Blogathon: A Life In Movies

Fellow movie blogger CS at Big Thoughts From A Small Mind got an early start on Fandago Grooves' "A Life In Movies" Blogathon! The idea is simple: starting with the year you were born, list your favorite movie for each year through 2011. Although it doesn't officially kick off until May 8th, I'm far too excited to wait! Here's my list!

1988: "Beetlejuice" - This movie single-handedly kicked off my Tim Burton obsession.

1989: "Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade" - I used to watch this on my grandparents' RCA Video Disc Player!

1990: "Goodfellas" - So many incredible performances and such a fun movie to watch.

1991: "The Rocketeer" - A lot of people forget about this one, but it's a classic.

1992: "A League Of Their Own" - I laugh out loud every time I watch this again.

1993: "Jurassic Park" - One of my earliest memories of going to the movie theater...damn, that T-Rex was loud!

1994: "Dumb and Dumber" - Funniest. movie. of. all. time.


1995: "Desperado" - Steve Buscemi's monologue is absolutely priceless.

1996: "Romeo + Juliet" - Baz Luhrman's vivid imagination made this movie unforgettable. I still cry every time!

1997: "The Fifth Element" - One of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time. Luc Besson is such a genius.

1998: "Saving Private Ryan" - Such an insult that this movie lost Best Picture to "Shakespeare In Love."

1999: "The Boondock Saints" - Because you can always use a bit of rope.

2000: "Memento" - Ahh, the world gets a proper introduction to the awesomeness that is Christopher Nolan.


2001: "Donnie Darko" - Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?

2002: "Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" - Epic epicness!

2003: "The Matrix Reloaded" - Damn, I friggin' love the freeway chase.

2004: "I Heart Huckabees" - I really can't say enough for this movie. It had a huge impact on my own personal philosophy.


2005: "The Constant Gardener" - For once, the movie was just as good as the novel. Rachel Weisz was so amazing.

2006: "The Descent" - I'm not much of a horror fan, but this movie was flawless - scary and smart.

2007: "Into The Wild" - The combination of Sean Penn directing and Eddie Vedder composing made this movie so emotional.

2008: "The Dark Knight" - I've probably watched this movie 50+ times.


2009: "District 9" - This movie sucked me right in. I couldn't take my eyes off of it!

2010: "Inception" - You're shocked, I know.

2011 (So far...): "Sucker Punch" - I don't care what anyone thinks, I friggin' loved it!

"Source Code" was a lot of fun, but not mind-blowing: B-

I finally got around to seeing "Source Code," and I have to say that I have mixed feelings about it. I know it's been well-received by critics and audiences, at least according to RottenTomatoes.com. Duncan Jones' sci-fi thriller romance has earned a very high grade of 90% from critics, making it one of the most successful flims of 2011 so far. Once again, it looks as though I'll be going against popular opinion. *Sigh*

The entire plot of "Source Code" was revealed in the trailers, so for the sake of brevity I'm not going to do my usual detailed walk-through. Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is employed by a mysterious branch of the Air Force in some kind of counter-terrorism unit. After a Chicago train is blown up and everyone on board dies, Colter is sent back through the Source Code to the last 8 minutes of passenger Sean Fentress' life. His mission is to find the bomber so as to prevent another imminent attack. Colter is guided by Source Code operator Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and the elusive creator, Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright).

The technology behind the Source Code is a bit fuzzy. Rather than call it "time travel," Dr. Rutledge coins the term "time reassignment." Each time Colter goes back onto the train, he enters a parallel reality. Each time, he wakes up to Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan). Of course, he builds an emotional connection with her, and hopes to save her from the explosion. Of course, he cannot save her because she's already dead. Colter goes back to the train a total of 7 times, each one unsuccessful in discovering the bomber. Each time he wakes from the Source Code and finds himself in his capsule, he demands that Goodwin explains what is happening. **SPOILER ALERT**

In an unimpressive "twist," it turns out that Colter died in Iraq. A part of his brain is being kept active so that he can work with the Source Code. According to Dr. Rutledge, the brain has a sort of "after glow" following death, which allows the Source Code process to work. So, Colter finds out he's actually dead, and on his 8th and final attempt, requests that Goodwin cut off his life support after he finally finds the bomber. In the final sequences of the film, Goodwin turns off Colter's life support and he dies (for real this time). Some how, Colter manages to permanently(?) inhabit the body of Sean in the 8th parallel reality. We see Colter and Christina walking through the streets of Chicago after safely getting off the train. Oh yeah, and somehow Colter is able to send a text message to Goodwin in another parallel reality in which he tells her that Source Code really works. WTF?!

