Forget wrestling, lets talk films: A look into my top 20 films. Part two.

Writer's note: Here we are with part two. If you haven't checked out part one here it is.

Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi

The last of the original trilogy on my list is the probably the weakest of the three, but that’s not to say it isn’t a well-rounded and satisfying conclusive episode. My Dad was a big Star Wars fan and after he introduced me to the series, I’ve been a big fan ever since. With the introduction of the Ewok’s and of course Princess Leia in her slave outfit, the film includes many unforgettable moments. Furthermore, the triple stranded climax is masterful. It’s a shame the prequel trilogy couldn’t live up to the originals, hence why none of them are on the list. The prequels are still some of my favourite films but they just didn’t contain enough quality to warrant inclusion on this list.

Hot Fuzz

Following Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s big screen arrival in the genius first entry into the ‘Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy’ Shaun of the Dead, the follow up Hot Fuzz captured my imagination just that little bit further. Pegg and Frost’s chemistry is amazing to watch, and the ridiculousness of the narrative is consistently funny. Edgar Wright also has the ability to take the gloss of Hollywood and apply it to quintessentially English situations. So good.

Superbad

If American Pie was the blue print for the later 90s/early 00s then Superbad is the blue print for the late 00’s and beyond. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera put in fantastic performances in what is a pant wettingly funny comedy backed up by Christopher Mintz-Plasse (awesome name) as Fogell and Seth Rogan and Bill Hader as a hapless couple of cops. In spite of the continuous belly laughs, there is a distinct sense of pain running through Superbad as our loveable trio of geek best friends face the fear of leaving for college. A critically acclaimed modern great, Judd Apatow’s brand of gross out comedy has dominated ever since its release.

Borat

I’ll never forget the experience of seeing this at the cinema. The atmosphere was incredible. I’ve never known a film to get so many huge and consistent laughs. Sacha Baron – Cohen has melon-sized cajones for participating in the various activities, interviews and conversations that are featured in the film. The reactions of his unwitting victims are priceless and are what makes the film what it is. Simultaneously hilarious and cringe-inducing, full of ingenious bits that you just wanted to describe to your friends and then laugh all over again when you did.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

A film based on a theme park ride? Who’d have known that the series would go on to feature some of the highest grossing films of all time. Pirates would be absolutely nothing without Johnny Depp, he simply steals the show. Captain Jack Sparrow is a magnificent creation. Eccentric and ecstatic, Johnny Depp’s character is a loveable self-publicising rogue that is refreshing and original in his fluidity and behaviour. The swash buckling action is rousing while the rest of the film is funny and spectacular and makes for a well rounded favourite of mine.

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Undoubtedly epic, Peter Jackson’s vision of Tolkiens universe is a masterpiece. The Fellowship of the Ring sets up the story perfectly, The Two Towers brought us the rousing battle of Helm’s Deep and the fascinating advancement of motion captured CG characters in Andy Serkis’ Gollum. Yet, it is the final chapter which shines as my favourite. Honestly, any of the films could have made this list but I wanted a little variation. Return of The King is majestic, moving and an astonishing piece of storytelling. The seamless transitions between each strand of the story are a masterstroke in a film that has A LOT to get through. The battle for Minas Tirith is spectacular and the entire cast put in monumental efforts. Though the film stays true to the book with 689 endings, you can’t say you don’t get emotional as that epic music plays Frodo off to the Undying Lands. One of the greatest tales of love, passion, kinship, hope, loss, betrayal, heartbreak, forgiveness, belief and faith in one another. ‘Not all tears are evil.’

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction is ultra cool and ultra smart. It’s so supremely confident in it’s writing and direction and the cast exudes the confidence of the script’s witty dialogue amazingly well. So much has been written of the influence of its attack on the formulaic nature of Hollywood films. Tarantino blends the serious violence of American gangster movies, crime movies, and films noirs and mixes up with the wacky violence of cartoons, video games, Japanese animation and the fragmented story-telling structures of experimental films. The result was a pop culture phenomenon and one hell of a film.

American Pie 2

The continuation of the sex odyssey, American Pie 2 followed in the same vein of the first with the embarrassing situations placed upon the characters turning into comedy magic. The cinematic American Pie trilogy always has something that other comedies in the same vein lack: heart.  Coupled with another amazing soundtrack full of pop punk gems, the second slice of Pie is a fantastic teenage fantasy.

