Archive for the 'Appaloosa' Category
THE BEST MOVIES OF 2008
Last year was a superb year for the motion picture business. A lot of great movies were released and I have taken this opportunity to share with you the best of the best in each category. It was a great year highlighted by the resurgence of the great Woody Allen and two of the best, if not the best, superhero movies in American film history. In 2008, the late Heath Ledger graced us with one of the best performances we have ever and will ever see on the big screen. If you haven’t seen these movies, bookmark this list and be sure to rent these movies in 2009.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to see the following films yet, which saddens me deeply because I know they are most likely great:
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Doubt
So you could basically call this The Best Movies of 2008 (not counting Milk, Frost/Nixon, or Doubt)…
THE BEST MOVIES OF 2008
COMEDY
VICKY, CRISTINA, BARCELONA
One of Woody Allen’s best of his impressive career. FULL REVIEW
TROPIC THUNDER
Hilarious and the star-studded cast lives up to its reputation. FULL REVIEW
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
One of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time and arguably the best in the Apatow series.
BURN AFTER READING
Pitt, Clooney, and McDormand give outstanding performances in this Cohen brothers comedy.
ANIMATED
WALL-E
One of the most likable characters in animated film history and a great story. FULL REVIEW
DRAMA
THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS
One of the most touching friendships you will ever seen in a movie between two young boys, one a Nazi and one a Jew, during WWII. FULL REVIEW
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
One of the top 5 movies of 2008. Tells the story of a poor, homeless, Indian boy who becomes a millionaire overnight. Brilliant acting and impressive in every aspect.
APPALOOSA
An underrated western directed by and starring the great Ed Harris. FULL REVIEW
ACTION
THE DARK KNIGHT
I think everyone in America has seen this movie and knows how great it is. The best ever in the Batman series and an awesomely scary performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker. FULL REVIEW
IRON MAN
Downey Jr. is back and Iron Man is one of the best movies of summer ‘08.
VALKYRIE
Tom Cruise redeems himself in this WWII classic about the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler by his own German soldiers. Very suspenseful and definitely one of the best films of ‘08.
THE BEST MOVIE OF 2008
VICKY, CRISTINA, BARCELONA
Yes, it’s better than The Dark Knight. Read why HERE.
WEEKLY POP CULTURE UPDATE (10.07.08)
NEW MUSIC
Remixes of Katy Perry’s summer of 2008 anthem, “I Kissed A Girl“, were released today on iTunes. This song is no doubt overplayed and overplayed … and then overplayed some more - but I must admit that it’s really hard not to appreciate it. As far as pop production is concerned - it’s perfect. It sounds amazing. I downloaded the Rock remix - it’s pretty good.
Evidently Oasis is still making records - who knew? If those two assholes could actually get a long, the musical landscape would have been much more promising over the last 10 years. What’s The Story, Morning Glory? has got to be one of the most impressive albums of this generation. If anyone has heard their new album, Dig Out Your Soul, send me an email if it’s worth listening to.
Tom Morello (a.k.a. The Nightwatchman) released his second “alter-ego” solo album last week. I will be the first to tell you that I am a huge Morello fan. The work he did on 4 albums for Rage Against the Machine easily puts him in the top 5 guitarists of all time - and the Audioslave albums were pretty damn good as well. Just listen to the 30 minute clips of his solo album, The Fabled City, and tell me he’s not one of the worst singers to ever put out a major label record. Am I going overboard on this? He sounds terrible.
MOVIES OF THE WEEK
Appaloosa
Really really great Western crafted by the genius Ed Harris (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) in which he directed, wrote, starred, and did the screenplay for. It’s a great character piece with a stellar cast consisting of Viggo Mortensen, Rene Zelwegger, and Jeremy Irons - who were all outstanding. Mortensen and Harris’s onscreen chemistry was impeccable and it’s great to see a western played out so impressively. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a movie that moves quickly and has great character development. Highly recommended. [IMDB link]
The Machinist
Released in 2004, The Machinist stars a 110-pound Christian Bale who has completely emaciated himself for the role of a disconnected insomniac who hasn’t slept in over a year. This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in the last 5 years. Christian Bale paired with the imagery and unbelievable cinematography make this a must see. The next movie you rent should be The Machinist.
SONGS OF THE WEEK
“Surf Wax Off Your Shoulder”
A remix of Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” mixed with Weezer’s “Surf Wax America” … some call it blasphemy, I call it badass.
“Heaven is a Halfpipe” by OPM
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Who else but the beautiful Tina Fey? I do have a crush on Tina Fey and I have noted this many many times before. She reprises her now famous impersonation as Sarah Palin. Laugh out loud funny…
HAYDEN PANETTIERE PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Why I don’t do this every week, who knows. I do know that I just checked and yes, she is 19. Click this picture and make it bigger, trust me.
NON-HAYDEN PANETTIERE PICTURES OF THE WEEK
