God/Christianity In Film Project

So since I've finished watching all the Best Picture winners, I've been trying to think of a new project to start. I've tossed a few things around, none of which really stuck, but this one did. If you didn't know already, I'm a Christian. I love God, and try to love and serve him in all areas of my life. One interesting aspect of my life has been film. And sometimes I've struggled as to where God fits into that passion and how I can use it. So I've decided to watch various films that depict God and/or Christianity, and discuss them. I'm trying not to limit my list to just Christian made films, though they will be somewhat the bulk of it.

I have watched some of the films of this tentative list, and have even reviewed some of them. However, it'll be less of a review and more a discussion of the content. With each film, I'll focus on talking about how God is depicted and whether I feel this is reflective of the true God. I'll comment on societies comments on God and how they seem to view both Him and the people who serve him. Media has had an interesting relationship with God, so I thought I would specifically focus my mind on how He is treated and whether I feel this is an accurate or an unfair depiction.

My list has not been officially finalized. However, all mentioned on the list I will be watching. Feel free to comment and suggest films that aren't included on my list, or any thoughts you have about my reviews.

Official List of Films (updated 10/19/14)

• Bruce Almighty
• Saved
• Noah
• The Ten Commandments
• The Last Temptation Of Christ
• Fireproof
• Life of Pi
• The Tree of Life
• The Robe
• The Passion Of the Christ

I'm excited about this project. I love film and it will be interesting to do a study on the focus of God and the Christian religion in film and how the world views it. Some of these films are "Christian made" while others are "secular" films. Some of straight Bible stories, while others deal with Christianity and God in today's world. I'd love to get feedback on this list, and feedback once the project has started. As well, I'll also be posting my email address at the end of each review. If you have any questions, or want to discuss further, feel free to leave comments or send me an email! I definitely don't know 100% of everything there is to know about God or the Bible, but I thought I would use something else I'm passionate about (film) to broaden my views and to learn more about what I believe and how others view it.  

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2, 2014
Directed by Marc Webb

I'm just going to put it out there that I very much enjoyed the first Amazing Spider-man movie. I thought Andrew Garfield was pitch-perfect casting (even though I think he can (and should) do a lot better than a superhero film) and I kind of love Emma Stone as well, so it went over pretty well with me. The love story and the story of Peter finding himself as Spider-Man is what worked the best (it almost felt like the villain was an after-thought, to an extent). However, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seemed to just throw everything that worked about the first film out the window.

The second film starts off with a huge car chase. In the midst of saving the day, he saves the life of a random civilian. He's an employee of OsCorp and his name is Max. After arriving late to graduation, he decides (again) to break up with Gwen, later that evening. He's still haunted by her father who made him swear to stay away from her. Meanwhile, old best friend Harry Osbourne arrives back in town. His father died shortly after he came back and he is now President of OsCorp. He finds out he's dying, and, after looking into what OsCorp has done with all it's research, he realizes Spider-Man is the single human trial of radioactive spiders and that he can self-heal. He begs Peter to bring Spider-Man to him, since he thinks Peter knows him (because Peter has been "photographing" him). Meanwhile, Max, our saved civilian from the beginning is obsessed with Spider-Man but soon has his own accident. Being electrocuted and then falling into a tank of electric eels, he becomes a being of electricity. Things get covered up, and whatever, but everyone just becomes bad guys and they all hate Spider-Man or whatever.

This movie was just not good. Like I mentioned, everything that worked well in the first film seemed to just not be included here. The opening fight scene (both of them) were riddled with ridiculousness, corny lines and stupid resolutions. As well, Peter and Gwen are too on-again, off-again to really connect, so there was basically no chemistry between them. Peter just couldn't make up his mind, which was also frustrating. However, the sarcasm and jabs Peter uses while fighting as Spider-Man make a lot more sense this time around. Last movie, he seemed a little insecure as Peter to be that confident as Spider-Man, but this time around it came off perfectly, and it brought something fun to the fight scenes.

As other people have mentioned, the appearance of Harry is incredibly random, and the film has so much other stuff going on that essentially no relationship is built between them to make it believable that they were best friends when they were younger, or that they're even friends now. Though I will say that the casting of Dane DeHaan was about one of the only good things this film did. DeHaan just always pulls off the bad boy so well, and this part was really great for him. Too bad the movie didn't give him enough time to develop or for us to really care about him at all.

All in all, this film had too much going on to really be anything. This film left me feeling blah and it really didn't go anything good or original. Even the score I found to be uninteresting and cliche. The Spider-Man theme was a little too "hero-y", and while I did enjoy the more electronic (almost dubstep) feel to the music when Electro came on screen, it was still an obvious choice. The visual effects were also very sub par and were definitely over-animated (especially Spider-Man swinging around the city. It's very obvious that Andrew Garfield is not actually in that suit). And so many of the lines were just plain corny, just so they can get their point across.

Everything felt like it was done half-heartedly, and everyone was just kind of sleepwalking through it. Everyone involved has a lot of potential as individual people, but I felt no one really brought their A-game here (from director to writers to score to actors) so the movie just suffered. I felt if they had limited the storyline to just involving Harry, this would've been a much better film. Cut out Electro entirely, and do what the first movie did and have Peter build a relationship with Harry, only to have it come crashing down. Had this been fleshed out and made into the main storyline (and the only villain), I feel like this would've actually been a really good film. The relationship building and fleshing out was what made the first film good, and it was what would've made this film really good. But sadly, the opportunity was missed.

