2011 IN REVIEW: Heavy Metal’s Best

To all my fellow \m/etalheads:

Being the obsessive completist that I am, it’s taken me a while to catch up on everything and make enough tweaks to be sure I have the most mind-blowing list I possibly could!  Once again, I aim to prove that the metal scene is alive, kicking, and the people with an open enough mind and most well-adjusted musical tastebuds will recognize it as the greatest, most diverse and powerful music genre to ever grace this earth.

Top 20 Albums:

#20)  Megadeth – Thirteen

WATCH:  “Public Enemy No. 1“

Despite Dave Mustaine‘s loose tongue and all the backlash he’s received from the metal community as of late (from backing Rick Santorum to debatably bigoted statements), the worst thing you can say about the band Megadeth is that they’re still making good music. This might be their best release since 1997′s Cryptic Writings, perhaps with the exception of 2004′s The System Has Failed. They even swung a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for the above song.

#19)  Týr – The Lay of Thrym

LISTEN:  “Evening Star“

Týr’s classic folk metal attack has officially developed to be one of the best in the genre.  Each song sounds like it was written by ancient pagan bards and preserved through the ages to be played only once the proper technology could manifest it.

#18)  Sorcier Des Glaces – The Puressence of Primitive Forests

LISTEN:  “Winter Eternal“

The abrasive, overly gratuitous nature of black metal tends to turn me off to it. However, there are the occasional bands that incorporate enough feeling, melody, and atmosphere with their extremity that I totally just…get it. Sorcier des Glaces’ sound attacks like the icy chill of a winter storm, but without feeling like you’re drowning in a blizzard.

#17)  Fleshgod Apocalypse – Agony

WATCH:  “The Violation“

Brutal death metal mixed with classical, meaning: never before has your face been melted with such elegance.  Listening to this feels like your veins have been wired to an adrenaline factory.  The filthy, ripped tuxedos the band wears in that video are very appropriate.

#16)  Opeth – Heritage

WATCH:  “The Devil’s Orchard“

Keep in mind Opeth is probably my favorite band (at least in my top 3).  That being said, some will ask why this is so low on my list…and other classic Opeth fans might ask why this is on my list at all.  As one of the most influential bands in the world of Progressive Metal and I’d argue one of the most unique and talented bands of all time (perhaps The Beatles of heavy metal), they’ve more than just set an example.  The brilliant Mikael Åkerfeldt (lead vocalist/guitarist) never settles for his music being predictable or falling in with any set trend, so with this latest album, Opeth wanted to throw out their old sound for a fresher, more “earthy” approach.  Unlike their past records (with the exception of Damnation, their first non-metal album), this is the first one to be devoid of Åkerfeldt’s death growls, and really any heaviness at all, beyond what the style naturally invokes.  Stylistically, their 70′s prog roots are much more prominent here, making this feel like a cross between Jethro Tull and early Sabbath with a Moody Blues-ey edge.  These guys can do practically no wrong in my eyes, as Opeth have always been at the forefront of inspired innovation when it comes to metal.  This release may not be as strong or emotionally deep as the Opeth we all know and love, but it’s still damn good music.

#15)  Scar Symmetry – The Unseen Empire

LISTEN:  “Illuminoid Dream Sequence“

Admittedly, Scar Symmetry’s initial sound is a bit of a turnoff for me.  I’m beginning to get sick of the *heavy verse* // *clean, catchy chorus* // *solo, breakdown* structure, yet I believe most trends are rooted in things good and pure.  Something hooked me on this record, which I can’t quite put my finger on.  My theory is that SS plays around with their structure just enough to make their sound (at least as represented on The Unseen Empire) consistently tight, and technical enough to prevent any yawns from me.  It’s pleasantly modern, and sufficiently genuine.

#14)  Anthrax – Worship Music

WATCH:  “The Devil You Know“

I’m ashamedly no expert on this veteran metal band’s discography, but my current perception is that Anthrax’s heavy-thrash legacy is no less potent than their strongest efforts with this comeback album (their first in 8 years), and the return of singer Joey Belladonna proves the new(/old) Anthrax to be powerful competition against the modern metal world.  Mind your bones when moshing.

#13)  Omnium Gatherum – New World Shadows

LISTEN:  “Everfields“

Some are deeming this one of the greatest melo-death releases ever; I’m not sure I’d go quite that far, but it’s most definitely a standout metal release for 2011.  Fans of atmospheric melodic death metal (e.g. Insomnium, Swallow the Sun) will most definitely enjoy this.  There’s much more flavor, variation and power in this record than the band’s past material, and perhaps a great introduction for anyone who is unfamiliar with the genre.