Falling Down

Again, another film that has made its way onto this list through study at university. D-Fens (Michael Douglas) and Prendergast (Robert Duvall) take us on a cross-town journey through the decline of the white male in society. The story told is both brash and subtle at the same time as the protagonists deal with the causes of the fall of the white male. It is a worrying and unnerving reflection of society, but one that is highly entertaining, engaging and recommended if this film has passed you by.

Toy Story 3

A landmark in animation that was beautiful and significant for its art-by- computer and a story of wit and humanity that translated to seemingly everyone alive, the original Toy Story made Pixar a profit machine. Toy Story is about much more than a group of plastic playthings, its about heart, a melancholy meditation on loss, mortality and love. While maintaining the fun, humour and action packed sequences of your typical Pixar movie, the underlying tone is a dark and crushing one of lost youth. An extremely satisfying conclusion to the best-animated movie series of all time.

And there we have it, thank you so much for reading. I hope you’ve enjoyed a little insight to my favourite films and I’ll be thrilled if I’ve introduced you to something new to check out. Leave me some feedback in the comments or

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Cheers!

Forget wrestling, lets talk films: A look into my top 20 films. Part one.

It goes without saying that of the abundance of movies ever made, one only has the time to watch but a minority of those created. Whittling down a list of favourite movies proves even more difficult. I must stress FAVOURITE movies. This is just my personal opinion. Of the following list, some are met with tremendous critical acclaim and some are met with the proverbial rotten tomatoes. Some movies are serious, designed to make the audience think. Other movies are designed primarily to amuse and entertain. The films on this list inspire a countless amount of emotions in me, and after all, isn’t that what a great film is really about?

Here, in no particular order, are the first 10 of my top 20 favourite films… so far. I’ll provide a mini overview, mini review and an incline into why each film is important to me. I hope I give you something new to check out or an urge to re-watch some of the films listed.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

A film that was created on a budget of just $11 Million (tiny when you think of the magnitude of the thing), going onto become (when adjusted for inflation) the second highest grossing film in the USA and Canada and effectively one of the first block buster films, A New Hope is one of the most critically acclaimed and influential films of all time. It’s easy to see why. The cast is so loveable, the story so engaging and admit it, everyone wants to live in a galaxy far, far away. It was (and still is) the perfect introduction to the biggest movie franchise of all time. My favourite of the saga and my favourite film.

 The Matrix

The most significant science fiction blockbuster of the turn of the millennium. The Matrix was cool as fuck. Martial arts, sunglasses, guns, trench coats and an intriguing (if not slightly stolen) plot combined with some stunning visual effects make for a film that took pop culture by storm. Setting a new standard for cinematic fight scenes as well as the bullet time effect being taken to new heights, The Matrix has a lasting legacy. It even managed to make Keanu Reeves cool, if only briefly.

American Pie

One of those films that wasn’t met with overwhelming critical support upon its release. American Pie is crude, lewd and downright funny. The premise is simple; four boys make a pact to lose their virginity before high school ends. What follows is a cringetastic and hilarious hour and a half exploring the awkwardness of late teenage life... something we can all relate to. Not to mention it spawned a whole host of copy-cat films in the years following its release. With a kick-ass soundtrack and a cameo from Blink 182, this film is near and dear to my heart.

Garden State

Garden State is an independent film written by, directed by and starring Zach Braff. A whip-smart, angst ridden Andrew Largeman (Braff) is awoken from a Lithium haze when he returns home for the funeral of his mother. Cue an emotional and hilarious re-birth brought on by a kooky journey around town with his old friend Mark (Peter Sarsgaard) and new friend Sam (Natalie Portman). Zach Braff says of Garden State "I have this theory that your body goes through puberty in its teens, and the mind goes through puberty in your twenties. [Andrew] is dealing with issues that you are going through all the time going into your thirties. He's lost and lonesome, which is something I definitely felt in my twenties." The film definitely provides a wonderful trip through the minefield of being twenty – something. It’ll make you laugh, cry and absolutely warm the heart. A highly recommended piece of film, especially if you’re a fan of Scrubs.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The modern movie cliché is that a sequel should be ‘darker’. Blame The Empire Strikes Back, a crowd pleaser that dared to end with a devastating double-whammy (“I am your father”; “I love you”/ “I know”). Yet, it was everything it was supposed to be. More critically acclaimed than its predecessor, The Empire Strikes Back has so many iconic scenes and quotes it’s incredible. A true cinematic triumph. Don’t forget though, despite it’s darker tone the film bases some of its finest action sequences aboard a ship that constantly breaks down. Genius.