I always have a problem with movies that break their own rules. Do you know what I mean? How the hell is Colter able to send Goodwin a text across alternate realities? Is 4G really that good? Ugh, that last bit of the movie bothered me, especially since I was very entertained for a while. I understand that Colter is able to exist in a parallel reality even though he's actually dead (sounds like "Donnie Darko," actually) - and that Christina is some how able to do the same. I can go that far. But that damned text message. The theoretical possibility of time reassignment sort of fell apart when that happened. At least, for me.

Overall, "Source Code" was entertaining. I can't believe some critics out there are making comparisons with "Inception" - this movie falls short of being as great or as mind-blowing as "Inception," let me make that very clear. It's more like "The Adjustment Bureau" (whose ending also prevented me from believing it's sci-fi elements). But nonetheless, it's an interesting movie with decent acting and pretty impressive special effects. If it wasn't for the crummy ending, I would give it a higher mark.

The Vault: "Willow"

It's always fun to go back in time and revisit the films of my childhood. When I sit back and remember the movies that solidified my current obsession, "Willow" is always on the list!

Willow Ufgood is an Elwin who has dreams of becoming a great sorcerer. One day, his small children find an abandoned baby at the shore of the river. As explained in the opening minutes of the movie, it has been prophecized that this baby will destroy the evil Queen Bavmorda and bring peace to the realm. Despite his best efforts, Willow becomes attached to the baby and goes on a quest to hand her off to right person. Along the way, Willow meets Madmartigan, a rogue swordsman-turned-thief. Seeing that he is of the same race as the baby, Willow leaves the infant with Madmartigan. Minutes later, the baby is taken from Madmartigan by brownies who work for the fairy queen Cherlindrea. Willow comes across the brownies and fairies as he heads back home, and Cherlindrea reveals to him that the baby, named Elora Danan, has chosen him as her protector. Cherlindrea instructs Willow to bring the baby to the great sorceress Fin Raziel, who has been exiled by Queen Bavmorda to the Mysterious Island.*

*Ok, let's stop here. Now, tell me this doesn't sound eerily similar to Tolkien's "Lord of The Rings." The whole time I was watching this last night, I kept noticing all of the little LOTR elements. Firstly, it's quite clear that the Elwins are essentially Hobbits. Willow Ufgood comes into the care of Elora, much like Frodo inherits Bilbo's ring. Both characters are very reluctant to leave the safety of their villages and go on a quest, but they are both motivated by the notion that they will save the world from tyranny. In the early stages of their journeys, both Willow and Frodo meet a taller, dark, stranger who just so happens to be a really skilled warrior. True, Aragorn has much more tact and grace than Madmartigan, but still the similarities are there. The mythical appearance of the fairy queen Cherlindrea draws upon the Elf Queen Galadriel, and both women give magical gifts to their tiny knights - Cherlindrea gives Willow a powerful magic wand, while Galadriel gives Frodo the Light of Eärendil.

Back to the movie. So, Willow travels to the Mysterious Island and finds the great sorceress Fin Raziel, who has been stripped of her human form by Queen Bavmorda and is now some kind of lemur or meerkat. When Willow arrives on shore with Raziel, the evil Nockmaar army is waiting for them. Turns out, Madmartigan betrayed Willow and gave up their location after being captured. Queen Bavmorda's daughter, Sorsha, has been hot on the trail of Willow and Elora. Madmartigan devises a plan for them to escape, which they successfully do. Once again though, after thinking they are in the clear, Elora is snatched up once more and finally taken to Queen Bavmorda. In the final battle sequence of the movie, Madmartigan and a rebel army march upon the Castle Nockmaar in a final effort to triumph over Bavmorda. While the men are fighting outside, Willow and Fin Raziel - now in her human form - head up to the tower where Elora is being held. There's a crazy sorceress fight between Raziel and Bavmorda (hmm, very much like the fight betwen Saruman and Gandalf) and like all happy endings, Bavmorda is destroyed. Yay!

"Willow" is one of those movies that stands the test of time. Although it was released back in 1988, it's still an impressive fantasy romp. This is probably largely due to the fact that the story was written by George Lucas (...and partially borrowed from Tolkien *wink*) and that it was directed by Ron Howard. This should be at the top of anyone's must-watch list, at least when it comes to fantasy and adventure. It's one of my favorite movies and I had a lot of fun watching it again.