Movies That Made My 2008

Well, its New Year's Eve today and people look back on what they've done over the past year. Maybe I'll do the same, just with movies. So here are the films that I thoroughly enjoyed this past year. Drum roll please....

#10 Forgetting Sarah Marshall

It was quirky, at times romantic but most of all, subtle.
6 out of 10 popcorns

#9 Quantum of Solace

Action-packed, kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time and I loved the Daniel Craig as Bond.
Check out my full review here.
7.5 out of 10 popcorns

#8 Tropic Thunder

A movie that had it all.
Humor, action and heartfelt moments.
Robert Downey Jr. was amazing!
And Tom Cruise, best cameo of the year I say.
7 out of 10

#7 Recount

The most intriguing, eye-opening film of the year for me.
Check out my review here.
7.5 out of 10 popcorns

#6 Burn After Reading

Very witty and clever.
As the tagline says "Intelligence Is Relative".
Only what you would expect from the Coen Brothers.
Check my review out when Burn After Reading opens in Malaysia (ETA Jan/Feb)
8 out of 10 popcorns

#5 Yes Man

I guess this wasn't my favorite comedy of the year after all.
Made me laugh all throughout the movie.
The great connection between Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel makes this hilarious comedy, a romantic one too.
Check out my review here.
7 out of 10 popcorns

#4 WALL-E

WALL-E was cute, sweet and very unexpected.
Very different.
Loved it.
8.5 out of 10 popcorns

#3 Iron Man

A comic book movie that didn't feel like the conventional comic book movie.
Loved Robert Downey Jr. again.
Set the bar high, only for the next movie to set it even higher.
And of course, LOVED the suit Audi R8!
7.5 out of 10 popcorns

#2 The Dark Knight

A lot of people would be going nuts at me putting this at #2.
Breakthrough movie in its genre with breakthrough acting from Heath Ledger (R.I.P).
Definitely set to be a classic that will stand the test of time.
9 out of 10 popcorns

#1 Pineapple Express

I guess this was my favorite comedy of the year.
And film.
Different kind of funny from Yes Man.
Superb acting from James Franco.
Classic Judd Apatow.
9 out of 10 popcorns

Did you agree with my list? Completely disagree? Drop me a comment. And share your own list of personal favorites for this year.

Thank you to the people who check my blog out all the time. I'll try to spice it up a bit in 2009 and try to add good content.

To close the year out, here's a stupid The Dark Knight spoof of the interrogation scene.

And I thought my jokes were bad.

Happy 2009 peeps. Have a good one.

Doctor Popcorn out!

Opening This Week

Bedtime Stories (2008)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Russell Brand
Director: Adam Shankman (Hairspray)
Writers: Matt Lopez, Tim Herlihy
USA release: 25 December 2008
Msia release: 1 January 2009
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Family
Runtime: 100 mins
Rated in USA: PG for some mild rude humor and mild language
Rated in Msia: U

Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a hotel handyman who agrees to take care of his sister's kids. As he tells them bedtimes stories every night, he discovers the stories come true the next day. Skeeter tries to take advantage of this to help himself out in achieving his aspirations of becoming the manager of the hotel. As the stories become more preposterous, Skeeter's life gets turned upside down.

Juno (2007)
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera
Director: Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking)
Writer: Diablo Cody
Release USA: 25 December 2007
Release Msia: 1 January 2009
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Runtime: 94 mins
Rated USA: PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language
Rated Msia: 18PL

Sixteen year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) gets pregnant and at the abortion clinic, decides to have the baby then give it up for adoption. Juno tells her dad and stepmother about it. They were hoping she'd get into drugs or get a DWI. Juno finds an advertisement in the paper about a couple wishing to adopt a child. Juno, with her dad, goes to see the couple. They agree to adopt Juno's baby when she gives birth.

Having seen this movie, I'd really recommend it. A truly compelling story about growing up, being independent and taking on responsibilties. Not a family movie, but one for adolescents and young adults. Incredibly witty and intelligent.

'The Spirit' Review, Not So Spirited After All

I never knew a movie that looked so good could be so bad. 'The Spirit' in all its pre-release marketing glory looked really good and artsy-fartsy. Just look at the poster on the left. I'm not gonna lie to you, everything in the movie DOES look good. The lighting, the graphic designs, the mood it sets. Unfortunately, those are the best things about the movie. Right from the get-go, everything was just too cartoon-ish. When it came time for The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) and The Octopus (Sam Jackson) to have their first fight scene, it really sunk in that this was not going to be a Sin City at all.