La Haine

La Haine (Hate) is a French story of three friends (one black, one Jewish and one Arabic) struggling to cope with the harsh realities of life in tough suburban Paris. Shot in an appropriately bleak black and white, the story follows Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Kounde) and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui) in the 24 hours following riots in their harsh Parisienne suburb, during which their friend Abdel is beaten to within inches of his life by police and is intensive care as a result. The outcome is an explosion of scathing social commentary and dynamic storytelling. Delving into the generational, racial, and class divides of France, La Haine offers a fearless attack on the frontlines of power. Counting down 24 hours, Mathieu Kassovitz (director) never gives the illusion of a happy ending. This is a fantastic pastiche and a fatalistic account of society's decline. Though blisteringly intense at times, the film does have some welcome sporadic comic relief. Superbly acted and brilliantly executed, don’t let the fact that it is a subtitled film put you off from checking it out.

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

An ingenious adventure movie just about sums up Raiders of The Lost Ark. The first movie of the Indiana Jones franchise, Harrison Ford plays the lead role perfectly. It’s hard to imagine anyone else with the air of coolness that a character like Indy needs.

Influential to a range of future media, including the Tomb Raider and Uncharted games, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a gem. Another Lucas film in my favourites.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

If Terminator was suspense, T2 is spectacle — Arnie’s killer cyborg becomes the best-ever combination surrogate dad and bodyguard, while CGI advancements marked the first use of natural human motion for a computer-generated character and the first partially computer-generated main character. Terminator 2 is an ass-kicking sci-fi action film that I watched over an over again as a pre-teen.

Predator

When you’ve picked at and (over) analysed Predator for a university course, you appreciate its deeper hidden meanings. It’s probably for that reason that the film places in my favourites list. On the surface, the film followers a bunch of ass kicking marines being stalked by a mysterious alien creature. Underneath, Predator is a study of the representation of masculinity as muscularity, power and the ability to survive… clearly exemplified through the casting of the film as well as the direction and narrative structure. Whatever, its still another great sci-fi action film starring Schwarzenegger added to the list.

Juno

Hey look, another indie film. An indie film that won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay as well as nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director no less. Juno just oozes irresistible charm and wit and Ellen Page’s portrayal of the hyper articulate, snarky modern teen is nothing short of exceptional. Aided by a funny and evocative script, Juno is one giant happy pill.

Well that just about does it for the first part of the list. I hope it was an interesting insight into one guy's opinion on films. Like I say, if I've encouraged you to check out something new or re-watch an old classic that'll make me more than happy if you let me know.

This is a two way street though, hit me up with some of your favourite films, expected or unexpected it'll be nice to hear. 

Thanks for reading, Part Two will be up tomorrow!

Wrestlemania 28 thoughts and review

I don’t think there much need for an introduction, it’s Wrestlemania 28! Here are my thoughts.

Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus

Well, what the fuck can I say? According to reports, WWE wanted to break the record for the shortest match at Wrestlemania and guess what? THEY DIDN’T EVEN BREAK IT! The World Heavyweight Championship, the second biggest title in all of wrestling, is treated like absolute trash. No wonder you’re not getting new superstars over if the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE is being devalued to that level. I understand that titles are props to enhance the talent that is wearing it, but they’re also a signifier for the prestige of your company and to disappoint and treat fans both in attendance and at home like shit by having this squash as the opening match? Disgusting. Now let me clarify before I continue, I have no problem with Sheamus being the champion and he’s probably overdue a run at the top, it is the manner with how things went down that pisses me off no end. Having being pushed off last year’s card Daniel Bryan and Sheamus had a lot to prove. However, whichever tool thought it’d be a good idea to book the match like this needs firing. If you listen to the crowd for the next two or three matches, all you’re getting are ‘Daniel Bryan’ and ‘yes’ chants. I really hope that someone in the back, preferably Vince McMahon, heard the chants and figured out that they’d made a fucking horrible mistake. Daniel Bryan is a heel that gets HEAT, he’s not a cool heel that sometimes gets face pops, he get’s BOO’D. Now, when that completely turns around and the live crowd couldn’t give a flying fuck about a Randy Orton match and instead chants for Daniel Bryan, something has gone amiss. I have seen some people try and put a positive spin on the match, claiming that this will advance Bryan’s storyline with AJ. Fuck that. Bryan was rapidly becoming the top heel in the entire WWE, nevermind just Smackdown, and to bury that momentum like this is just a terrible booking decision. Mark Henry and The Big Show couldn’t derail Daniel Bryan. Undertaker, HHH, Cena and The Rock kicked out of multiple finishers later in the night. Yet, Daniel Bryan goes down with one Brogue Kick? Bullshit. Another audible crowd chant, by the way.

