JOHN DOE

On the subway today, a man came up to me to start a conversation. He made small talk, a lonely man talking about the weather and other things. I tried to be pleasant and accommodating, but my head hurt from his banality. I almost didn't notice it had happened, but I suddenly threw up all over him. He was not pleased, and I couldn't stop laughing.

Hammer! Hammer! Hammer!

NOT IN KANSAS

INCEPTION

I am sincerely sorry for the inactivity for over a month. School is diverting my attention.

I would like to stress that I did not create this video because I like this film, but just because I felt as though the song fit well and it would be an interesting editing opportunity.

Five Films of 2010

It felt to me like 2009 was a year that was sweating due to the radiant energy pouring out of its films. Once collected in a small puddle at the end of the year, it was an enjoyable batch of films that I had no problem smiling upon. I was already looking forward to what 2010 would bring. Now that I look back on it, what was there to look forward to? Well, for one thing, Toy Story 3. It had been fifteen years since Pixar released the first one, and those who had grown up with it (including myself) were waiting patiently quite a while for the third installment. Other than that, there was Chris Nolan's Inception. Everyone was talking about it. They were all still hyped-up from the masterpiece that was The Dark Knight. I realized early on, due to the massive success of TDK, that anything wrong with Inception would heavily damage its reception. It was kinda just the thing to wait for, for me at least. But by the end of 2010, I was left with a sad feeling of utter despair and longing for a year like 1999.

I've decided to give my take on five of the most talked-about films of the previous year:

Inception - I almost wanted to cry when I left the theatre, mainly because, like so many others, I had let the expectations get to my head. I sat through the first ten minutes of this movie with almost no idea on what the hell was happening. It never got any better. The film continued dragging along by shoving so much crap in my face that I almost considered stop caring about what was happening. They hardly even explained how the dream technology worked. I guess we were just supposed to assume, like everything else in the movie. Nevertheless, I will give it to DiCaprio, who gave a rather fine performance, and to the cinematography. There did come a point in my first viewing in which I just decided to soak it in for what it is. It was the only thing keeping this film from being a complete disappointment for me. 2.5/4

The Social Network - This is the film (like Joey over at It'll Be Dark Soon... said) that is (hopefully) going to define this generation. Not a lot of movies from the past few years could fill that role. In fact, I can't really think of one. Other than that, what else is there to say about it? Fincher's best since Fight Club, in my humble opinion. 4/4

Shutter Island - The biggest con about not seeing this one at the time of release is that your friend (you know who you are) will spill the big ending to you. Once this happened, I thought, "Oh, well. Guess there's no point in seeing it now." Boy, what a mistake. I ended up watching just recently, and I was just completely blown away. Despite the fact that I already knew the twist, it was still an extremely enjoyable film. The thing that caught me the most was atmosphere that the editing, camerawork, visuals, and music had beautifully merged together to create. Another 4/4

Toy Story 3 - As I said before, I was totally pumped when it came to this one. The first film ranks in my top 10, and the second among my top 100, so you could understand how excited I was. Unfortunately, TS3 is pretty far from making my top lot. I wasn't really impressed, but not disappointed. I enjoyed it, yet it didn't make a connection to me like the previous two did. It was kinda just like another cool animated movie (which are starting to become rare these days). 3/4

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - After the meh-fest (TS3) and a film that somehow left me feeling pissed off (Inception), I walked cautiously into the next movie in which Michael Cera would once again play a loser. But everything changed once it began. The 8-bit Universal logo at the start made me feel as though no other film I had seen through the year mattered anymore. I was about to be sucked into a movie was living within its own realm. By the time it was over, it felt as though all of the arctic chill and ice that the cinematic year had been (in comparison to the sweating, vibrant 2009) just began to melt away. This was a film that the entire world had to see. I'll say no more and let you see it for yourself. You can't describe to someone the power this film contains. 4/4 - FAVORITE MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Aside from the couple of films that shined their light, 2010 is all in all just another brick in the wall.

My PERSONAL TOP 100

I know it's a day late. My apologies.
Happy New Year

A NOTICE

Well, I recently finished compiling my top 100 movies list. I feel fairly confident I organized it pretty well, so I'm gonna make a video counting down through each 100. I plan to put the video up on Youtube and here on Reel Similar on New Year's Day if I summon enough energy to git-r-done by then (fingers crossed). I think what I'll do is make a video for my top 100 every year, and we'll see how the list changes over time.

Anyways, that's what I've got coming, as well as a tribute to a single movie later on.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

-Taylor

Power & Control

NOTE: THIS IS NOT MY VIDEO.

