Movie Review #59: The Amazing Spider-Man

I dug this movie a ton. Shoulda told you that by now. You should probably go see it. I think Marc Webb has done a good job of starting up a new version of Spidey. It’s a little moodier, a little more snarky and a little more realistic. I didn’t really care for the fact that they bothered with the origin story again, but I suppose they had to. Lets spend the next 300 words on a countdown of the characters in this story:

6. Capt Stacy
This guy’s a dick all the time. I mean, he finally comes around, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him. He does have a good joke or two, so I think he’s not all bad, which says something for this movie, but he still comes in last place for me.

5. May Parker
Sally Field was ok in this role. I don’t think it was a hard one to deliver, and she’s a little younger and less frail than I’m used to an Aunt May being. She didn’t do anything wrong, she’s just not perfect.

4. Curt Conners
This guy was craycray. I liked the Lizard. I liked the way he worked. I thought Rhys was ok as an actor, not overwhelmingly great. But I thought that the villain in villain mode was pretty awesome.

3. Gwen Stacy
Gwen is cute. I’m not a huge fan of Emma, though I think she’s a great actress. Also, I don’t like that she went blonde for the role. I like red-head. BUT, the character is well written and she does a great job performing it. Shes snarky, smart, cute, teenaged. I love her in this role. Maybe she’s growing on me.

2. Peter Parker
I coulda swore this was going to be the one movie where the main character was my favorite part. I can promise you that wont be the case with Dark Knight Rises, I know that already. But I really like this version of Peter. I might be biased due to my overwhelming man crush on Andrew Garfield, but I still like the snarky, loud mouthed version of the character. it’s more like what i know for the character.

1. Ben Parker
THIS IS THE BEST BEN PARKER YOU WILL EVER SEE. 1st of all, the character rarely makes it as far into the movie as he does in this one. But second, he does a really really great job with the role. So awesome. I just want to hug him a lot. I want him to give me a bunch of advice about my life.

But do you agree? Is it a good list? Would you list it otherwise? Did you see this? Agree with my assessment?

Travis’ 2011 Movie Rankings! Part 3

We’re down to the 44 movies I really liked this year!

Movies I really Liked
44. The Thing (2011) – The makeup was better in the first, but this was a lot of fun
43. Fright Night – I really liked this 80s favorite. A fun scary, funny, interesting movie.
42. Harry Brown – This movie was badass. Like an old guy Taken. I love Taken.
41. Captain America (2011) – This movie wasn’t perfect, but I love it and there was some good action
40. Unknown (2011) – Also like Taken, but actually with Taken in it. Taken 2! I think thats really coming.
39. I Stand Alone – I love me some Noe. It’s a really great movie. Not his best, but I like it.
38. The Adjustment Bureau (2011) (In Theater) – This movie didn’t quite meet my extraordinarily high expectations, but I still really liked it in retrospect.
37. An Education – Such a sweet movie. I love Nick Hornby.
36. Jackie Brown – Oh yea! I love Tarantino. So sad I never watched it before.
35. Winters Bone – I love this movie. Totally hardass. I want more.
34. Rosemary’s Baby – I can’t believe it took me this long to watch this movie. So amazing.
33. Sleepaway Camp – Not a great movie overall, but MAN what a crazy ass ending
32. I Am Number Four – Another healthy case of me liking something few else like.
31. The Box – Richard Kelly might be wild, but I like his stuff and this one counts.
30. Insidious – Lots of crazy sh*t happened in this movie and I liked almost all of it.
29. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) (In-Theater) – Its a heck of a scary movie. Loved seeing it in the theater. Not my favorite of the trio, but I still look forward to #4.
28. The Wild Bunch – Classic Western. One of my faves now. Note to self: watch more westerns.
27. Source Code (2011) – I dig this movie. Not gods gift to time travel, but I enjoy it.

Movies I’d Recommend Without Concern
26. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – This is the OG Psychological Thriller. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like it since. No one even tries to copy it.
25. Interview with a Vampire – People seem to hate it, but I think this movie is completely badass. Pitt, Cruise, Dunst, Bandaras. Love it.
24. Trick R Treat – This movie is completely badass. I’m not sure how this movie evaded my grasp for so long, but I’m so happy that I have it now.
23. Contagion (2011) (In-Theater) – I’m still effected by this movie. It’s a very strong film with some really strong performances.

And that’s it for part 3. I’m going to go all out and get all of the rankings into part 4. Hope you enjoy!

History Movie Fight #3: 300 vs. Troy

300: 7.8
Troy: 7

The Movie Fight never runs out of amazing fights to have. By no means could these two movies be considered amongst the best “History” movies of all time. Neither of them would I be willing to call “Historically accurate”. But they do both take place in a part of history that is far better known for its mythos than for its realism and fact.

There’s a certain level to which the movie of the two that better depicts the history of the storytelling is the movie that should better win the history fight. While one tells a somewhat hollywoodized version of the Iliad, the other tells a highly comic booked version of the Spartan’s last stand.

But in this case, though this is a rare one, I have to go with Troy. The historical depiction of this fight, this battle is far more “real” than 300. I think there are some amazingly real aspects of 300, but Zack Snyder’s direction, though helpful to the film as a whole, is hurtful for the movie as a history movie.

Baseball Movie Fight: Day 4

Such a beautiful day here in the D. We’ve got warmness and I’m more worried about making sure you have something to do when you hop online. So here are some Baseball movies for you to rack your brains over:

The Natural	3	4	A League of Their Own
Major League 2	1	6	Sandlot
Bad News Bears	4	2	61*
Field of Dreams	4	3	Fever Pitch