u/DVD-Rewatcher

Number 128 in my A-Z watch. Temple of Doom is the prequel film in the Jones franchise, following Indy's adventure through India to retrieve missing sacred stones for a local village.

Up until the West Side Story remake i had heard over and over how badly Spielberg wanted to make a musical. The opening number, Anything Goes, i think was just him testing the waters. And it's really good! Terrific costuming and outstanding choreography, really well done. Then the rest of the movie happens.

The entire time watching it i just kinda felt like this feels side-questy. Like, it doesn't feel like it adds much to the overall story of the three films. It's campy, it's incredulous. Definitely the creepiest of the films. I will say that it does feel like it finds its footing at around the large dinner scene.

6/10 It being an Indy film does a lot of heavy lifting from a 5. There are some great moments in the film, the rail cart chase still absolutely rocks. Ke Huy Quan literally and figuratively kicks ass. But the pacing is awful, it leans too heavily on unnecessary gags, Willy is mostly annoying throughout. Just not a lot to be excited about.

Number 127 in my A-Z watch. Raiders is the first installment to the Indiana Jones franchise. Introducing us to the dashing adventurer and archaeologist, as he crosses the globe in search of the Ark of the Covenant.

This movie is just the definition of the Action/Adventure genre. A charismatic lead, a world endangering threat, outstanding stunts. It's just an incredibly enjoyable film.

I've read that this movie was made because Spielberg wanted to direct a Bond film, but never got the chance. So Lucas mentioned he had a similar style character for a film. With that in mind, you can see a lot of Bond influence (which comes to a great casting choice later in the series).

The stunts and practical effects throughout the film pretty much feel like they all hold up. Some of it has aged into a bit of a cornier presentation, but that just makes the film itself that much more charming.

10/10 I know there's been the whole "Jones didn't change anything" revelation over the last ten years or so, but who cares? The movie balances comedy and action with a supernatural thriller supporting it. One of the best John Williams scores. An absolute classic.

Number 126 in my A-Z watch. Independence Day is the sci-fi action disaster film following the aftermath of an alien invasion and the remaining humans who fight back.

In an effects driven event film, you can't cut corners. This movie does so well with all aspects of the VFX. I especially loved how the scale models felt like they had actual heft and density. The laser attacks still hit hard.

I felt that the movie seems jumbled at times, especially trying to follow so many different narratives, but it fits in with the chaos of the story. You're along for the ride from the get go. The build up of tension throughout the film is great. It just works.

8/10 Great practical effects, a good script, and cast chemistry go a long way. It's always an entertaining watch, Randy Quaid and Judd Hirsch both bring a lot of heart and levity. The 90s really knew how to make an action film.

Number 125 in my A-Z watch. The Incredibles is Brad Bird's turn at the superhero genre. Following a retired super family doing their best to fit in with normal people.

I really enjoyed that this felt like the beginning of bringing superheroes into a more realistic world. Making them legally actionable by the public and seeing actual repercussions to that. This would lead to things like the film adaptations of Watchmen and the MCU Civil War, and then eventually The Boys.

The entire voice cast kills it. Craig T Nelson and Holly Hunter lead the movie with great performances, and the supporting cast (Like Jason Lee and Sam Jackson) play great additions. You could feel a great chemistry, but I'm sure they did little to no recording together. Bird, himself, impressed me with his Edna performance.

9/10 The movie has a bit of a darker tone than i remembered it having. The movie holds up really well. The pace is great, it has wonderful imagination, a fantastic score by Michael Giacchino, is genuinely funny and emotional. Just a really solid movie.

Number 124 in my A-Z watch. Incredible Hulk is the MCU origin story of scientist Bruce Banner and Jekyll and Hyde alter ego, The Hulk.

I remember when we had just the first and second phases of the MCU and thinking that this was among the better films. Now that it's been a couple years since I've seen it i find myself quite unimpressed.

Everything about this movie screams "meh". No particularly standout performances. No clever writing pieces. Decent CGI for the time, but feels cartoonish now.

5/10 I really don't have much to say about it. I did like that they just pushed through the gamma accident. It let the movie start a lot faster.

Number 123 in my A-Z watch. Inception is the mind bending heist film by Christopher Nolan. In which the team works through their target's dreams to implant an idea.

This may be my favorite of Nolan's films. It's such a grand and fantastic concept. The idea of dream burgling is immediately intriguing. I'm not sure where i saw it, but i remember soon after the film was released an idea of the film being an analogy for filmmaking was being passed around. With that in mind, it made the experience feel a bit different.

