From The Love Guru to Inglourious Basterds. What an experience!

So how do you go from The Love Guru to Inglourious Basterds? You use Mike Myers, whose part in Basterds was small but sufficient for me to use him as the next link.

This might have been Quentin Tarantino's best effort since Pulp Fiction. Like most of his films this is for mature audiences only. The almost comic book style violence is accentuated by some of the best dialogue I've heard in years. No wonder Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for his role.

This is a film that feels like a comedy but has the dark undertones of a serious war film. The story takes on the style of most of Tarantino's films by breaking into segments which link together nicely as you see the story come to it's climax.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars. I thought long about this since I don't know how many films would get that rating. It's just an experience unlike many others.

The films I'm driven to see...

It's a blog, that means I get to say whatever I want...

I have been thinking about what drives me to watch certain movies. It's not the rating, I barely look. It's not normally the names, although I have some favorites out there. Mainly it's the story. I'm driven by the desire to see something that changes me or at least validates something I've already thought.

When I was younger I watched anything violent. Then I moved on to dramas. Now I watch a lot of documentaries. I haven't even had time to list them on here since I've watched so many. I do have the guilty pleasures of TV shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons. Mainly I'm looking for something that stirs emotion. It can be a suspense film, well-done horror, or even a romance. I'm interested in what makes other people seek out films. What are we driven by that lets The Hangover do so well when I thought it was overrated and lame.

Well, just some thoughts on film....

The things I'm willing to do for the movie game I've started....

Rarely will I force myself to watch something and not enjoy it. This time came close. To make the connection from Shutter Island I chose Ben Kingsley. the film I chose was The Love Guru, thanks to Genna for making the connection. I watched this movie wondering why all these actors were in financial trouble at the same time. That had to be the reason for making this one.

To be fair it wasn't that bad. It just lacked the magic I would've liked from a Mike Myers film. How do you go from Wayne's World to this? I guess we'll never know. I'm just glad to be on my way to the next film. I hope for more success in the quality department.

I give The Love Guru 1.8 out of 5 stars.

Two films that Netflix suggested.... Carlito's Way and Last Man Standing

Netflix suggested these two films and I decided to take a chance on them both.

This is an incredible film. Considering the cast and the director I couldn't go wrong. Once again I've found a dark film to spend my time on. Sean Penn and Al Pacino were great. I think this is one of the films that other movie makers try to emulate when they make gritty crime drama type films. I would suggest this one if you enjoyed Scarface and Casino and films like that.

I give this film 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The second film was not so stellar. Who doesn't like watching Bruce Willis shoot at people? I know I do, but it might have been the sole redeeming quality in this movie. It was obviously a graphic novel turned film, before that became trendy. Christopher Walken makes an appearance as well, but it didn't do much for the film. I guess I would rate this as a guilty pleasure if you're into a good shoot 'em up type film.

I rated this one at 3 of 5 stars, and that's a bit generous.

Quills

Geoffrey Rush is an amazing actor and this was one more example. In addition to Rush, Caine, Winslet, and Phoenix were incredible.

This isn't a film I'm going to recommend to many people though. The plot was dark and the themes were quite overdone. The story focused on some tough subjects and wasn't a film with any silver lining when it came to the plot resolution.

Lately my luck has been to choose films and have them end up with little or no upside to the story, this was no exception. That being said, if you would like to see incredible acting this is still worth seeing. Just be warned that the story is rough and graphic at times.

Shutter Island

Thanks to Emily Mortimer the game carries on! Shutter Island is the next link in the chain. I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed this one. I've seen it 3 times now and enjoy the film despite the fact that I know the ending. In my book that is quite an achievement, I saw the Sixth Sense and haven't gone back to it.

The interesting thing about this film is that it took forever to come out in theaters. The trailers taunted me for what seemed like a year. When it finally came out I actually avoided seeing it. I thought it might be a bit disappointing after all the suspense.

Well, having seen this one 3 times I can say that it was far from disappointing. If you like suspense and amazing visuals I suggest this one.

Harry Brown, Michael Caine does it again!

For the next link in the movie game I chose Harry Brown, a film starring Michael Caine and a list of actors I've never really heard of. This appeared to be a low budget film, based mainly on the special effects, but was still an interesting watch.

I would suggest this film for anyone who enjoyed The Departed, or any film that doesn't force a happy conclusion out of a dark situation.

The Prestige

Every so often two studios decide to come out with movies that are closely related or identical. They do this despite the fact that one of them is bound to lose in the box office. The Illusionist and The Prestige were no exception. They followed in the footsteps of Wyatt Earp and Tombstone, Tombstone came out the winner that time. This time I would say that The Prestige won. I actually enjoyed both of these films equally.

For the sake of the movie game I chose The Prestige. I think it's one of Christian Bale's best roles and best performances. The film is a great film in general, his performance just makes it an incredible film.

If you haven't seen this one you're missing out! I think it's a worthwhile watch for anyone who appreciates a great story.

The Black Dahlia

Taking some time from the film game I allowed myself to catch up on this 2006 film.

This was an interesting attempt from the director of Scarface and the Untouchables. I'm not sure how I feel about it though. The style of the film was exactly what I expected. The soundtrack was good. Although I can't say what it is, I think this film left something to be desired. It wasn't the acting that I didn't enjoy. The big names all delivered. I would argue that they did their jobs in excellent fashion.

Maybe this was just a film I wasn't meant to fall in love with. I may also give this a second chance to see if it was just bad timing.

Winter's Bone

I didn't see this one coming. I read the plot summary and asked Netflix to send it on over. Now I understand the buzz over this film and the awards it was given. Without ruining the film I can't say that I've seen a dark and more real film since Precious. 

In addition to some incredible acting by Jennifer Lawrence, someone I've never heard of, this movie had a great soundtrack. The setting felt very real and the camera work was amazing. I would suggest this film to anyone looking for a real dark gritty drama.

My next link in the film chain.... Black Hawk Down

I wasn't giving myself a lot when I chose the Fantastic Four film last. I did find Ioan Gruffud as the link to this film though. I enjoy Black Hawk Down for a lot of reasons. First I think that the soundtrack was excellent. Second, I am a fan of films where you can put a bunch of relatively big names on the screen without making any one of them a standout star. The story line lends itself to an ensemble cast.

I consider this one of the better war movies made in the last decade. I appreciate a film that is honest in it's telling. I know artistic license will be taken whenever a story is adapted for the screen, it's just a matter of how much. This story details an American failure, or at least an American underestimation of our enemies. I don't like losing, but when we lose it's important to be honest.

Well, enough of that. I enjoy the film and I'm excited to see where this link leads me.