by (book): J.R.R. Tolkien starring: Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry The second installment in the what I deem unnecessary trilogy of "The Hobbit" story by Peter Jackson does not disappoint. It comes off as superior in every imaginable way to its predecessor "An Unexpected Journey," but then again, that's not necessarily saying much, because honestly the first "The Hobbit" film was a bit boring (especially in comparison to this one). "The Desolation of Smaug" though is a delightful surprise of a blockbuster. The story chugs along at an admirable and steady pace, given the original story is rather short. Smaug, the title dragon, the great and terrible, doesn't actually come on screen until the long-drawn out third...

Film 376 "Blackfish" written and directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite It's hard to not be disgusted by the abuse rendered in the whales' caged-in world as depicted in the documentary "Blackfish" which was written and directed by one woman, Gabriela Cowperthwaite, which basically could play out like one long commercial for PETA. SeaWorld, the popular amusement, wild-life park in Florida that probably has millions of visitors every year. This could be an expose that you see on Animal Planet or Discovery Channels on TV. There's interviews, animations to explain things further as well as animations of courtroom examinations, and probably the best scenes of the film include archival video clips of the whales in question and the trainers. This documentary probes the showcasing of the "killer whale," or orca, with an aggressive but generally non-exploitative incredulity at the parks' apparently limitless avarice in the face of preventab...