Bryan Thompson :: Blogged - film

My Top 25 Favorite Films

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 12:05:00 +0000

Okay, I wasn't able to do it! I just wasn't able to update everyday. Guess I'm not as disciplined as some people. Anyway, I did compile a list of these films and remember, these are just twenty-five of them. I tend to like a lot of movies, so it was a tough call. Some of these you've already seen, but here they all are together:

My Top 25 Favorite Films (2000-Present):

01. Bandits
02. A Beautiful Mind
03. Cast Away
04. Catch Me If You Can
05. Cinderella Man
06. Closer
07. Cold Mountain
08. Crash
09. Finding Forrester
10. Gangs of New York
11. Garden State
12. Good Night, and Good Luck
13. I Heart Huckabees
14. The Lord of the Rings
15. Lost In Translation
16. Ocean's Eleven
17. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
18. Ray
19. Road to Perdition
20. Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
21. Shopgirl
22. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
23. The Polar Express
24. Unbreakable
25. Vanilla Sky

Top 25 Films - #4

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 03:45:00 +0000

04. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Martin Sheen

Favorite Films - #3

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 20:20:18 +0000

03. Cast Away (2000)

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Cast: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy

Top 25 Films - #2

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 14:59:40 +0000

02. A Beautiful Mind

Directed by: Ron Howard

Cast: Russell Crowe. Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Josh Lucas

My Top 25 Favorite Films (2000-Present)

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 14:00:00 +0000

I have been asked to submit my top 25 films from 2000-Present. So, I decided to go to the trouble of digging up the info, the pics, and putting them in order – not an easy task when you have a kid running around all the time. I will try to keep myself disciplined to update everyday, but I can’t make any promises. Since these are all favorites, I've alphebetized them.

Here goes:

01. BANDITS (2001)

Directed by Barry Levinson

Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Troy Garity

The Da Vinci Code: My Thoughts

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Tue, 23 May 2006 04:00:00 +0000

So I saw the most hyped movie of the year (based on the most hyped novel in the last three years) on Saturday night. And I walked out of the movie - much like most of the people I have talked to about it - thinking, "Okay. It was actually a pretty decent movie. What was all the controversy about again?" Okay, I am not diminishing the controversy with some Christian groups, but think about it: there are dozens of horror movies that are released each year that are a thousand times more controversial in nature (Um, an updated version of "The Omen" is on its way to the big screen looking pretty devilish - yet I wonder if it will get the same response from the same Christians who boycotted 'Da Vinci.'), and where have the picket lines been? I mean, seriously, I don't remember people boycotting Arnold Schwarzenegger in "End of Days."

I admit, I enjoyed the book. I guess I went in with the understanding that it was a novel (and the points in the beginning that Mr. Brown claims as being "fact" are simply the two secret societies - Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion - both of which actually exist or have existed - and the European locations the book takes place in - that's a far cry from a novelist claiming an entire murder mystery caper is actually true), and it was an enjoyable one. Did it leave me convinced of a Holy bloodline? No. But then, I stopped and realized that even if - hypothetically - Jesus were married and had a family (which technically the Bible never states DIDN'T happen, and as Brown's book does state, would have been worth noting if it had been that way since it was uncharacteristic of the time and culture), it still doesn't change how I view Christ and his message.

My question about the 'divinity' argument. If - hypothetically - Jesus wasn't actually divine, and further, fathered children,...where does the "Holy" bloodline (or "Holy" grail) come in? Will someone explain that to me? Mr. Brown didn't exactly explain that.

I actually thought the movie was pretty decent (although it did leave a lot out of the book), though not nearly as impressive as Howard's 2005 drama (which I thought was worthy of MANY Academy Awards) "Cinderella Man."

I do have one serious problem with Howard's new film: WHERE WAS CLINT HOWARD? Clint's supposed to be present in every single Ron Howard film. Where was he in 'Da Vinci?'

:: The-Da-Vinci-Code, Ron-Howard, Da-Vinci, Tom-Hanks, Clint-Howard

The Da Vinci Code: 23 Hours and Counting

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Sat, 20 May 2006 01:30:51 +0000

Tomorrow, I will step foot into a movie theater for the first time in nearly one year. That much I am excited about. The other part I'm excited about is actually seeing "The Da Vinci Code" on the big screen. I admit, I loved the book (I must add, as a disclaimer, that I understood the book to be a NOVEL!). I found it compelling and even challenging. Am I convinced of everything it brings up? Of course not. Did I think it was extremely well-written and thought-provoking? Yes, I did.

Anyway, Tom Hanks is my all-time favorite actor and Ron Howard is one of my faves in the director's chair (although I think his "Cinderella Man" may be tough to beat). Also a big fan of Paul Bettany and Sir Ian McKellen. So, I am looking forward to it.

:: The-Da-Vinci-Code, Films, Leonardo-Da-Vinci, Ron-Howard, Tom-Hanks

The Gospel According to Kong

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 04:40:00 +0000

I finally went out on a limb and saw Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong. It was my first time seeing the film and I thought it was a great cinematic piece of art. The film delivered on so many levels: action, thriller, romance. It also delivered on another level I thought: spiritually.

From the very beginning of the film, we see New York City during one of the darkest times in American history: The Great Depression. Life is hard, people are harder, and it's every man/woman for him/herself. From the get-go, we see the "what-can-you-do-for-me" filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) as he deceives his entire crew, cast, and producers to get just what he wants: the script he wants, the location he wants, and to some extent, the level of conflict he wants. He's just crazy and selfish enough to get it all. And in the process, he leads a crew of ship navigators, actors and actresses, and screenwriters into the most dangerous and frightening journey of their lives: the uncharted land of Skull Island.