Taking that concept, you see Cobb as Director, Ariadne as the Writer, Arthur as Producer, Eames as Actor, Saito as the Executive, Yusuf as Editor, and Fischer as the Audience. The whole thing takes on a new and interesting life.

I got a lot of Matrix vibes from the film, the concept of being uploaded into a system that doesn't exist and messing with the barriers of reality. But it also has some drug and addict themes, too. The cast works really well together, the animosity between Eames and Arthur is a ton of fun.

9/10 This was the only time i started to feel like the last act dragged a bit. I think that the amount of emphasis and time spent on Cobb's late wife was just a little much. I wish it was a bit more streamlined and kept the tension of the actual heist going. Otherwise I'm hard pressed to find any real flaw. I love me an ambiguous ending.

Number 122 in my A-Z watch. In Bruges is the dark comedy following two hitmen hiding out in Belgium after a job goes wrong.

I'm going to gush over this movie. It very well may be my favorite film of all time. The script, the performances, the location. It just all works. On every level.

I feel like i pick something up every time i watch this film. This time i really could see the fairy tale aspect of it, but more in the traditional Hans Christian Anderson style of fairy tale. Where they aren't exactly meant to have happy endings.

Colin Farrell just knocks it out of the park in this role. The allegory of being trapped in purgatory and awaiting judgement is so wonderfully captured in his performance. He takes an ignorant and insulting character and creates such pathos that we are so happy to root for him. He's capable of change, to learn and grow.

The chemistry between Farrell and Gleeson is nearly unparalleled. They work and play off each other so well. On top of that, Gleeson has some terrific moments on his own. His phone call with Harry, all captured in one shot, is funny and touching and even a little chilling.

The writing is simply impeccable. The amount of foreshadowing and parallels that get such cathartic payoffs is amazing. And the humor just doesn't let up. It weaves so effortlessly between some incredibly heavy moments. Like when Ray is breaking down over the botched hit and they throw in a punchline about being in Bruges.

10/10 Truly, this feels like a perfect film to me. The uses of silence to tell the story, the twists that unfold, the heavy Odd Couple vibes, and the small details throughout. One of my favorites is Ken paying his toll for the bell tower in coins. And the ending is just absolutely perfect. There's too much to cover about my love for this movie in one post.

Number 121 in my A-Z watch. The Hurt Locker follows the Bravo EOD Company in 2004 Iraq as they navigate both improvised explosives and explosive team dynamics.

I remember really liking this movie when it came out, and I was super excited to revisit after probably 5 years or so since my last watch. I will admit some of the luster has diminished, but I still very much enjoyed it.

My first thought is about how casually the team approaches their job. Making jokes about it in such a nonchalant way. I remember reading a quote from an IRL EOD soldier who was asked how he handles the pressure and he said, "Either I'm right or it's suddenly not my problem".

The performances felt really authentic throughout. The dynamics between the team looked genuine. Arguments, celebration, tension, it felt very natural. I also liked the tone change from the flippant approach to their job to the intensity after their disastrous mission in the beginning.

But the whole point of the movie isn't the war, it's the addiction Sgt. James has to the adrenaline rush he gets from his job. The movie tells you from the beginning, "War is a drug". And he plays the part of a junkie perfectly. Putting himself and his team in peril so he can get his fix.

8/10 It has dropped a bit in my opinion, but I do still think it's a very solid and enjoyable film. The camera work did get a little annoying. The shaky cam was done, but all the consistent zooming was distracting. The slower, less intense moments didn't hold my interest as much, but I thought they worked well as a juxtaposition to the immediate and intense action sequences.

Number 120 in my A-Z watch. Hot Fuzz is a satirical buddy cop action film. It follows freshly promoted Sergeant Angel and his new assignment in Village of the Year, Sanford. The ever vigilant policeman (officer) begins to see through the cracks of the quiet, perfect town.

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg had some massive expectations to fulfill with this follow up to Shaun of the Dead, and damn if they didn't deliver. Every great movie starts with the writing, and i do think this is the best written film of the Cornetto trilogy. The movie almost never stops being funny. Even in the serious moments, "He's not Judge Judy and executioner!" they find punchlines.

The action scenes are so well shot and choreographed. From the foot chases to car chase. Hand to hand fighting and a glorious shootout. Everything is *just* over-the-top enough to be absurd, but you're still not taken out of your suspension of disbelief.

I love how many cliches and tropes they were able to pile in to the film and still keep it feeling fresh. The divorced cop, the overworker, the "i can never touch a gun again", etc. On top of all the early foreshadowing seeds that come to fruition, "Have you ever fired two guns whilst flying through the air?", "Everyone's packin' 'round here", "Have you ever fired your gun in the air whilst going 'AAAHHHH'?"