I just wanted to keep this brief. Overall, the movie was one I felt like I've seen before, many times over. It was filled with things over superhero movies have done before it, and have mostly done better (with the exception of Spider-Man 3). It did manage to do a few things right (casting Dane DeHaan, the fun use of the Spider-Man theme song, and Spidey's wit and jokes) but it just wasn't enough to make the movie that worthwhile. It will suffice, I think, for fanboys/girls, but as a casual viewer, it just wasn't worth it. (And seriously, Andrew Garfield, please stop doing Spider-Man movies because you are fantastic and could be do way more amazing movies and please just do some other movies, I beg of you)

4/10

TIFF Review: The Theory Of Everything

The Theory Of Everything, 2014
Directed by James Marsh

I've been wanting to go to TIFF for a few years now. Living just outside Toronto, it's not a big deal to get down there to see a movie. However, this is finally my first year! And while I was only able to see this one film, I was very pleased that this was my choice.

Stephen Hawking is working on his PhD at Cambridge University in 1963. At a party, he meets arts student, Jane Wild. They talk all night and, at the end, she gives him her phone number and they begin to fall in love. Stephen is passionate about his work in cosmology. He's naturally gifted and, while often disorganized, is completely brilliant. He has a new theory, something that would change the way we look at the universe and starts to work on it for his PhD thesis. However, he takes a bad fall while running through the university courtyard and knocks himself out. Upon waking up in the hospital, he is told he has Motor Neuron Disease, and the timeline is about 2 years left to live before his body deteriorates. At least, almost everything except his mind. Encouraged by the fact his mind will stay in tact, but terrified of everything else, Stephen pushes everyone out, only to find Jane pushing her way back in, agreeing to be with him for whatever time they have left, and for encouraging him to keep study and working. And while his condition does get worse and worse, we all know he surpassed the 2 year timeline.

Both Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones completely soar in the roles of Stephen and Jane, and are destined to be regarded as two of the year’s best. Redmayne perfects the progress and deterioration of Stephen throughout the years. The change is gradual, and Redmayne never brings it too quickly. He captures the little things incredibly well; the crooked hands, the inward turned feet, the lolling head and difficult speech. Credit must be given, not only to Eddie Redmayne, but to the director and screenwriter for the first 30 minutes of the film. Not yet diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease, Stephen is brilliant, somewhat disorganized and has great dry wit. We get to know him, his personality, and his love for Jane. After he is diagnosed and his situation becomes worse, they never let Stephen become just his disease. This is so important to the rest of the film. We never lose who Stephen is and what his personality is. Redmayne is able to let this still shine through all the other layers of disability that he is portraying, and the ability to keep Stephen’s personality throughout is what makes the film as powerful as it is.  Redmayne could not have been a better choice for the role (and not just because he looks so much like a young Stephen Hawking) but because he gives it his all. He has an exceptional shot at scoring his first Oscar Nomination.  

As well, Felicity Jones brings a masterful performances as Jane. As the emotional backbone of the film, she may seem delicate, but Jones gives her strength and complexity that you initially wouldn’t have guessed when looking at Jane. Jones gives a brilliant performance as the brave woman who stood behind her husband, dressing him, feeding him, looking after their children and working on her own PhD. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, and Jones brings a weariness that we understand, and are still able to sympathize with. It’s a performance that absolutely can’t be ignored.

As you can imagine, the marriage between Jane and Stephen is not an easy one. Jane is a Christian who firmly believes in God, whereas Stephen feels mixing in a Creator to science throws off any calculations and they find themselves asking whether religion and science can be mixed. But not only that, it’s about their ultimate happiness as individuals. Stephen loves his work, but is constantly trying to overcome his phsycal limits. Jane, too, is seeking happiness, and is unsure where that is found. When she becomes close with the choir director from church who helps with her and Stephen, she must make choices. Not only were Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne cast so well individually, their innate chemistry is what brings their relationship truly to life, both in the happy parts and the difficult ones.

The performances are not the only stand out of the film. The cinematography by Benoit Delhomme is absolutely stunning. Everything from the classrooms of Cambridge, Stephen and Jane’s home, the landscape of Bordeaux or the inside of a theatre is captured in such brilliant vivacity and colour. Everything is made beautiful and brilliant. As well, the score by Jóhann Jóhannsson is beautiful and really captures Stephen and Jane and everything about their life. There is preciseness in it that reflects with the science themes. It is completely atmospheric and was a joy to listen to.

However, the film as a whole did not completely reach the potential it could’ve. It only seldom stooped to inserting saccharine lines and moments, but it never really inserted truly original or daring ones either. It is fairly standard for a biopic and doesn't do much out of the ordinary. While slightly formulaic, and definitely reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind, the film still does please and comes into its own. It still touches on all the hard subjects that I wasn’t sure the film would, but it softened the blows and while no one is painted perfect, the treatment is not as negative as it could've been. It treads lightly through the difficult portions, but the fact that they are there is still a bonus, and gives the film more of an authentic feel. As well, there were many heartbreaking moments, and I know I definitely welled up and almost full out cried in a couple scenes, but never felt like that was being forced on me. While there are definitely emotional and sad scenes, they are never forced or strung with music for a 'lets make the audience cry now' moment, which makes the connection with those scenes much stronger.