The only thing that likens The Spirit to Sin City is its never-ending surprises (and of course, its graphics). These Frank Miller films along with 300 have proven quite unpredictable. Sadly for The Spirit, unpredictable in more bad ways than good.

Just to name a few flaws, the movie was incredibly cliched; dialogue was non-purposeful; scenes started randomly and ended very abruptly most of the time. I also found many scenes that were completely unnecessary and added no extra zest to the wacky storyline.

The characters, in my opinion were just plain old boring and see through. All except Samuel L. Jackson's 'The Octopus'. No matter how bad a film is, I can never get enough of Sam Jackson going wacko in surgeon costumes and Nazi uniforms, putting his massive arsenal of firearms to use. Gabriel Macht was very very dull in his portrayal of the title character and we see more of his body (probably digitally enhanced, don't take my word for it) than his face. Have you ever seen a superhero movie where the lead character doesn't show his face? Ridiculous ain't it? Eva Mendes, for me, just doesn't fit the role of seductress Sand Saref. Scarlett Johansson's Silken Floss, sidekick to The Octopus, seems very rehearsed and one dimensional. And i really didn't get her purpose or motives for being The Octopus' sidekick.

With Iron Man and especially The Dark Knight bringing a whole new feel to the comic book, superhero genre, The Spirit was just a complete mess. Let's just hope Frank Miller's upcoming projects like the Buck Rogers remake and Sin City 2 brings back the credibility he gained from the first Sin City and of course 300.

Doctor's diagnosis : 2 out of 5 Popcorns

At the premiere screening of The Spirit, I got my hands on this Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) poster. If anybody wants it, just let me know.

What Santa REALLY Did Last Night

Created by Matthew Inman

Merry Christmas again people!

Doctor Popcorn's Top 5 Favorite Christmas Films

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Hope you manage to get your hands on one of these films. Perfect for this time of the year, spreading tons of yuletide cheer.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2009!

Posters Galore

Brand new posters from three movies.

Push coming out 6 February 2009.

Land of the Lost, starring Will Ferrell out 5 June 2009

Fast and Furious out 3 April

Opening This Week

Australia
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman
Director: Baz Luhrmann
USA release: 26 December 2008
Msia release: 25 December 2008
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
Runtime: 165 mins
Rated: PG-13 for some violence, a scene of sensuality, and brief strong language.

Plot (taken from IMDb)
In northern Australia at the beginning of World War II, an English aristocrat inherits a cattle station the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn stock-man to drive 2,000 head of cattle across hundreds of miles of the country's most unforgiving land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier.



The Spirit






















Click on the poster for more details.

"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" Trailer

All the members of the original cast return, 22 May of next year, in the sequel to Night at the Museum (2006). Check out the trailer below.

'Yes Man' Review

For all the details and plot of Yes Man, check out the "Opening This Week" preview post earlier this week.

Although quite unrelated to this review, its worth mentioning that the first thing you notice is how old Jim Carrey looks. He's come a long way since his Ace Ventura and Dumb And Dumber days. He must be in his 40's by now. Having said that, Carrey hasn't lost any of those face contorting muscles as he pulls off some ridiculous expressions. Finally Carrey 'comes back from the dead' of dramas (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Number 23) to do what would seem like the natural follow up to Liar Liar.

With an incredibly simple, generic premise, Carrey does magnificently well going wild and zany. The way Jim Carrey should. And thats what makes the movie. It brings back fond memories of the whacky Carrey in Me, Myself and Irene and has a similar feel to one his ultimate classics, Liar Liar, in which he was forced to tell the truth.

Another thing that makes the movie is the incredible chemistry between Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel (The Happening, H2G2). Before watching this movie, I wasn't expecting much. I expected a dry comedy with good but few laughs. In the cinema, i was pleasantly surprised as I thought to myself this is generating more Lpm (laughs per minute) than any other comedies this year with exceptions for Pineapple Express and Step Brothers. Then as Allison, Carl's love interest, is introduced into the storyline, the movie starts to shift again. This time meandering into romantic territory. The relatonship between Allison and Carl is a feel good one where it seems like they are perfectly fit for each other. I've always liked Zooey Deschanel as an actor since I first saw her in H2G2. But in this film, she adds something more to her quirky-ness, that comes in the form of the character she plays who is this open-to-life, free spirited woman who teaches jogging photography when not jamming with her band Munchausen by Proxy.

