You Don't Know Jack

30. The Pianist (2002) - Directed by Roman Polanski. Starring Adrien Brody. Adrien Brody's best performance. The second best WWII film ever, behind Saving Private Ryan of course. 29. Jarhead (2005) - Directed by Sam Mendes. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal. I love Gyllenhaal and Mendes films. The book is a gripping read, and this is a faithful adaptation. 28. Wedding Crashers (2005) - Directed by David Dobkin. Starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn. Top five movie theater experiences. I had zero expectations going into this film, and laughed until my eyes bled. 27. Magnolia (2000) - Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Tom Cruise, John C. Reilly. Just another fantastic P.T. Anderson film. Cruise is terrific. 26. 28 Weeks Later (2007) - Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Starring Jeremy Renner, Robert Carlyle. It's hard to follow one of the best films ever, and Fresnadillo and Boyle did it. 25. The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - Directed by Wes Anderson. Starring Adrien Brody, ...

In celebration of the release of Let Me In tomorrow, I thought I'd do a review of the film it was based on. It's a Swedish vampire film unlike anything you've ever seen. I saw a quote from a critic that said, "Best. Vampire Movie. Ever." I thought that was setting the bar a little too high, but you can quote me...this IS the Best Vampire Movie Ever. It's directed by Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson. Not Alfredson, nor anyone involved in this project have I ever heard of, and I like that. It takes place in 1982 Sweden. We follow 12-year-old Oskar (Kare Hedebrant). He's a loner who gets bullied in school on a regular basis. He's very smart but can't stand up for himself because he is heavily out numbered. All the adults in this film, whether it be teachers, parents, or anyone else for that matter, are oblivious to everything going in school or at home. Director Alfredson explains it's all for a purpose. A young girl and a man, presumed to be he...

40. Team America: World Police (2004) - Directed by Trey Parker. Starring Trey Parker, Matt Stone. You have to be a fan of South Park to like this film, and I LOVE South Park. The soundtrack is hilarious and puppetry is something we've never experienced before. 39. The Hangover (2009) - Directed by Todd Phillips. Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms. I moved this film up the list a bit because of the wonderful time I had in the theater. There's nothing better than seeing a hilarious movie while surrounded by 500 strangers. 38. Batman Begins (2005) - Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale. Nolan is the best director in Hollywood right now. Bale has a much bigger role in this film, compared to The Dark Knight , where Heath Ledger steals the show. 37. The Village (2004) - Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody. This is the best of M. Night, and it's not even close. A lot of people think The Sixth Sense is his best work, but I d...

50. Starsky & Hutch (2004) - Directed by Todd Phillips. Starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson. Would you expect anything better than gold from Phillips, Stiller, Wilson, Vaughn and Bateman? 49. Once (2006) - Directed by John Carney. Starring Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova. This film is wonderful. The music is magical and the performances ring true. 48. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Directed by Quentin Tarantino. Starring Brad Pitt. Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent put this film over the top. 47. The Informant! (2009) - Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Starring Matt Damon. Damon is fantastic and Soderbergh's film making is better than ever. 46. Cabin Fever (2002) - Directed by Eli Roth. Starring Rider Strong. This is one of my guilty pleasures. It delivers laughs and shrieks. 45. 50 First Dates (2004) - Directed by Peter Segal. Starring Adam Sandler. Sandler at his very best, and a wonderful performance from Sean Astin. 44. The Jacket (2005) - Directed by John Maybury. Starri...

60. (500) Days of Summer (2009) - Directed by Marc Webb. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel. Gordon-Levitt has become a fine actor. This is one of the best love stories of our time. 59. Spider-Man (2002) - Directed by Sam Raimi. Starring Tobey Maguire. BONESAW!!! This is a fantastic superhero film. Maguire may not be Christian Bale, but these films are still great. 58. Lord of War (2005) - Directed by Andrew Niccol. Starring Nicolas Cage. An almost unbelievable true story with a phenomenal performance by Cage. 57. Bad Santa (2003) - Directed by Terry Zwigoff. Starring Billy Bob Thornton. Who thought Thornton could be so funny? The best Christmas film ever, in my opinion. 56. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - Directed by Jared Hess. Starring Jon Heder. Nobody saw this film coming. Although Heder is one demonsional, this is the role he was born to play. 55. The Wrestler (2008) - Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Starring Mickey Rourke. Rourke rejuvinated his career with this dark ...