The film is not a perfect one, though it has enough things it does well to make it a worthwhile watch and one that is a definite crowd pleaser. It’s a film that is ultimately inspirational and uplifting. And while much of the complicated science and theories of Stephen are not really explained or included, it always ties back to where Stephen is, who he and Jane are, and what they believe. This movie, while formulaic, has a lot of heart and charm, and has a lot of technicals that are done exceptionally well, that it just might be the crowd-please, feel-good of the year. 

This is definitely a movie to keep an eye out for this Awards Season. As mentioned, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are forces to contend with. While no one is ever guaranteed nominations at this point, I’d say they are very safe bets at this point. As well, don’t rule out a cinematography, Original Score or Hair and Makeup nominations. While a nomination for Best Picture is less likely, it’s enough of a crowd please and ticks enough Academy boxes (Period Piece, Biopic, Someone Overcoming Disabilities, etc) that it could sneak in.

8/10

The F Word

The F Word
Directed by Michael Dowse

Romantic comedies have been going down a different sort of path in recent years. Maybe it's because 'everything has been done before' or because people are tired of unrealistic situations and beautiful people falling in love. Whatever it is, our romantic comedies have become more quirky and less conventional. In this sense, The F Word succeeds.

On paper, Daniel Radcliffe seems an odd choice as a romantic lead. He's more defined as cute or adorable as opposed to Sexiest Man Alive. He's not that tall and is known to most of the world as Harry Potter and is still trying to prove his career outside of it. However, Radcliffe plays Wallace to a tee. A med school drop out and seems to be wandering aimlessly, especially when it comes to his relationships. He's living in the attic of his sister and her sons attic in Toronto. He meets Chantry, a cute and funny girl, at a party, while arranging worded fridge magnets into odd and depressing poems. He quickly falls for her charm and wit.

On the other hand, the role of Chantry seemed to be right up Zoe Kazan's alley. While not the typical leading lady look, this is not unlike the casting of hipster Zooey Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer, there is a point to this quirky, atypical beauty. As Chantry, she is quick-witted and quirky, but but her adorableness is what draws Wallace in. Too bad she's in a serious relationship. However, she's tired of guys not wanting to be friends with girls in relationships (it makes her feel like the only interesting thing about her is how she looks with her clothes off). She proposes friendship to Wallace, and, though Wallace is disappointed she's taken, he accepts defeat and they agree to be friends.

The plot, from here, is quite predictable. Wallace and Chantry become best friends. They have lunches together, go shopping together and email and call each other. And Chantry's boyfriend is even a pretty good guy. He works for the UN while she's an illustrator. They live together and seem very happy. However, Wallace's friend definitely ship him with Chantry, whereas Chantry's friends are asking why she's never introduced him to her single friends.

Not only were Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan great casting as separate entities, the reason the movie works as well as it does is because of the immaculate chemistry between Radcliffe and Kazan. It was so realistic and organic. Both Radcliffe and Kazan are naturally funny people, and they really bring that across together, while on screen. It felt like I was truly watching best friends up on screen. The laughter and the jokes felt natural and so much of the conversation felt real, and almost improv. They meshed so well, and I can see exactly why the casting directors made the choices they did. They have some of the best chemistry I've seen in a full-out romantic comedy in a while.

As well, the supporting characters are also well cast. Adam Driver as Wallace's best friend and as Chantry's cousin Allan is another unexpected casting, but again, works out incredibly. I remember feeling almost awkward just seeing the immense height different between Radcliffe and Driver in the trailer, but they have another interestingly, quirky bond that leaves that behind. Rafe Spall as Ben was another interesting choice. While it didn't seem work as well as Radcliffe, Kazan or Driver, Spall was much more calm and much less quirky. He seemed much older than Chantry and seemed a little out of place amongst everyone else. (Perhaps this is on purpose, I haven't decided). These 4 are the main players, though we do have an array of smaller, fun parts (including Allan's wonky girlfriend, Wallace's sister and her son, and Chantry's sister).

The movie, while much smarter than the average romantic comedy, does often pull cliche scenes and utter oft-used lines. We have Allan giving Wallace bad advice on how to deal with the Chantry situation, Chantry's sister is much different and much more sex driven (and tries it out on Wallace), and Wallace and Chantry too, find themselves in situations we've seen very similar versions of in other films (one standout being the dress-shopping scene). However, every so often it proves it's slightly above the average and responds to these cliche instances in different ways. I won't spoil anything for you, but Allan and Nicole pull a prank on Wallace and Chantry that is meant to push Wallace and Chantry together. It's not unlike those romcoms where the pair show up at a hotel and 'oops- we only have 1 bed, sorry!' and forces the pair to share, awkwardly. However, this time Chantry and Wallace respond with anger at their friends, and feel betrayed. It's not a cute moment, and you feel awkward with the characters.