#12)  Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand

LISTEN:  “Lain with the Wolf“

An anomaly in the pagan metal scene, Irish extreme metallers Primordial offer a sound more distinguished sounding than black metal, but definitely darker than typical folk metal.  The intelligibility of A.A. Nemtheanga’s vocals, for one thing, add an extra layer of poetic accountability to mesh with his raw lyrical emotion.  Primordial live up to their band name: they reek of something old and classic (the Celtic influence is strong, yet subtle), but their specific sound seems to have never been truly replicated.

#11)  Esoteric – Paragon of Dissonance

LISTEN:  “Non Being“

This aptly-named extreme doom metal act combines the sounds of epic doom, funeral doom, and experimental/progressive elements to drown you in powerful, heavy ambience.  This epic yet dense, brooding 2-disc, 90+ minute album (with the average track clocking it at around 15 minutes) is a great one for me to listen to when I desire some “me time” of thorough relaxation and contemplation.  Perhaps if you’re my kind of melancholy, it’ll strike a chord with you as well.

#10)  Alestorm – Back Through Time

LISTEN:  “Scraping the Barrel“

The Vikings have had their reign upon metal for long enough…now its time for the Pirates to have their say!  Are you ready for some Drunken Pirate Metal?  Alestorm’s approach to the folk metal genre is unabashedly elementary, but you can tell that they’re having so much fun it’s impossible not to play along.  With tongue in cheek tracks like “Scraping the Barrel”, these fellas make fun of the fact that they’re not doing anything incredibly original, so (as they imply) you can listen and enjoy…or just suck it, and start your own damn band!

#9)  Hope For the Dying – Dissimulation

LISTEN:  “The Awakening“

Perhaps they should change their name to Hope for the Dying Christian Metal Genre. Hope For the Dying’s debut LP features face-melting shreds and smashing melodies galore – for the energetic metal fan, this is satisfying from beginning to end. Despite traces of metalcore, each track manages to carry itself with enough dignity (via the heavy influence of classical & classic metal acts) to avoid thoughts of emo hair and hardcore dancing (…sorry for even bringing it up), and features enough flavor to perk up your ears while your head bobs and your fingers air-strum.

#8)  Amorphis – The Beginning of Times

WATCH:  “You I Need“

This is the third year in a row Amorphis is making my list, and with each mature step in my mind they’re steadily climbing towards being one of metal’s most under-appreciated bands. The Beginning of Times knows exactly when to be heavy, when to be soft, and when to build appropriately on either end just enough to evoke the proper emotions. This is modern “heavy metal” the way it should be: it’s new, without being “nu”, heavy yet serene and soothing, melodic yet ballsy, not overly technical but not insultingly repetitive or simplistic. Behold: Amorphis evolved to its strongest incarnation yet.

#7)  The Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction

LISTEN:  “The Mighty Masturbator“

Unmistakably among metal’s most consistently brilliant minds is Devin Townsend, and since his “clean comeback” (overcoming his addictions to alcohol, drugs, etc.) a couple years back, the man seems to not even rest between releasing solid material. Featuring more than a dozen cameos from great musicians worldwide, whether its the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, or members of Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Gojira, Cynic, Meshuggah and the like, Deconstruction may be Townsend’s most ambitious work.  His ambient album Ghost, which was released around the same time, is also worth a listen by any music enthusiast.

#6)  Thy Catafalque – Rengeteg

LISTEN:  “Kék ingem lobogó“

Native Hungarian band Thy Catafalque proves to nary explore uninteresting places, since their sound varies from track to track, often drawing from the influences of folk, black metal, industrial, and doom. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an album like this – which, when it comes to progressive metal especially, usually means mission accomplished. Not to say I was unfamiliar with the road this band was taking me down, but its destinations were different from what I was expecting. This is the first album by this band I’ve had a chance to hear yet, but there’s not a weak track to be found here.

#5)  Insomnium – One for Sorrow

WATCH:  “Through the Shadows“

Insomnium never settles for mediocrity in the least.  After their last album implemented clean vocals for the first time, this one continues in that tradition, and fortunately keeps from over-using such techniques, purely focusing on harnessing the emotion found within the proper melding of melody and heaviness.  Similar to Kalmah, this is one unwaveringly consistent melo-death act that has survived since their genesis in the early 2000s without meeting a single subpar release, unlike many other bands who white-wash their sound and slip into the bland and generic (*cough*In Flames*cough*).  At this point, I’ll just say it: Insomnium is the best melodic death metal act currently in existence.  Keep it up, fellas!

