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!

'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.

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.