This is the 2010 Oscar winning Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. It came from Argentina this time around. The nominees this year were this film, A Prophet , Ajami , The White Ribbon , and The Milk of Sorrow . I've now seen three of the films. A Prophet currently sits at #2 on my best films of 2010 list. The White Ribbon was so terrible it hurts to talk about it. So, it's a mixed bag. Juan Jose Campanella directed this thrilling Oscar winner. He's best known for his work on a wide range of television series' like House , Law & Order , 30 Rock and Strangers with Candy . This film stars a bunch of unknown actors from South America, which makes sense. We follow the life and past of Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darin). In 1974 he was a federal justice agent. He worked alongside good pal Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella), not to be confused with the San Francisco Giants 3B; and the beautiful Irene Hastings (Soledad Villamil). He's always had feelings for Ire...

70. Training Day (2001) - Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Starring Denzel Washington. Quite possibly Washington's best performance to date. "I'm the POLICE!" 69. Into the Wild (2007) - Directed by Sean Penn. Starring Emile Hirsch. A great book, and a good adaptation. Fantastic scenery and fantastic performances. 68. Adventureland (2009) - Directed by Greg Mottola. Starring Jesse Eisenberg. A wonderful follow-up to Superbad for Mottola. Eisenberg has arrived. 67. I Love You, Man (2009) - Directed by John Hamburg. Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel. This is a great comedy with a great supporting cast. 66. Step Brothers (2008) - Directed by Adam McKay. Starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly. McKay has proven himself with this film and Anchorman , The Other Guys , and Talladega Nights . 65. The Last Samurai (2003) - Directed by Edward Zwick. Starring Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise turns in an emotional performance. This is an epic film! 64. The Hurt Locker (2008) - Directed by Kat...

If you haven't seen a Werner Herzog (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Rescue Dawn) or a David Lynch (Mulholland Dr., The Elephant Man) film, this review doesn't pertain to you. That is unless you want to try something different, something daring, something ugly, something beautiful, something just plain odd (usually in a good way). I've never really seen anything like this film before, and I'm quite certain that's what writer/director Herzog was aiming for. For most of the country this film was unavailable to us, which pretty much makes it a straight-to-DVD film. The lead, Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, The Missing Person), happens to be one of my favorite supporting actors around. So I decided to give it a whirl. I'm glad I did. It's a simple storyline. Shannon plays Brad McCullum. He murders his mother with a sword at the neighbors house. He then takes "hostages" and barricades himself in his mothers house. The police have the plac...

80. The Break-Up (2006) - Directed by Peyton Reed. Starring Vince Vaughn. What happened to Vaughn after this film? His recent films have sucked. Couples Retreat ? Are you serious? 79. Ocean's Eleven (2001) - Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt. By far the best of the three Ocean films. A fun trilogy, no doubt. 78. 25th Hour (2002) - Directed by Spike Lee. Starring Edward Norton. The first time I saw this film I was 14. It was incredibly boring. However, I gave it another shot seven years later. I was young and stupid. It takes place in NYC not long after 9/11, and this film is haunting and unforgettable. 77. Super Troopers (2001) - Directed Jay Chandrasekhar. Starring Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter. Although Beerfest makes me laugh more, this film is more mature, has a better storyline, is smarter and better written. 76. The Boondock Saints (2000) - Directed by Troy Duffy. Starring Willem Dafoe. This is a cult classic. It's not for everyone, esp...

90. Stay (2005) - Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling. This is a first class mind bender, thanks to a great cast and a top notch director. 89. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) - Directed by Danny Leiner. Starring Kal Penn, John Cho. The production value of this film isn't good, but the writing is absolutely phenomenal. 88. Saw (2004) - Directed by James Wan. Starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover. They're now six films deep, and a seventh arrives in October. The first Saw is by far the best, and it gave birth to a fun franchise. 87. In the Valley of Elah (2007) - Directed by Paul Haggis. Starring Tommy Lee Jones. This fantastic film shows the dark side of a U.S. soldier on return from Iraq. This is a deep and dark film. 86. Me, Myself & Irene (2000) - Directed by Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly. Starring Jim Carrey. One of the funniest performances of the decade comes from Jim Carrey here. Wow, who thought schizophrenia could be so funn...

I took me some time to whip up this list. All 100 films are great. Of course, some fantastic films were left off this list, but oh well. I will do ten films per day. I'm really looking forward to sharing this list with you. This was the best decade for films, in my opinion. Lets get it started! 100. Timecrimes (2007) - Directed by Nacho Vigalondo. Starring Karra Elejalde. This is a wonderful Spainish film about time travel. An American remake with Tom Cruise is in the making! 99. Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006) - Directed by Liam Lynch. Starring Jack Black. One of the best musicals of the decade. It's hilarious and the songs rock! 98. Zombieland (2009) - Directed by Ruben Fleischer. Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg and Stone are fantastic. Shaun on the Dead has nothing on this film. 97. Sex and Lucia (2001) - Directed by Julio Medem. Starring Paz Vega. Another Spanish film. A very sexual and twisted puzzle of a film. A wonderful performance by...