To say The F Word is in any way ground-breaking would be utterly untrue. Most romantic comedies like smart people now, with smart language. And this movie is no different. Even the ending you can gather right from the beginning. But this film works because the characters are believable. To me, they never felt like unreal people. As well, it's always nice to see Toronto playing Toronto. It gives a different feel from your typical New York or LA film. To me, it had the right atmosphere and has enough artsy and hip locations that it makes sense with it's characters. While predictable, the film works and is definitely one I'd like to revisit several times.

8/10

Locke

Locke
Directed by Steven Knight

We first see Ivan Locke leaving work for the night. A construction worker, we see him take off his heavy boots, get in the car, and drive away. He arrives at a traffic light and turns his blinker on to go left. Eyes closed, mind whirling, the light turns green and he hesitates. Left brings him home to his family, but he doesn't move. The truck behind him honks a few times over before Ivan flips his blinker to the other direction and makes a right turn. He's made his choice, and now he must pay for it. Ivan has a long night ahead of him. He's driving away and is making various phone calls in the car. He's calling work to make arrangements because he won't be there for a big cement pour in the morning and he's calling his family and trying to tell them why he can't come home tonight and will miss the big football game. And from here, I can't say much else without giving away the film. But the film asks the questions about choices. Left or right? Are the choices we make the right ones? And if so, are we ready to deal with the consequences?

Locke gives us an extremely intimate view into the life of Ivan Locke. From what we get from the 85 minutes is that he's a fantastic man. He's high up at his construction company and is in charge of this cement pour for a 55-storey building. He's well loved by his co-workers and his extremely efficient. He's also well-loved by his family. He's been married for 15 years and has two sons whom, you can tell, mutually love each other very much. But where we come in on Ivan's story is where he's faced with a choice. To go home to his family, or take the unknown road. Each path lies with life changing answers. And a choice, he does make.

 The film is more or less in real time and features Ivan Locke actor Tom Hardy as the sole physical actor, and has him behind the wheel of the car for the full 85 minutes. Tom Hardy, who has been a rising actor for some time now, does a complete 180 from the film he did directly before this, The Dark Knight Rises. Hardy plays Ivan with such grace and poise. His Welsh accent is charming and his words always seem well-thought out (but never overly scripted). Hardy really digs into the crisis that Ivan is going through and we see so much going through Hardy that he completely captures all the little things. Tom Hardy is definitely a talented actor, and this film, as the sole actor for 85 minutes, is a complete showcase of his talent. Hardy is able to balance the nuances, of which the film is full of. It's completely about nuance and Hardy gets it all. It's a subtle performance, but it's definitely powerful one. It was never forceful or over-dramatic but shows a man going through a crisis, occasionally breaking down, but trying to stay strong and assure himself he's making the right decision.

This is definitely not a movie for everyone. By a lot of people's definition, "nothing happens". There's no bad guys, there's no car chases (despite being a film that Ivan spends driving the whole time). It's Ivan facing up to the choices he made in the past and the choice he must make now. I admit, it was not what I was expecting. The intense cover and the brief and vague summary made me wonder if I was getting into something like speed. I was hooked right from the beginning, trying to figure out what Ivan was doing, where he was going and why. The story, especially when revealed what's going on, will not appeal to everyone. It's a character study above all, and Steven Knight has both written and directed it with excellence. Ivan Locke is a character you come to feel for. Whether you sympathize with him or not, you really dive into his life and get to know him so intimately. With the film set in real time, we only get an hour and a half slice into one person's life, but it's a crucial, make-or-break moment, and Steven Knight (as well as Tom Hardy) allow us to be extremely involved. Steven Knight's script is absolutely perfect. It never sounded overly scripted but it was so well thought out. So many offhand comments reflect so well to the situation at hand. Again, it's the small things that make it so great. With the film being almost completely made up of Ivan taking phone calls, you'd think this would get tiring or repetitive, but Knight manages to keep interest and even tension there. The calls Ivan takes are all meaningful, and all play a bigger part. Some short, some longer, but all have a purpose, and all have emotion and power.

This was a film I enjoyed very, very much. I'm finding, more and more, that I love small character studies. It's interesting to see in contrast to a film like Boyhood. While this is a very different film, in many ways, it's another character study that's interesting to watch in contrast. Boyhood spanned 12 years over one person's life, and Locke was 85 minutes of one man. The problems are incredibly different but still life-changing for both people. While it probably isn't the most accurate contrast, it was interesting watching them so close together.

Locke is a film that a lot of people haven't seen, or have even heard of. It probably won't win many awards and it definitely didn't make a lot of money. However, it's definitely a powerful film about the choices we make and how to deal with them. You may not agree whether Ivan made the right choice or not, but the journey we went with him on is an intense and beautiful and sad one.

9/10

Guilty Pleasure Blogathon

So now that I'm done doing my official project, I've been having some fun doing a couple blogathons. And this one seemed particularly fun. It's about guilty pleasure movies. And as someone who had a sort of odd taste in films, I do have a few fun ones I'd love to share. Here are the rules that had been outlined by Flicks Chicks

1 - You can choose and discuss as many or as few movies as you like. We both did a Top 10, but you can just choose 1 movie if you like. Just tell us a bit about the movie and why you like it so much.

2 - Please create a new post for our Blogathon, rather than linking an old post you may have already done.

