When I say it's a shpadoinkle day!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226273/

People love to hate Mel Gibson. His recent outburst at a reporter for example was blown way out of proportion. I have always liked him and will continue to see his films no matter what he says. I am glad to see him come back and Edge of darkness is a good example of Mel at his finest. Last year another British miniseries State of play was made into a film with good results, and this one fares surprisingly well too considering how good the original series was. The plot is fairly standard. Mel Gibson's daughter is killed when visiting him and since the killer yelled "CRAVEN!" when he shot her Mel assumes he was the original target. The rest of the film is slower than you would expect. There is a lot of mystery in the film surrounding a corporation and how it conducts it's business. This is pretty similar to Taken, but much slower paced. There is action here and it is very well done for the most part. However Mel is clearly aging because it was very easy to tell when they used a stunt double in the fight scenes. Ray Winstone, who is one of the best British actors around, plays a mysterious man who seems to know a lot about Mel's situation. You are never really sure whose side he is on, which is by far the most interesting part of the film. Their interactions create a great sense of suspense because you never really know if you should trust him or not.

This is a very brutal film. The fight scenes are like Taken but a bit more bloody. Those who have seen Payback will know what kind of violence to expect. This is one of those films that does mostly everything right, but in the end it cannot achieve greatness because it doesn't really have much to make it stand out. Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, and Danny Huston are all good but the plot is pretty conventional. After all the mystery and build up the film just turns into a generic action movie but with less impressive fight scenes. It is easy to tell that the same director who made Casino Royale made this because the fights have a similar intensity. Revenge films of this kind are a dime a dozen these days. None of them recently have been bad, but after a while they blur together after a while. We all feel sympathy for a man who loses his daughter, which is why Taken did so well. After seeing a couple of movies where a guy loses a daughter or son I need more than that to make a film interesting. Problem with this film is that it doesn't have a lot to make it stand out from the crowd.

It is well written and the plot makes sense despite the typical evil corporations viewpoint. Mel Gibson is a talented actor, but he needs more than this to make a comeback. Look at the film Death Sentence. That can be summed up as Kevin Bacon's son gets killed and he gets angry and tries to kill those who killed his son. You don't need much more than that. Edge fo Darkess tries to comment on society and how corporations use their power. That works well and it gives the film some extra depth. It still feels a bit preachy at times. There is nothing wrong with this movie really but for all the build up and mystery it has you don't really get enough payoff. It is still a fun film though if you don't mind a slower paced mystery with some good fight scenes. I don't think it is as good as it could have been though. I would still recommend it despite that. It is great to see Mel back on screen being badass and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Overall I give it a 7 out of 10.

The film of the week this time is SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0906665/

This movie is nuts. It is a Japanese tribute to westerns. That mean it has swords and guns. Also I am pretty sure somebody mentions the term anime otaku. It also has Quentin Tarantino for some reason, who still can't act very well but this film is ridiculous so it weirdly fits. I also remember a cardboard background complete with mountain and bright sun. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes westerns and samurais.

The band of the week this time is THE MAGNETIC FIELDS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L85cillM6ME&feature=related

I just started listening to this band recently and so far I love their music. They are like a poppier Loud Reed. The songs are catchy at times, but there is a sense of melancholy and sadness to them as well. Funny how some of the most beautiful music is also the saddest. If you like bands like The Velvet Underground you will probably like these guys. Start with their album 69 Love songs, which while being a bit inconsistent at times it is 3 CD's of melancholy pop bliss with the occasional punk song thrown in.

What the hell:?

I don't remember buying that:|

What makes a movie character great? Is it somebody we can identify with, or a simple hero on a quest? 2009 was a great year for flawed characters, who are the best kind to me. I find heroes boring because they are not flawed enough. I like my characters to have major problems or be more complex, and these are the best of the best of 2009 to me.

1. Christoph Waltz as Hands Landa- Inglorious basterds

I am not a big fan of Tarantino for the most part, but to me Inglorious basterds is his best film by far. Mostly because of Hans Landa. The other characters were good too, except maybe Eli Roth's, but Hans is the true star of the film. What makes him great is you never know what he really wants for a while. He can switch from being kind to being cold and evil in a second. The strangeling scene is a great example of this. Christoph Waltz will win the best supporting actor Oscar. Only Woody Harrelson has a chance at winning.

2. Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker- In the loop

This man makes swearing into an art. People overuse swearing all the time, but somehow he makes it hilarious. The film makes him appear to be a master of manipulation, but really he is a very weak and angry man who is being manipulated by others. In a way he is the bad guy of the film, yet he is also the most fascinating. A bit like Hans Landa.

3. Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell- Moon

4. Jeremy Renner as William James- The Hurt Locker

5. Nicholas Cage as Terence Mcdonagh- Bad Lieutenant: Port of call new orleans

Few people can play insane like Nicholas Cage. He has been critisized for his bad roles, but this shows he has always been a good actor.

6. John Hurt as Old Man Peanut- 44 inch chest

This movie kinda sucks, but John Hurt makes it worth seeing.

7. Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake- Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges is a rock star. I think we all know that by now.

8. Mo'nique as Mary- Precious

Precious is very overrated, but Mo'nique was fantastic. She was quite scary at times and her reveal as to why she does what she does is very emotional in a twisted way.

9. Tilda Swinton as Julia- Julia

Tilda Swinton should have been nominated for best actress. She played her disturbed character perfectly.

10. Woody harrelson as Tony Stone- The Messenger

11. Katie Jarvis as Mia- Fish Tank

12. Sharlto Copley as Wikus- District 9

A lot of people hate this character because of how unlikeable he is. That to me is his strength, he is a very flawed and selfish person for most of the movie.

13. Jude Law as Watson- Sherlock Holmes

Not a great film, but he was the best part of it. I was surprised by his performance because I dont like him much usually.

14. Viggo Mortensen as Man- The Road

This role could have been dull, but Viggo really made it special with his great acting.

15. Phillip seymour hoffman as Max- Mary and max

It took me a while to figure out this was Phillip seymour hoffman's voice.

16. Carey Mulligan as Jenny- An Education

She has a great old school charm to her.

17. Matt damon as Mark Whitacre- The Informant!

18. Christian McKay as Orson welles- Me & Orson welles

This guy portrayed Orson Welles surprisingly well.

19. George clooney as Mr. Fox- Fantastic mr. fox

I think George clooney actually is a cartoon fox.

20. Tom Waits as Mr. Nick- The Imaginarium of doctor parnassus

Tom waits is one of the few musicians who can actually act. He was perfect in this film.

I had quite a good time. The people at my table were Kathryn bigelow, Michael giacchino, and the guy who did the visual effects from District 9. It started out a bit dull. I walked in the crowded room with my step dad and I noticed I was severly under dressed. I was wearing a vintage maroon jacket and a purple, red, and orange striped shirt underneat and everyone else was wearing fancy jackets and ties. I wanted a drink because there was nothing else to do so I walked over to the bar area and walked past a few cool people on the way like Jeff Bridges, Meryl streep, and Anna Kendrick. I realize though these are just people. Rich and successful people sure, but seeing all these crazy fans yelling out their names on the way into the luncheon hall made me less interested in the actors for some reason. I met Christoph Waltz and told him he did a great job in Inglorious basterds, but I was never one to do that kind of stuff most of the time.I know they are used to it, but if I talk to a celebrity I want to have a purpose not just tell them I am a big fan even if I am. The best part of the event was talking to Kathryn bigelow about the Hurt Locker and her other films like Near Dark. She was really nice, and I even met Jeremy Renner when he came to the table to talk to her.

During the lunch I was introduced to Roger Corman by my Step dad, which was great because when I told him I am a director he told me to call him in a few weeks after he was came back from filming in Mexico. Marco Belatrami was there too and he talked to my step dad for a while because he was a former student of my step dad's. He seemed shocked that his score to the Hurt locker was nominated. Michael Giacchino was probably the nicest person I met. He works with my mum on the music to Lost so he was talking about that and how she is working with the orchestra at the Oscars. After a few hours we had to leave, but on the way out I spotted Quintin Tarantino, and shook his hand and told him I am a director working on a swine flu comedy short film and I mentioned a film school I am going to that he recommended. After that I talked to Han Zimmer who knows my step dad. After that I left, so overall it was a good experience:) I wonder how the Oscars will go. The luncheon was pretty casual but the Oscars are quite formal with tuxedos and such. I hate wearing tuxedos, they are so dull most of the time. Women have so many options for dresses but guys are so limited. I am jealous of women at times, but I will be wearing a bright red tux which should be fun since everyone usually wears black.

I will be going to the Oscars nominee luncheon with my step dad, which is usually a pretty dull event but I found out she i sitting at my table with Michael giacchino. He did the score to Up for those who don't know. Should be interesting to talk to her. Might try and talk to Quentin Tarantino too if I can. I just don't like to bother people if I don't have a reason. I would never just go up to someone and interrupt what they are doing so I can sound like a mad fan. I respect people's privacy. Anyway hopefully this event will go well.

The film of the week this time is BETTER OFF DEAD!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088794/

This is a classic early John Cusack film. Most people love Say Anything, but to me this is one of his best films. It is dark, goofy, and filled with great visual gags. Though Say Anything is worth seeing too:P