This will be the last decade, I promise. That is until I uncover my best of the 2000's! But I will leave that for another time. That might have to be a 100 film list. So, you can look forward to that. The 70's were a strange period for films. They are very hard to relate to for our generation. The 60's were worse, but they did have some great films like The Graduate . This list will be a small one, only ten films. This list does have one the best films ever made though, as I will reveal a little later. So, do yourself a favor, and enjoy! 10. The Exorcist (1973) - Directed by William Friedkin. Starring Linda Blair, Max von Sydow. Still one of the scariest films ever made. Back in '73, people were fainting, puking, crying their eyes out in the theater. It was shocking stuff, and it still gives me the willies. 9. The Bad News Bears (1976) - Directed by Michael Ritchie. Starring Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal. I bet no one realizes Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Shutter ...

The 80's weren't quite as good as the 90's, but special effects were just starting to come along. I narrowed it down to 20 films this time. I wasn't born until 1987, so I still haven't seen all the films in the 80's, but I think I've seen all the important ones. Enjoy! 20. Platoon (1986) - Directed by Oliver Stone. Starring Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe. A chilling true story, set in Vietnam. Stone's best film. 19. Uncle Buck (1989) - Directed by John Hughes. Starring John Candy. One of Candy's best roles. John Hughes had a big decade. 18. A Christmas Story (1983) - Directed by Bob Clark. Starring Peter Billingsley. We've all seen it 100 times, and it never gets old. An instant Christmas classic. 17. Blade Runner (1982) - Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Harrison Ford. Ridley Scott is still making great films. The special effects were groundbreaking at the time. 16. Vacation (1983) - Directed by Harold Ramis. Starring Chevy Chase. Also known...

I was royally bored this afternoon so I did some good old fashioned research, and came up with a list of my favorite films of the 90's. It was very difficult to narrow it down to 25. I tried to get a good balance of comedy, drama, action, horror, etc. films into the list. I would love to hear some feedback. This was a great decade for movies. A lot of these films I grew up watching over and over. I'm not going to get into too many details. I will try and give reasons for some films. Please enjoy! 25. Happy Gilmore (1996) - Directed by Dennis Dugan. Starring Adam Sandler. I don't have to explain myself here. There are one-liners in this film that I still use to this very day. 24. The Firm (1993) - Directed by Sydney Pollack. Starring Tom Cruise. This was a huge decade for Tom Cruise. His films have gotten a little shady lately, but he was a machine in the 90's, and this is a fantastic film. 23. The Truman Show (1998) - Directed by Peter Weir. Starring Jim Carrey. This...

Ben Affleck is back in the directors chair for the first time since 2007's Gone Baby Gone. Although The Town may not be nominated for an Oscar like that film was, this film is better. Affleck (State of Play, Extract) plays Doug MacRay, a big time thief and bank robber. He runs a four-man team, which consists of Jim Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Gloansy (Slaine), and Desmond (Owen Burke). Renner (The Hurt Locker, 28 Weeks Later) is fantastic as usual, and will be a force for many years to come. Every time he's on the screen, he will have your attention. To open the film, they hit a bank. They wear skeleton masks for this job and it's a fantastic scene. Rebecca Hall (The Prestige, Red Riding: 1974) is a bank employee. She opens the safe for them, but also trips the alarm. So, they're only able to get a few hundred thousand dollars. Jim is irate that the alarm was tripped and wants to know who did it. No one confesses, so he bashes a mans skull in and holds Claire Keesey (Hal...

This type of film isn't usually my cup of tea, but I heard nothing but good things about it, so here we are. It stars teen heartthrob Zac Efron (Charlie St. Cloud, 17 Again). He's your typical 1930's teenager who wants a taste of the big city life of New York City. This film is directed by Richard Linklater (A Scanner Darkly, The School of Rock). Linklater has proven that he can direct absolutely anything. Efron plays 17-year-old Richard Samuels. After school he often takes the train into the big city. He stumbles into record stores, museums, and theaters. He meets a young aspiring writer named Gretta (Zoe Kazan). They become friends as they both try to hit it big in the Big Apple. Richard is hanging outside a prestigious theater when Orson Welles (Christian McKay) makes an appearance. Richard makes a good impression on Orson and gets cast in Orson's new production of Julius Caesar. His role is small but he's excited nonetheless. He meets the beautiful Sonja (Claire...