3 - Please include our Blogathon Banner anywhere in your post

4 - The deadline for entries is Sunday, 31st August, so there's plenty of time!

Honestly, there's not a ton of movies that I "guiltily" love. Most of the films I do enjoy are generally well-liked by critics. Because as much as I absolutely love Silver Linings Playbook, there's not much to feel "guilty" about.  However, I'm going to do a mix of films I just love that I find most other people haven't paid much attention to, or do actually have not fantastic reviews. So here it goes!

Heather's Absolute Favourite Top 5 Guilty Pleasure Films

1. The Proposal

Starting off with a film that does actually have generally "bad" reviews, I really love this movie. If you haven't seen it (and you should) it starts off with Margaret, a book editor who is incredibly harsh, strict and often mean. But when told she's about to be deported (she's a Canadian), she's so desperate to keep her job that she declares she's actually engaged to her male assistant, Andrew. They go visit his family in Alaska before their Immigration interview (the INS agent is very skeptical of their relationship being valid). Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds were actually so great in their roles. They both really nailed, I thought. And I think the movies works because of the typical role-reversal. It's not a male boss forcing his female assistant to marry him (eek, that sounds not good). But the movie is genuinely funny, and it goes does a slightly different path than normal romcoms (until the end, of course). The premise is funny, Betty White is the hilarious grandmother and both Sandra and Ryan nail it.

2. Dan In Real Life

Dan is a widower with 3 children. He hasn't been able to start dating again, and his daughters occasionally drive him crazy. Every year there's an annual weekend spent at the family cottage with all his extended family. While there, he meets a woman in a small bookstore and they spend the morning talking and connecting over breakfast. Dan is ecstatic as this is the first woman he connects with. But it turns out the woman, Marie, is Dan's brothers new girlfriend, who is joining them at the cottage. I love Steve Carell, but his movie career hasn't been fantastic. And while this film isn't stellar, it is one I really do enjoy. The film is sweet and Steve Carell plays loving father to 3 girls well. The film is warm and funny, but in a comfortable, rainy day way. It's a movie I always love to cozy up to. It's cliche, sure and it doesn't really do anything new. But Dan is always someone you're rooting for, even if he does bring so much of the various messes on himself. 

3. Step Up 2: The Streets

This is truly a guilty pleasure. As much as I enjoy the first film, this one is my favourite. Basically it's about Andy, a girl who's constantly getting into trouble, running around with her dance crew. She has no parents and is living with her mother's best friend, but she's being threatened to be sent to Texas to live with her aunt if she can't behave. Neighbourhood friend Tyler (Channing Tatum's character from movie 1) convinces her to audition for Maryland School of the Arts, where Tyler turned around his life. She agrees, and gets in. But she's extremely behind. Just a street dancer, she has none of the classical training of her peers. She also gets kicked out of her crew. So cute popular boy (who also loves hip-hop dancing and is brother of the dean) and quirky friend convince her to start her own crew and beat her old one at the street dancing competition, The Streets. I don't know why, but I do love this movie. The dancing is fantastic and that's probably why I like it. The first I found didn't have enough dance and was "too much" story. And all the ones after Step Up 2 have dance overshadow story, but I find this one balances well. You have a definite story, with a range of cool, quirky characters and some fantastic dance scenes. Plus, how can you not love the backyard party scene? I just really enjoy it!

4. The Princess Diaries

The Princess Diaries is a movie I always, always, always enjoy. Always have and probably always will. If you don't know already, it's about Mia Thermopolis. She's awkward, weird and has terrible hair. But when her grandmother from Genovia rolls into town, her mother insists she has tea with her. Grudgingly she agrees and gets the bomb dropped that she's actually a princess, and her grandmother the Queen of Genovia, and that she is the heir to the throne. Now she must decide whether she wants to be princess or not and attends Princess lessons until a ball a few months down the road when she'll decide whether she'll take the throne or not. This movie is just a ton of fun. It was definitely a staple (and it's sequel) at sleepovers when I was growing up. It came out in theatres when I was a little below the target audience (I was 9) but it quickly became a classic in my family and with my friends. The story is what kept me hooked. I love her having to decide who she is, I love her crazy initially non-supportive best friend Lily, the love story, and the makeover! It's such a girly movie, and I still think it holds up so well even now when I'm 22 years old (the sequel, not so much)

5. The Parent Trap

Now THIS is a movie I watched growing up. I saw it first at school, on a day that was so snowy, the school was closed and we were waiting for parents to pick us up. I only saw the first half, but made my parents go out and rent it so we could watch the rest (they rented the original, which I told them was NOT the right one). But it's about 2 girls, Hallie and Annie, who meet at summer camp, discover they are twins that were separated from each other when their parents got divorced and switch places when they go home, so they can meet their other parent. They're also on a mission to get them back together. I actually really love this movie, still to this day. The story is interesting, and I always love it. Lindsay Lohan is at her best, and I was shocked when I discover she isn't actually a twin. I think this movie is incredibly cute. Dennis Quaid is always so well-suited for the loving father character and he does it well here.  

So there you go! My top 5 guilty pleasure films. While some are definitely more guilty than others, it was still fun to reflect on my go-to movies that have a bit of "guilt" with them. Regardless, I do love all these movies, no matter whether people love them or hate them. 