All in all, I was very surprised. I was bouncing up and down in my seat laughing my butt off. Although not a classic comedy, but truly a good one. And what was different about this comedy was that it did not follow the typical form of a comedy where the laughter wanes as the movie progresses. In Yes Man the laughs just got louder and louder. I strongly recommend this movie. Catch it in the cinemas. It just came out yesterday so do not worry. It'll stay in theaters for a while more.

4 out of 5 Popcorns

Definitely in the top 3 of my fav comedies of the year.

Next week, The Spirit review.

"G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra" Posters

Just found these. Didn't even know this was a film. Anyways, here are the posters. G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, starring Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans and Brendan Fraser. ETA 7 August 2009.

Another Lost Season Premiere Sneak Peek

Here's another one. With Jack.




Oh My God. Its still just as confusing as before.

American Idol Season 8...million

Writing the title for this I forgot what season was coming up so I had to Google it. Haih. I wouldn't be surprised if the show did make it to its 8 millionth season. Okay, no. I would be surprised.

So, its nearing January. And we all know January is the start of the roller coaster ride on TV called 'American Idol'. Season 8, premiering 13 January 2009 will see a few changes.


Fourth Judge. Yup. Someone new's coming to crash the Cowell party. Apparently, Kara DioGuardi was selected to be the fourth permanent judge on Idol to keep Simon from "always getting his own way".

Hollywood week actually in Hollywood. In previous seasons, "Hollywood week has always been shot in Pasadena. This season, it'll be shot in the Kodak Theater in LA.

Top 36! Instead of a Top 24 in the semi final stages, there will be 36 contestants vying for the 12 spots in the final.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" Trailer (Clear)

Two days ago I showed you guys a very blurry trailer of Wolverine recorded before the premiere of The Day The Earth Stood Still. Well since then, the official trailer's been released on the internet. Here it is. I still think its awesome, even after watching it like twenty three times.

More Dark Knight "For Your Consideration" Posters

I personally like the first one more.

Opening This Week

This week get ready for a double dose of comedy as talking Chihuahuas and a man who can't stop saying YES hit the silver screen. Let's get straight into them previews shall we? First off...



Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Drew Barrymore, Salma Hayek, Piper Perabo
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
USA release date: 3 October 2008
M'sian release date: 18 October 2008
Runtime: 91 mins
Rated: PG (mild thematic elements)

Plot
Real simple. Vivian (Curtis) leaves her dog Chloe (Barrymore) with her niece, Rachel (Perabo) to dog-sit. Rachel decides to go to Mexico on a holiday. Whilst taking in the Mexican sun, Chloe escapes from the hotel room and gets lost. Then Chloe tries to make it back to Beverly Hills with the help of other dogs.

Should be a fun movie to watch. Pretty funny trailer. Recommended for families and dog lovers.





Yes Man
Starring: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel
Genre: Comedy
USA release: 19 December 2008
Msia release: 18 December 2008
Runtime: 104 mins
Rated: PG-13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity

Plot
Carl Allen (Carrey) is challenged to say YES to any questions that come his way for one whole year.

Based on a true story, Yes Man has an interesting premise. It sounds like something I used to do with my friends back in high school. A challenge that we would fail at after just one or two days. But a whole year without saying no to anything?? How could anybody do that? I've been looking forward to this as I'm a huge Jim Carrey fan. I hope its as good as his recent work like Bruce Almighty, Lemony Snickets and Fun With Dick And Jane.

The Inaugural Presidential 'Dodge-shoe' Competition

President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq a few days ago and yesterday he had a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

At the start of the meeting, a reporter barged into the middle of the room and flung both his shoes at the President shouting "Here's a farewell gift, you dog!". Or something like that. I don't speak Iraqi.

The best part was that it was all caught on tape. Check it out below.

I wonder what the Secret Service protocol is for shoe attacks. LOL!

The Dark Knight, Most Ridiculous Plot of 2008?

Its nearing that time again when we look back on the year that was in movies. Let's start of with the most ridiculous plots of 2008. The Guardian recently released their list of the 8 most outrageous of 08.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

What a stunner! 3 out of 8 were superhero movies. The Guardian's list is truly funny. You should really check it out. Here's what they said about The Joker.

"Wait, so the Joker really orchestrated that big truck chase just so that he could get caught and go to prison, then he could kidnap that guard and grab his phone to make the call to set off the bomb he'd previously sewn inside the henchman in the next cell? That would kill the guy who stole the mobsters' money, thus enabling him to … er, what? Heath Ledger's Joker may have been a psychopath, but he had a nerdish capacity for forward planning."