As the ship crash-lands onto the primitive island and the crazy filmmaker and his cast walk onto the stony cliffs of what look like ancient ruins, they see a group of eerie, almost ghost-like natives who look like they have all been through hell and bought the tunic hides to go with it. These freaky people seem to be beckoning the travelers to go back to where they came from, but when the travelers (primarily Denham) refuse, they become violent and attack, finding their ship and attacking the crew as well.

When lead-actress Ann Darow (Naomi Watts) is captured and offered as "live bait" for the terrifying monstrous beast that rules the island - a twenty-five-foot-tall gorilla simply known as KONG, she finds that she is able to stand up to KONG, thus earning the beast's respect, and before long, his love. After facing many daunting insects the size of camels and dionasaurs that didn't take the hint of the Ice Age millions of years ago, hero and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) comes to the rescue, taking Darrow back to their ship. As KONG finds the "trespassers" and his beloved "prisoner" Darrow, he is attacked with chlorophorm and captured by the money-hungry filmmaker Carl Denham. We see the giant monkey as he looks in the direction of Darrow. Defeated, deceived, heartbroken.

When we next see KONG, he is being featured as "entertainment" on Broadway, making Denham a fortune by being placed on humiliating display. The once KING of his own land is now a PRISONER. Even as KONG escapes and rampages through New York, we feel such sorrow for this beast. We can sense his heartache, his confusion, and his rage at his attackers. As was once said in the theatrical trailer for the Bourne Supremacy, "They should have left him alone."

For those of you who have lived in a bomb shelter for the last seventy-five years and haven't seen either of the three versions of King Kong, I won't spoil it for you, but I will say that if you go looking for God in the movies, you'll find God! And if there is anything that one can take away from this picture, it's a mirror that should make one examine him/herself. What are our motives in the things we're doing? And in so doing, are we being careful not to exploit someone? Animals? The planet?

In King Kong, we see the very best of humanity displayed in the heroism and compassion of Driscoll (Brody), and in the bravery (and compassion) of Ms. Darrow (Watts). And in the film, we also see the worst in human behavior, displayed in the selfishness and deceit of Mr. Denham (Black). We see the destructive nature of humanity that (isn't it just like God?) so often reminds us in these types of films. And if we look closely, we can see how intricately God set things into motion. God places human beings where they should be, where they can learn to cohabitate together and work together. We see that animals are placed in their environments as they glorify God through their very existence. We see how peaceful the very planet is when left intact the way God created it. And we see how when we as humans cross that line - discarding God's vision and seeking only to fulfill ourselves - we tear down and destroy and we insult God's vision for our lives and for our world. And that truth is revealed to us in a twenty-five foot gorilla named KONG and through a scraggly young hobbit-friend New Zealander named Peter Jackson.

First Oscar Movie Down...More to Go

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 20:20:00 +0000

Well, I finally saw my first Academy Award flick of the 2005 Oscar Season. As I've said here and here, I am unable to go to the multiplex because I have a nine-month-old, so I must await the Netflix release of all things motion pictures. And my first movie of the Oscar season is...Walk the Line.

Kristin and I bought the movie at Target last week but were unable to watch it until yesterday afternoon. And I love the film. I love how the film explores the good (sudden rise to fame, songs that connect with people from all walks of life), the bad (the pill addiction and womanizing), and the ugly (see: bad) of the life of Johnny Cash. Jon Stewart was right, of course, at the Oscars when he pointed out that Walk the Line is basically the "'Ray' for white people." There are many similarities to the two lives (probably to many other musicians at the time). Both come from poverty conditions in the South and discover at a young age that they have a "gift" for music. Both lose a brother and that experience haunts them throughout their lives.

In Walk the Line, we see Johnny's cold and distant relationship with his father, and how that affects all of his relationships in his adult life, causing him to lose himself in his pills. And even through his destroyed first marriage and his mistakes, we see the redemption of Cash as 'playing-hard-to-get' June Carter (brilliantly portrayed by Oscar-Winner Reese Witherspoon - and rightfully so) stands by him in a difficult time of life. Having not seen Capote (and therefore not able to be objective), I think Joaquin Phoenix should have gotten more attention in the Best Actor category. But what do I know? I'm not in the Academy...yet.

Next flick to see...Crash (I know, it's been out for a while, but I missed a whole lot of things.).

Technorati Tags:: academy awards, Johnny Cash, Walk the Line, blogosphere

The Day After

noreply@blogspirit.com (Bryan Thompson) — Mon, 6 Mar 2006 21:45:00 +0000

For a major film enthusiast, the day after the Academy Awards ceremony is kind of like the day after a Presidential election (perhaps the reason for my 'Clooney for President' post) or the day after the Super Bowl for a sports enthusiasts (I didn't care for the Steelers or the Seahawks, so I had no real loyalties in this last one - Go Winners! I guess).

For me, the day after is pretty much spent analyzing the choices of winners and nominees and figuring out which flicks I need to catch up on that I haven't seen - which in this case is all of them because I have a child now and am unable to go to the movies anymore. Thank God for Netflix. My folks are coming in for a visit this week so possibly Friday, the Mrs. and I can attend one of the winners or nominees.

My first picks of the Oscar wins (as far as the theater goes) would probably be Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck. (And although it didn't get nominated for Best Picture, I definitely am anxious about King Kong.)