Boyhood

Boyhood, 2014
Directed by Richard Linklater

"You don't want bumpers. Life doesn't give you bumpers"

Mason is a young, curious and an inquisitive young boy. He's observant of the world around him, does his homework (but doesn't hand it in because no one asked), and gets into lots of fights with his older sister, Samantha. Samantha is only a little older than Mason, but is starkly different. She's loud and and a troublemaker. Their mother is tired of the life they're living, Single and renting a small house with a job that can barely support the three of them, they move to Houston, so she can go to school and get a better job. And that's when their dad seems to come back into their life. A man without much of a plan (or a career besides aspiring musician), Mason and Samantha find themselves connecting with their father again, much to the chagrin of their mother.

But this is just the beginning of their story. We follow Mason (and his family) for the next 12 years. Flitting into various moments in his life. The movie meanders along, with not much of a story to tell besides the story of a young boy growing up. It's poignant and insightful and always feels incredibly authentic and organic. The film was filmed over a period of 12 years and the same 4 main actors were used for it's entirety, which gives us an amazing progression with the characters, and amazing consistency. Richard Linklater seems to let anything go. We see characters have fluctuations in weight, we see them get braces, their zits aren't covered up and flies aren't swatted away while filming. Everything is embraced about life and how we grow up and it never comes across as forced.

The quote given at the beginning seems to sum up so much of the movie. Life is hard, and nothing comes easy. Mason learns a lot of things the hard way, as does his father, sister and mother. Mason goes through so many progressions and deals with the results of his own mistakes and others. While I couldn't personally relate to a lot of them, I know how true so many of them are. Parents getting remarried, abusive parents, alcoholism, moving to a new city, bad haircuts, peer pressure and teenage breakups. Life is just simply not interesting if it's perfect. What's the point in celebrating a strike if the ball bounced off the bumpers first? Mason is never given a safety net to fall in, and neither are the people around him. Mason handled things in a variety of ways, but was always soaking it in and observing, always taking something away from the incident. Mason sees how imperfect his life is, and we see him wonder about how he'll ever get it all together. And by the end of the movie, we realize nobody really has it altogether. But would life be more exciting or interesting if it had bumpers?

Boyhood is a film that has understated power. At first glance, it's simply a movie about a particular boy's life, and only seems to tell us the semi-interesting stuff. We see him camping with his father, or pillowing fighting with his sister, or going out for Mexican food at 2am with his girlfriend. But what Richard Linklater did was so much more than that. Boyhood is a story about everyone. We all have something we can relate to, and something we can sympathize with. It's a movie that ultimately gets you to reflect on your own "boyhood" (and "girlhood"). I found myself looking back over my own life, or reminded of something that happened to me when I was younger. It's a movie, that while we are looking into the life of someone else, we are unconsciously being asked to tap into our own lives.

Overall, Boyhood was a film I didn't want to leave. I love the mundane, the normal and just life. Peering into someone else's life is just so interesting to me, and this film felt like exactly that. Everyone was so believable in their roles, and  nothing felt overly cliche or forced about the story and where the film went. While I don't know if this film will win Best Picture, it's by far deserving of a nomination, and same goes for Richard Linklater for Director and Patricia Arquette for Supporting Actress. The film was just so consistent in quality and the stories, while "mundane" are so interesting and are just part of life. It's a movie I loved floating in and I know I was sad when it ended (but was glad with where they chose to end it).

9.5/10

Final Best Picture Ranking

So now that I'm officially done this project, I knew I had to update how everything ranked for me. I know, this probably has a lot of controversial opinions (The Godfather Part II doesn't crack the top 10, and neither does Lawrence of Arabia). I've always tried to balance how well the movie is made, how "good" it is critically, and just how much I enjoyed watching it. Keep in mind, a lot of these films I have only seen once, so these positions could definitely change upon more watches. Even since the last time I've posted, things have shuffled around a little bit, either because of rewatches or simply because they've aged better upon me. However, this is how we stand as of now.

Feel free to leave comments on how much you agree/disagree.

88. Cimarron- 49/100

Boring, racist, and more boring.

87.  How Green Was My Valley- 55/10

Again, pretty boring. At least it was well acted this time, though.

 86.  West Side Story- 56/100

I'm sorry, street gangs who dance ballet while trying to stab each other, all while singing. Plus it's a "modern Romeo and Juliet". Just not my thing.

85. Tom Jones- 59/100

Cheesy, hokey and just not good.

84.  Crash- 59/100

Really overt and preachy. Ludacris was my favourite though. 

83.  The Last Emperor- 60.5/100

Just so... irrelevant? This was really bizarre and strange. The little kids were cute, at least.

82.  Braveheart- 61/100

Terrible, terrible. So innaccurate and so romanticized. Plus Mel Gibson is so miscast

81. The Broadway Melody- 61.5/100

Not terrible for such an old film. At least I recognized some of the music!

80. Around the World in 80 Days- 61.5/100

Had a fun start, but didn't change pace much, and it got old, fast.

79.  The Greatest Show on Earth- 62/100

The circus scenes were admittedly impressive, but they didn't need to show all of them, in full.

78.  American Beauty- 62/100

Sex movies just never go down well with me.

77.  All The King’s Men- 62/100

Well acted, but rather dry.