Tell No One is a gripping French thriller that came out a few years back. It got fantastic reviews, so I gave it the old college try. It's written and directed by Guillaume Canet, who also plays a small role in the film. It stars unknown actor Francois Cluzet, as Alexandre Beck. His wife Margot is played by Marie-Josee Croze (Munich, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). They take a day off from the city life, and head to their favorite spot on the lake. It's secluded, so they skinny dip, which is quite common overseas I've been told. They have a small argument and Margot swims to shore. Soon after, Alex hears a scream so he also swims to shore. As he climbs the dock, he gets clubbed in the head and falls into the water unconscious. Eight years later... We learn that Alex was found alive on the shore, but Margot was found dead. Alex was in a coma for three days. Alex was also the prime suspect for the murder, but there was no evidence to prove it. He has put it all behind hi...

In the Year of Our Lord 1974: Based on a novel by David Peace; which is inspired by true events. Part 1 is the best of the three, thanks to a fantastic performance by Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Never Let Me Go). He plays Eddie Dunford, a young journalist who digs maybe a little too deep into a string of murders. He discovers secrets that involve the police and other powerful figures in England. He has no idea what he's getting himself into. Part 1 starts out a little slow, but the last 30 minutes are as good as anything I've seen this year. His unplanned love interest is the wonderful Rebecca Hall (The Prestige, The Town). There are so many great performances in this trilogy. Sean Bean (GoldenEye, North Country) is a corrupt businessman who has the authorities in his back pocket. Also along for the ride are John Henshaw, Edie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), Robert Sheehan (Season of the Witch), Warren Clarke (A Clockwork Orange), and David Morrissey (The Reaping, The Other ...

This is just another family drama...right? Wrong. This very original film focuses on, well, the Jones family. There's Steve (David Duchovny), the father; Kate (Demi Moore), the mother; Jenn (Amber Heard), the daughter; and Mick (Ben Hollingsworth), the son. They're the all-American dream family, or so people think. The Joneses have retired, so they move to beautiful Arizona. They're very, very wealthy. But how exactly? They meet their new next door neighbors Larry (Gary Cole) and Summer (Glenne Headley) Symonds. The Symonds are the jealous type. Their marriage has gone south. The Joneses have everything. They have the largest, nicest house. The fastest, most expensive vehicles. The best new technologies. The brand new fashion statements. And so on, and so fourth. Everyone just wants to keep up with the Joneses. The kids make friends fast at their new school. Mom and Dad have other couples eating out of the palm of their hands. Where is this all going? The first 20 minutes a...

This is a sensational Australian film. It's directed by Nash Edgerton, who's best known for his stunt work and short films. It's written by his brother Joel Edgerton, who also stars in the film. It's a story about regular people who go to extreme lengths to get what they want, and to get the truth. David Roberts (The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions) plays Ray Yale. He's a married man whose life has become boring and dull. He starts a secret love affair with Carla Smith (Claire van der Boom); she's also married. The two make plans of running away together, when the moment is right. Carla discovers a bag of money inside her house that her husband Greg (Anthony Hayes) brought home. She wants to take the money and run away with Ray. Ray is skeptical because he knows it won't take long before Greg discovers the money is missing. So on Christmas Eve, Carla takes the money and Ray hires Billy (Joel Edgerton) to burn the house down. The house is supposed to ...

Despite getting absolutely thrashed by critics, I decided to give Cop Out a chance. Ughhh...I should've listened. Despite having an impressive cast and a director who knows what he's doing, in Kevin Smith (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Zack and Miri Make a Porno), this film is a dud. The laughs are scarce and the whole thing is very forgettable. It's stars Bruce Willis (Live Free or Die Hard, Surrogates) and Tracy Morgan (Death at a Funeral), of course. They are perhaps the worst cops in movie history. They are clumsy, stupid, can't aim, and would be killed in record time in real life. But nonetheless, we have to watch them make horrible decision after horrible decision, over and over and over and over again. Hooray!! Jimmy Monroe (Willis) and Paul Hodges (Morgan) have been partners for nine years. They lose a perp and are suspended indefinitely, without pay. Jimmy's daughter Ava (Michelle Trachtenberg) is about to get married and the wedding will cost over $40,0...

This is an interesting film starring Michael Douglas (Wall Street, Traffic), as Ben Kalmen. Six years ago he was on top of the world. He ran a chain of car dealerships around the New York City area. He was on the cover of magazines. But his whole world was turned upside down after a shady business deal went wrong. Now Ben is a divorced, job-less, womanizer. This film was written and directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Knockaround Guys). Ben's ex-wife Nancy is played by Susan Sarandon (In the Valley of Elah, Mr. Woodcock). His daughter Susan is played by Jenna Fischer (Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story). His relationship with the two has fizzled over the years. He still gets along with Nancy but they barely see each other. He also gets along well with Susan and his grandson. But he frequently is a no show to their engagements. Susan is fed up with his shenanigans. Ben is dating a rich woman with connections, named Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker). Ben is only inte...