10/10 I don't think I'd ever really been as emotionally invested in the film as i was this time. Moments of performances really actually brought me close to tears. I think this is the best of Nick Frost's performances throughout the trilogy. And the whole supporting cast, including some really fun cameos, delivered. Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Paddy Considine, etc are tremendous accent pieces. Just an overall excellent achievement.

Number 119 in my A-Z watch. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of three installments adapting the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy/adventure novel. It follows homebody Bilbo Baggins as he treks across Middle Earth with a company of Dwarves.

I remember being so excited when this movie was first announced as a two part release and directed by Guillermo Del Toro. I think his unique and outside-the-box approach to storytelling would've lent itself perfectly to the heart of the story. I think you can still feel some influence, especially in the writing. The movie does have a bit of a lighter and more comedic tone, but also so does the source material. Alas, it was not meant to be.

I think it's pretty obvious that the best part of this, and any of the subsequent films, is Martin Freeman's performance as Bilbo. His almost incidental comedic timing does well to bolster a slew of otherwise ok performances. I also enjoyed how McKellen adapted Gandalf to a different kind of narrative vibe. He's not the grim and harried Gandalf from LOTR.

Moments the movie gets right, it really gets right. The gathering at Bag End starts the film off wonderfully, and the Dwarf songs capture a lot of the spirit of Dwarven culture. Riddles in the dark stood out to me, as well. Freeman and Serkis playing off each other was, i think, the best scene in the film.

6/10 There was just too much that took me out of the film to really be able to enjoy it all that much. The CG was ghastly and too heavily reliant. I really missed the practical effects and makeup that suspended disbelief in the LOTR adaptations. The pacing was bad, mostly due to the shoe-horning of the extra material from various other Middle Earth related sources. I never really felt any *weight* in the movie, but that i can somewhat forgive knowing the end of the story.

Number 118 in my A-Z watch. Hitch tells the story of professional "Date Doctor" Alex Hitchens as he directs seemingly helpless men into the relationships of their dreams, all while flailing about in his own love life.

So this movie... exists. It feels like one of those movies that some audiences will get the wrong point of. Hitch uses fabricated situations to point women's eyes in a direction they wouldn't normally look, which to me says that they're starting on a lie. Eventually, the moral comes around to, "Be yourself and the right person will find you", but that still feels a little lost.

I've gotta give it up for Kevin James in this, his physical comedy and down-on-his-luck charm really shine and do a lot to carry the film. Even Eva Mendes has some really good moments. But Smith feels almost disinterested. It really is a weaker performance of his. I don't know if i laughed at any of his punchlines.

5/10 I liked the concept of a dating professional not succeeding at dating. And i liked that there was a lot of support shown between men to be confident in themselves. But it didn't feel like anyone but James was actually invested in the film. Maybe I'm just digging too deep on it.

Number 117 in my A-Z watch. Hero follows the story of a nameless Chinese swordsman retelling the story of how he defeated three assassins. Thus saving the Qin monarch.

This was my first watch of the film, so i did not take the kind of notes i would for previously viewed movies. I definitely wanted to just experience the film for what it was, and I'm so glad i did. This was suggested to me after i had raved over Crouching Tiger, and I'm glad it was.

The entire time watching the movie the only word that consistently stayed in my head was, "elegant". The cinematography, the choreography, the costuming, the set design. It all just felt like it *breathed* elegance.

8/10 My only real gripe is that i feel like it could've gotten to the point a little bit faster, but even the parts that felt superfluous were still gorgeous. I loved the use of color throughout, depicting different "versions" of the story. And a very specific shout out to how good the choreography was needs to be made.

Number 116 in my A-Z watch. Heat is the Michael Mann crime epic telling the tale of a heist master looking for a last show before disappearing, and the detective who's trying to hunt him down.

This was my second viewing of the film, and i definitely enjoyed it much more on this viewing than before. The movie immediately does a great job of building tension, almost putting the audience in a position of not knowing who to root for. Something i didn't appreciate the first time was the subtlety of the score. How soft and occasional passes over some violin strings can put you on the edge of your seat.

While only having a couple scenes with Pacino and DeNiro together, the rest of the massive cast of characters do a great job of using their limited screen time to create a connection. And what a cast it is. So many names and faces that would go on to have solid to fantastic careers.

9/10 For a movie running at just under 3 hours, i definitely didn't feel it drag at any moment. I know i mentioned the tension earlier, but it bears repeating how well the suspense builds and holds throughout from the very beginning. And Mann masterfully slowly turns the perception of control from Neil to Vincent. Terrific movie