0 stars

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus

Randy Orton vs Kane

Right, well here we go with the proper opening match. Both men are rather methodical and slow in their wrestling style, which led to a rather lacklustre opening between the two. The crowd were seemingly still pissed with the opening …kick… and responded accordingly. It really took until the middle of the match for any sort of excitement to occur with a couple of nice back and forth moves before Kane hit a chokeslam from the second rope for a clean win. Honestly, it was definitely unexpected. I’d argue the only reason for Kane to win here is if WWE are looking to re-build him into the demonic, monsteriffic, big red machine he once was. If not and we get a re-match at Extreme Rules which Randy Orton wins, it will have been for naught. The fact that this match wasn’t Kane vs Zack Ryder still makes absolutely no sense in the world of kayfabe, is Ryder supposed to let Kane’s attacks on him slide?

**

Winner: Kane

Cody Rhodes vs Big Show for the Intercontinental Championship

Again, another slow and methodical match. Rhodes worked on the knee’s and Big Show delivered the giant chops, everything you’d expect. Towards the end of the match, Show delivered a botched mid-air spear which hit Rhodes square in the balls. That had to hurt. As I predicted, WWE gave The Big Show his Wrestlemania moment and allows Rhodes to move on to bigger and better things. Not really much more to say on this one, it was everything I expected.

**

Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: The Big Show

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix & Eve

We all knew it was going to be bad. It was. Sloppy execution of moves along with screams to make the ears bleed. At one point, Maria did the stink face on Eve and half of her make up ended up on Maria’s pants. It looked like she’d let a deuce drop, furthering the embarrassment of the divas. The one redeeming quality was Kelly Kelly’s flipping Lou Thesz press from the top rope. The pinfall came in the form of a ROLL UP, the divas finisher of doom! Another outstanding contest from all involved and a testament to womens wrestling everywhere.

*

Winners: Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos

Triple H vs The Undertaker /w Shawn Michaels as special referee inside Hell in a Cell

There are two sides to my thoughts of this match, as it really had me split. On the one hand, both men told an excellent story. The emotion levels were running high and the drama unfolded almost without a hitch. Shawn Michaels played his role perfectly, portraying the tension and the conflict in his decision making. The near pinfalls had me on the edge of my seat and when Michaels delivered sweet chin music to Taker, I thought the streak had been vanquished. The brutality of the weapon shots were, perversely, nice to see as it’s not often you seen physicality of that nature in the current era. At the end, when all three men walked out together and embraced on the entrance ramp, it really did feel like the end of an era and could’ve been the end of all three of their careers. However, these were my feelings in the moment. When you take a step back and really think about the match… it’s a different story.

Sure, wrestling is sometimes purely emotion but we’re looking at a match that lasted above the 30-minute mark and no more than 15 minutes of that could have been action. There was just so much stalling. Repeated chair shots, ask him, wait, wait, no, chair shots, ask him, wait, wait, no, chair shots… it was so contrived and seemed to drag on at points. When there was actually action taking place it worked, but people really don’t pay their money to see them talk to each other for ten minutes. Also, there was absolutely no necessity for the Hell In A Cell, sure it was used as a selling point but was only used in the match a couple of times. The match seemed to play out more like a Last Man Standing match and would have actually made more sense when you consider the storyline. Anyway, if it wasn’t for the stalling, the talking and the uselessness of the cell, this match would have been near perfect. I understand the necessity for some of the spots of chatter, but the sluggishness and stalling dragged the match down for me. Still, the raw emotion, story told by all three men and the fact that the match had me engrossed means that we still witnessed a good match.

***1/2

Winner: The Undertaker

Team Teddy vs Team Johnny

For all the build this match received, nothing happened. Booker T took the brunt of the punishment before it broke down into a messy clusterfuck. Highlights? A sweet, tandem triple flip over the top rope spot was timed to perfection and Mark Henry flinging Hornswoggle out of the way like a rag doll. The Miz got the victory over Ryder after the distraction from Eve. No surprise that Lauranitis is now the GM of both Raw and Smackdown, a heel authority figure works better.