Marla, you liar! You big tourist!

YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL

"You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying, organic matter as everything else."

favorites #5 and favorite of 2008

THE DARK KNIGHT Fever

Every once in a while, there's gonna be some movie that I watch and don't think much of and later watch again only to find that I love it. The Dark Knight is a good example of this. I saw the film the day after it was released back in 2008 with my friend (which was strange because I had never seen a Batman film prior to then). My friend was praising the film, saying that it was by far the best movie he's even seen. In fact, he had already seen it twice; once at the midnight premiere, and then later that day.
After the movie, I was left with this feeling that I can't really explain, like I felt like I should have enjoyed the film more than I really did. When my dad asked me how it was, I replied, "Yeah, it was pretty good." About a week later, my mom wanted to see it, so I decided to go with her. This time, I enjoyed the film on a completely different level. It was as though I was watching a completely different film than I did before. Once it was over, it felt like my mind was blown, to say the least. Today, The Dark Knight is on of my top ten favorite films ever made. The experience of liking a film a lot better upon the second viewing is what I call The Dark Knight Fever.


I can already think of a few films that gave me the Fever:


Election (1999) - I knew absolutely nothing about this movie before seeing a YouTube video cut for it. For some reason, I was fascinated by it. I'm really not sure why. I never bothered to actually see the movie until I caught it on TBS one day. When it was over, it was kind of an "meh" movie for me, meaning that it was good but nothing I was gonna go out and tell everyone about.


After a few weeks, I saw the movie on sale at a really low price, so I just decided I might as well buy it. I watched the movie again later and I fell in love with it. It was like a re-occurrence of the Dark Knight incident. This time, I found the film funnier, smarter, and just overall more entertaining. This may have been because TBS had to cut out a lot of material, either for time reasons or because some of the stuff was too R-rated for cable TV. Though it hasn't shot it's way into my top lot, it's still a favorite of mine.



Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - This was actually a movie I had heard a lot about before seeing it. I knew it wasn't supposed to be the type of rom-com you see thrown about about Hollywood today. I had also heard that I was the least P.T. Anderson-ish of his other movies. The only PTA flick I had seen before this was There Will Be Blood, and I'm sad to say that these are the only two of his I've seen to this day.
After ten minutes into the film, it felt like it was lacking somewhere, but I wasn't really sure where. It was funny, Sandler was doing a pretty good job, and it seemed like there was nothing wrong with it, but I felt a disturbance (in the Force). By the time it was over, this is what I was thinking: It was okay. Not great, but okay.
A week later, having bought the DVD (which I do a lot), I decided to give it a second go, and it was alot more appealing to me this time.

You can see what I'm getting at now, so I'll spare you more stories that pretty much follow the exact same plot. I'm sure a bunch of you out there have had your fair share of these experiences. I've even had some that are regarded as classics that I didn't care too much for (Vertigo), and some that I loved the first time but cared for slightly less the second time (After Hours).

So, what movies have you seen that gave you The Dark Knight Fever?

100 YEARS

1910 - 2010

Dear Ndugu,

You'll be glad to know that Jeannie's wedding came off without a hitch. Right now, she and Randall are on their way to sunny Orlando, on my nickel, of course. As for me, I'm headed back to Omaha. I'm driving straight through this time, and I've only made one stop. The impressive new archer over the interstate in Corney, Nebraska. An arch that commemorates the courage and determination of the pioneers who cross the state on their way west. You've really got to see it to believe it And it kind of got me thinking, looking at all that history and reflecting on the achievement of people long ago kind of put things in perspective. My trip to Denver, for instance, is so insignificant compared to the journey that others have taken, the bravery that they've shown, the hardships they've endured. I know we are all pretty small in the big scheme of things. And I suppose the most you can hope for is to make some kind of difference. What... what kind of difference have I made? What in the world is better because of me? When I was out in Denver, I tried to do the right thing, tried to convince Jeannie she was... making a big mistake, but... I failed. Now she is married to that demeure and there is nothing I can do about it. I am... weak. And I am a failure. There is just no getting around it. Relatively soon, I will die. Maybe in twenty years. Maybe tomorrow. It doesn't matter. Once I am dead, and everyone who knew me dies, too, it'll be as though I never even existed. What difference has my life made to anyone? None that I can think of. None at all. I hope things are fine with you.

Yours truly,
Warren Schmidt

My Favorite of 2009

favorites #4

Mr. Grady...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

These are my personal Top 5 Horror Films:

You wanna talk some jive?

THE FILMS OF WES ANDERSON

REEL SIMILAR #5 - Directors #1

WES ANDERSON