Michael Caine (The Dark Knight, Children of Men) plays the title character Harry Brown. He's a lonely old ex-marine who just lost his wife to cancer. His only friend left at his age, is Leonard (David Bradley). They often play chess at the local pub. The streets of London are infested with thugs, dealers, and heroine addicts. Everyday someone gets stabbed, shot, assaulted, or raped near their homes. One day, Leonard decides to send these kids a message. He goes to their local hangout and threatens them with a sword (of all things). The gang manages to take the sword from him. They stomp on him for a good minute. They then stab him several times in the back and stomach. For good measure, they urinate on his dead body. These monsters are not well upstairs. Inspector Alice Frampton (Emily Mortimer) and detective Terry Hicock (Charlie Creed-Miles) arrive at Harry's apartment and give him the shocking news. They apprehend the hoodlums who did it and interrogate them. They are releas...

Let me start out by saying 2007's Death at a Funeral (directed by Frank Oz) is a much better film. Unfortunately, there are only a few differences between the two films. This version is directed by Neil LaBute (Lakeville Terrace) and is written by Dean Craig, who also wrote the original Funeral . An all-star cast helps this ship from sinking. It stars Chris Rock (I Think I Love My Wife) as Aaron. Aaron's wife Michelle, is played by Regina Hall (Scary Movie 2). His successful brother Ryan, is played by Martin Lawrence (Blue Streak). Then there's their mother (Loretta Devine), their uncle Russell (Danny Glover), their cousins Elaine (Zoe Saldana) and Jeff (Columbus Short), and their family friends Norman (Tracy Morgan) and Derek (Luke Wilson). Also in the mix is Keith David (There's Something About Mary), Kevin Hart (Scary Movie 3), and James Marsden (The Box) as Oscar, Elaine's fiance. The film starts out with Brian's (Hart) funeral service delivering a casket t...

I'll make this short and sweet. If you haven't seen the original Crank , than disregard this review. I actually liked the first film to a certain degree. It was brave, fast, fun, and something different for a change. Crank 2 is absolutely preposterous, but writer/director combo Neveldine/Taylor (Gamer, Crank) know that. Chev (Jason Statham), Eve (Amy Smart), and Doc (Dwight Yoakum) are back for seconds. Glenn Howerton, Keone Young, and Efren Ramirez (among others), are also back. We start where the original Crank left off. Somehow, Chev fell thousands of feet out of a helicopter, and only managed to get a little dinged. His body would've been splattered all over the street, but these films take place in some sort of alternate reality or something. He gets kidnapped and his heart is stolen from him. So he goes on another killing spree all across the Los Angeles area. And...that pretty much sums it up, unfortunately. Unlike the first film, halfway through this one you just w...

I finally took the time to watch Oliver Stone's (Platoon, W.) World Trade Center . This is a difficult film to review, because of the subject matter. However, I will not be shy. This film is based on the experiences of two police officers who were trapped after the collapse of tower one. The day started out just like any other for John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jemino (Michael Pena). But their lives are changed forever after they enter the Trade Center. John leads a small group of men into tower one, including Will. They don't get a single save when the tower falls. Officer Pezzulo (Jay Hernandez), Will, and John survive. Pezzulo gets free, but while trying to help Will, the second tower collapses. He gets crushed and dies slowly. Half the film (almost an hour) is spent focusing in on Cage and Pena's faces. They make small talk and try to stay awake. Nothing they say feels real and it's all quite boring. The script is extremely weak. Their wives Donna McLoughli...

I'm going to do my best to make this brief. This film is "based on true events." Yeaaaah, and so is The Ring . I did my research, because I knew this story was poppycock (and because I'm like that). Turns out the real story that took place in Southington, Connecticut is totally, absolutely, conclusively different. Well, this review is truthfully based on a true story. I was watching this horrible, not scary, not funny, not believable film called The Haunting in Connecticut and this is what I thought. I guarantee you'll find this review more enjoyable than watching the film. Because, well, watching it was kind of like being locked in a dirty, dusty, bug-infested, corpse-filled cellar. While a large unbathed man (who smells of something that has passed through an old woman) pokes at your eyeballs. So....enjoy! I will mention the actors, even though I shouldn't because there wasn't any acting going on. The story is about the Campbell family. Young Matt (Kyle...