76. Hamlet- 63/100

Shakespeare is Shakespeare. At least we had Laurence Olivier (and the woman who played his mother was 11 year younger than him. Doesn't get better than that)

75.  Cavalcade- 63/100

A "highlights" of the first 25ish years of the 1900's. Not much character development.

74. The Great Ziegfeld- 63.5/100

Like The Greatest Show On Earth, the musical scenes were incredibly impressive (and the first few were great to watch). But essentially watching an entire stage show a few times over gets a little old.

73.  Shakespeare In Love- 63.5/100

I mean, it's a nice chick flick. It's cute and historically innaccurate. It's fun. But Best Picture? really?

72.  Out of Africa- 63.5/100

I love Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, but this movie was just a little too "romantic epic" (lacking the epicness)

71.  Rocky- 64/100

Wow, overrated. Slower and more dull than you'd think.

70.  Going My Way- 64.5/10

I like Bing Crosby, but this film was very safe, so also not so interesting.

69. From Here to Eternity- 64.5/100

Well acted and interesting, but it's one of many wars films, and just a little too "romantic" for my taste. The Pearl Harbor scenes were great, though.

  

68.  Patton- 65.5/100

As a Canadian, I have little appreciation for American flag-waving films. This was very flag-waving and very American. At least George C. Scott gave a fantastic performance.

67.  Midnight Cowboy- 66/100

Controversial film, and kind of rightly so. However, it's another sex movie (for part of it anyway) and I'm just not overly interested in that.

66.Terms of Endearment- 67/100

I love Shirley MacLaine, and this had some nice moments in it. But overall was just kind of whatever and blah. Not bad, not great.

65.  Forrest Gump- 68/100

One of the most overrated films ever. Especially when comparing it to great films like Shawkshank Redemption or Pulp Fiction 

64. Gandhi- 68.5/100

Ben Kingsley was phenomenal as Gandhi, but the film itself wasn't so much. It took a rather on the fence view of the man and didn't really have much to say. For 3 hours.

63.  The English Patient- 69/100

Gotta love Ralph Fiennes, but another war/romance movie. I'm a little tired of both.

62- Mrs. Miniver- 69/100

This had some interesting moments in it and had they focused on those, it could've been a lot more interesting. However, it was well acted but a little safe. (Plus more war!)

61.  Ordinary People- 70/100

I honestly don't much remember how I felt about this film. Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland were great, and it had a good message about depression.

  

60. Grand Hotel- 70.25/100

A fun movie with a whole slew of stars of the time. While it's been a little overdone these days, it was definitely fun to watch.

59.  Dances With Wolves- 70.5/100

Faster-paced and more interesting than I expected. But not quite worthy of Best Picture.

  

58.  Rebecca- 70.5/100

I thought there would be ghosts and was disappointed that the new Mrs De Winter was only haunted by memory and not anything else. Still, very taut and thrilling.

  

57.  All Quiet On the Western Front- 70.5/100

Ages really well for being so old. I initially first watched this film in high school (and thought it was a bore) but the messages in the film are fascinating.

56.  A Man For All Seasons- 72/100

A Christian film that the Christian community loves. It had an interesting story for sure, but was a little slow. 

55. Wings- 72/100

Held up extremely well for it's age. The only authentic silent film to win, and it's aerial fight scenes are still so good.

54.  In the Heat of the Night- 72.5/100

I love a good crime/mystery movie, and this one was interesting, but definitely not the fast pace my generation is used to.

  

53.  Chariots of Fire- 72.75/100

So much running. So little chariots. Acting was good, story interesting, but aged music and slow pace bring it down.

52.  The Life of Emile Zola- 73/100

Could've been so much better than it was. The Dreyfus Affair is so interesting but the film was just alright.

51. You Can't Take It With You- 73.5/100

Quirky, fun, cute, romantic comedy. Guy from upper class, proper family falls for girl from an absolutely crazy and artsy family. Plus Jimmy Stewart is only 20 in this film!

              

50. Mutiny On The Bounty- 74/100

Interesting for sure, and I do love Clark Gable. But it was a little preachy, and definitely biased.

  49.  Gigi- 74/100

I'm a sucker for 60's musicals sometimes.

48.  The Artist- 74/100

It's a fun little movie and I adore the ending (both the gun scene and the tap-dancing) but I can't believe such a fluffy film would win Best Picture. 

47.  Driving Miss Daisy- 75/100

I don't care, I enjoyed this movie. My views could change on where this stands if I rewatch it, but for now, I really enjoyed it.   

46.  Gone with the Wind- 75/100

Long, but really fantastic. The visuals and stunning and Vivien Leigh is kind of the best. So is Clark Gable.

45.  The French Connection- 75/100

Another cop film, which was interesting. But car chase scene was definitely the highlight.

44.  The Godfather Part II- 76/100

Yeah, sorry guys. Really unpopular opinion here but, compared to Part 1, I really didn't care for this movie. I found Al Pacino's character not interesting at all, and though Robert De Niro stole the show

  

43. Unforgiven- 76/100

A great Western, and Clint is still grouchy as usual. But thrilling and has some awesome moments.

42.  Million Dollar Baby- 76/100

I cried like an absolute baby. I had no idea what was coming, and was glad for it.