Winners: Team Johnny

* 1/2

Following the match, in what should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, Eve turned on Zack Ryder by kicking him in the nards. I flat out don’t get it. Surely the WWE doesn’t think it’s fans are that retarded? Is anybody supposed to believe that a man would return to any woman who openly admits that they’re using him and just Etch-a-Sketch his memory clean? I would have thought that the storyline was going to lead to either Ryder finally catching on that Eve was playing him or that Ryder was actually stringing Eve along and she would get her comeuppance and we could all move on. No, that’s not the case. What’s going to happen next? Is she going to tell him on Raw that she was actually trying to fondle his junk and he’ll be like HUR HUR OK, DERRRRP. It’s just another example of terrible booking. Ryder was building so much momentum for himself. His merchandise was some of the top selling and he was getting more and more over each week. Until WWE crushed his momentum with both the Kane storyline and now this storyline by making him look like an absolute doofus, it’s quickly turning people off. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE NEW STARS WWE?

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship

The opening minutes of this contest had me worried. I think they focussed a little too much on Jericho trying to get Punk disqualified. It would have been better if they’d have followed the formula of Jericho vs Michaels at Wrestlemania 19. Just out and out action from the get go. The spots with Jericho cowering in the corner could have been placed intermittently throughout the match, not all at once. However, the pace quickly picked up and the psychology between the two was superb. It easily ended up the best match in terms of wrestling quality on the night. The top rope counter Codebreaker was amazing and Punk screaming ‘Tap you son of a bitch!’ was the emotional highlight. Not quite the clinic I was hoping for, but a good effort nonetheless.

****

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk

Somebody in the back thought it would be a good idea to have Brodus Clay come out with a bunch of people dressed as old women with inflatable asses and dance. Honestly, whoever in the back thinks this is funny is so out of touch it’s unbelievable. Its things like this that make wrestling fans embarrassed to admit they watch.

John Cena vs The Rock

The atmosphere for the match was everything I had hoped for. My TV speakers were shaking from the thunderous response. Shame about Eminem getting aids and coming out and spewing something about John Cena being an underdog before the match. Are you serious? John Cena is the furthest away from being an underdog possible. Dumb shit got boo’d for that. Good.

As for the match, being The Rock’s first singles match in 8 years it was never going to be a technical classic but the two put on a decent match. Basic back and forth offence was utilised well before they began to bust out signature moves. It could be argued that the match was sloppy in parts and it legitimately looked like they were trying to take each other’s heads off at points.

Plenty of near falls and finishing manoeuvres before the application of back and forth submission holds. Cena’s STF has never been pretty but The Rock’s sharpshooter is horrible. Bret Hart offered to show him how to apply it correctly, Rocky should have took that advice. The ending sequence played out nicely, Cena got cocky and The Rock took advantage of the mistake and got the clean win. I said it in my predictions column but this was absolutely the wrong decision. 

***

Winner: The Rock

The full-time workhorse top name in the WWE just lost to a guy who had his second match in seven years. WWE flushed the past eight years down the toilet. Fuck you John Cena, the attitude era was better. The Rock HAD to put over John Cena because Cena is going to be there the next 5-7 years carrying the company, whereas Rocky will swan off back to Hollywood. If you’ll notice, we didn’t have a handshake, we didn’t have a ‘you’re better’ type deal. That sets up the potential for a re-match. The Rock is booked for Raw tonight and something is DEFINITELY going down. Cena’s character could go a variety of ways. He could get depressed, turn manically enraged and start destroying people or just accept it and continue being the happy go lucky Cena we all know.  It could of course lead to the long time coming Cena heel turn, but I’m not getting my hopes up. If we are in fact heading for the rumoured trilogy of matches between the two, it's a little nightmarish at this point and the fact that we’ll have to endure another year of playground insults between the two is just too much to fathom.

To sum up, Wrestlemania 28 was incredibly mediocre. For an event that had so much potential it was let down by some piss poor booking decisions and it’s a god damn shame. WWE need a serious reshuffle in the creative department as some of the decisions leading up to and including Wrestlemania 28 have been nothing short of retarded.

If I was to grade it, I'd give it a D+ or a C-.

Thank’s for reading

What were your thoughts on Wrestlemania?