41.  The Departed- 76/10

(Updated ranking: 3/4/2016) The Departed is a very entertaining thriller, with lots of twists and turns. The acting is fantastic and while it is much more commercial than a lot of other winners, it's still a smart movie. 

  

40.  It Happened One Night- 76/100

Another cute romantic comedy, and so much fun to watch. Plus Clark Gable again!

39.  Slumdog Millionaire- 76/100

Good movie, but not that good. I could've done without Dev Patel and had the whole movie about the little kids, they were so good.

  

398The King’s Speech- 76/100

I know it's not the best made film, but I do love it and Colin Firth is so great.

37.  Rain Man- 76.5/100

Dustin Hoffman, okay? He is pretty much everything.

  

36.  Lawrence of Arabia- 77/100

Too many camels! And was just too long and slow for me. 

  

35.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- 77/100

Jack Nicholson is great and the ending is devastating.

  

34.  An American In Paris- 77.5/100

I just love Gene Kelly and tap-dancing. It's a little overlong and not nearly as good as Singin' In the Rain, but I do still enjoy it.

  

33.  Chicago- 77.5/100

This was just a lot of fun to watch.

32.  Marty- 77.5/100

I really loved the message of the film. It's such an interesting piece and so different from anything else that's won.

31. Platoon- 77.5/100

Fantastic anti-war messages but just a little heavy for me. Plus Charlie Sheen is kind of off-putting.

  

30.  A Beautiful Mind- 77.5/100

I know it's not historically accurate and almost trivializes mental health, but it's still a fascinating movie and I really didn't see the twist coming!

  

29.  Amadeus- 78/100

The music is fab (obviously) and the performances great. Still, a little too long.

28.  The Lost Weekend- 78/100

So interesting, and so well made.

27.  Oliver!- 78.25/100

I grew up with this movie so sorry haters, but I'm openly biased on this one. The music is just so good!

  

26.  Kramer vs Kramer- 78.5/100

Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep makes a perfect movie for me.

25. Spotlight- 78.5/100
A good winner, but it wasn't the best of the nominees. 

24.  The Gentleman’s Agreement- 78.5/100

Gregory Peck is another awesome person. And while the views of the film were limited, it was also really interesting.

23.  Lord of the Rings: Return of the King- 79/100

I am a mild LoTR fan... The Fellowship of the Ring was the best of the three and if any should've won it should've been that, but I see the reasoning.

22.  Argo- 81/100

I had a great time watching it. Sure, it's a bit of a weak win, but it's a heck of a good and thrilling movie. It was a good balance of not being too serious or too funny.

  

21.  The Sound of Music- 81/100

Another film I grew up with. Plus Julie Andrews is the best.

20.  My Fair Lady- 82/100

I wouldn't necessarily call myself an Audrey fan (I think this is her only film I've seen). But like I said, 60's musical.

19. Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)- 84/100 

While not necessarily my favourite film of the year, this is something very different to win Best Picture. It's solidly acted and well-written with a really interesting commentary on modern cinema, blockbuster films, actors and going through a mid-life crisis. 

18.  The Best Years of Our Lives- 84/100

Portrayed such realism about coming home from war. All the performances were so great, and everything felt so authentic. This is a film that feels ahead of it's time. 

17. The Deer Hunter- 84/100

The Vietnam scenes are so incredible. I don't care if they're controversial, it made for good cinema. 

  

16. The Apartment- 84/100

Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are so great together. Again, darker than I expected it to be, but still so great.

  

15.  Gladiator- 85/100

Yeah, unpopular but I love this movie. And I cry every time!

  

14.  The Hurt Locker- 87/100

This was my kind of war film. Similar to Platoon, but corrected all the mistakes Platoon had.

       13.  No Country For Old Men- 87/100

Javier Bardem. Just go see it for him. It's a great film, and a deserving win (both for Bardem and the Coens)

12. The Silence of the Lambs- 89/100

Yep, 2 awesome baddies in a row. But the eye acting of Anthony Hopkins (see gif above) is so good, and Jodie Foster is awesome!

11.  12 Years A Slave- 90/100

This film is phenomenal and the most deserving win in a long time.

10. Titanic- 94/100

Yeah, I love this movie. Can you blame me for being a girl sometimes?

9. Ben-Hur- 94/100

Originally my number 2. The chariot race is great and I thought Charleton Heston rocked it.

 8. The Bridge On the River Kwai- 91/100

A war film that had very little battle scenes. I loved this one.

7.  The Godfather- 91/100

All for Marlon Brando. Maybe that's what I didn't like Part II as much. Brando is the best part.

  

6. Casablanca- 91/100

Need I explain anything? Romantic and thrilling!

5. Annie Hall- 92/100

Hilarious and poignant. I love this film.

4. The Sting- 92/100

Higher than most people rank it, but I loved this film a lot. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are such a perfect duo and the twist is excellent.

3. All About Eve- 95/100

I love how female-centred this film is. Bette Davis is a powerhouse.

                

2. Schindler’s List- 97/100

Devastating and beautiful. Everything about this movie is horrible and perfect.

1. On The Waterfront- 97.5/100

Yeah, I love Marlon Brando. Plus Eva Marie Saint is perfect. Just see this film, it's perfect.