#4)  Moonsorrow – Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

LISTEN:  “Huuto“

Moonsorrow’s 2003 record Kivenkantaja (incidentally the only album title of theirs I can confidently pronounce) still remains one of my top 10 metal albums of all time. These pagan/folk/black(/we refuse to be called “viking metal” cus we’re Finnish) metallers opened my world to the incredible potential behind this genre, and solidified my decision of what soundtrack I’d want to use if I ever needed to pillage. Their latest album (translated: As Shadows We Walk In The Land of The Dead) is perhaps just a notch below Kivenkantaja in my book. Everything that made me love Moonsorrow to begin with is present here: incredible, arcane atmosphere, enduringly powerful riffs, and a consistently solid “epic” presence through-and-through. To those already familiar with their sound, it may not be anything new…but by golly, is it great!

#3)  Ghost – Opus Eponymous

LISTEN:  “Ritual“

One of the most provocative albums of the year, but also one of the very best, comes from Swedish newcomers Ghost; a band that re-introduces the world to a very potent late 70′s style heavy metal, lyrically sprinkled with early black metal and Satan-centered themes that will cause many religious folk to shake their head and roll their eyes (meaning yes, I did as well…but this album has me under its spell). The catchy but polite riffage and soft-clean vocals occasionally make me think the Beatles got beaten up by Black Sabbath and sent to hell.

#2)  Nightwish – Imaginaerum

LISTEN:  “I Want My Tears Back“

Though many, including myself, were very sad to see Tarja Turunen depart Nightwish several years back, we all eagerly awaited their new direction.  Despite naysayers’ complaints of Anette Olzon’s less operatic, more poppy vocal style, Dark Passion Play was a fantastic album, featuring some of the most interesting songwriting the band had ever seen up to that point. Imaginaerum goes even further, with each track sounding unique from one another, showing more diversity and songwriting maturity than ever before — including more appropriately demonstrating Anette’s true talent and vocal range, and making Dark Passion Play look like an amateurish warmup for greater things.  Another masterpiece for symphonic metal, and perhaps, music in general (according to Metal Underground, “this album easily ranks in the top albums of 2011 and represents one of the finest works of music of all time.” )  I now wait in wavering anticipation for the film which will accompany this album, and we shall soon all find out whether or not this should’ve just remained in musical form.

#1)  Iced Earth – Dystopia

WATCH:  “Anthem“

Despite their long legacy, Iced Earth has never struck me as a particularly important band to the world of metal, but this album has made me heavily reconsider. Stu Block (from Into Eternity) has now taken the vocal helm, and his incredible range contributes a new-found power, teamed with a fresher, more straight-forward, and focused songwriting structure than ever before.  That combined with the dystopic science-fiction theme tying heavily together with recent frightful trends in politics and government give the band’s voice a significant political appeal which has never been as potent as it is now, and yet amidst the cynicism they present a tone of hope in the human spirit, as represented in their “Anthem.” Easily my favorite record of theirs yet, Dystopia is solid heavy metal, wall-to-wall, and the quintessential metal album of 2011.

RUNNERS-UP

Alphabetically, by artist: 

• Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising (viking-themed death metal)
• Amoral – Beneath (old school heavy metal)
• Animals as Leaders – Weightless (progressive instru-metal / djent)
• Battlelore – Doombound (folk metal)
  
• Blackguard – Firefight (melodic death metal)
  
• The Black Dahlia Murder – Ritual (brutal melodic death metal)
  
• Dragonland – Under the Grey Banner (power metal)
  
• Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events (progressive heavy metal)
  
• Falconer – Armod (folk metal)
  
• Hibria – Blind Ride (speed / power metal)
  
• Powerwolf – Blood of the Saints (power metal)
  
• Red Descending – Kingdoms (melodic black metal)
  
• Scale the Summit – The Collective (progressive instru-metal)
  
• Suidakra – The Book of Dowth (melodic death/folk metal)
  
• Sylosis – Edge of the Earth (melodic death metal)
  
• Trollfest – En Kvest for Den Hellige Gral (folk metal)
  
• Turisas – Stand up and Fight (viking/folk/symphonic power metal)
  
• Within Temptation – The Unforgiving (symphonic gothic metal)
  

OTHER THOUGHTS

Most Disappointing Album:  Iconoclast by Symphony X

Symphony X used to lead the way when it came to progressive metal.  When Dream Theater started to go downhill, this band was there to pick up the slack.  It seems like this is the case no longer.  They certainly don’t suck, but nothing sets them apart anymore; this latest album is just generic prog metal.  I’ll stick with The Divine Wings of Tragedy or The Odyssey, thank you.

Most Over-rated Album:  The Hunter by Mastodon

Mastodon is a good band, don’t get me wrong, but the praise this one has received –particularly the Grammy nomination –seems overblown, especially considering how great Crack the Skye was a couple years back (which makes this album just seem very standard in comparison).  There are far too many superior metal acts from 2011 for me to let this slide without saying anything.

Best Non-Metal Album by a Metal Band:  Evinta by My Dying Bride

Nothing spells gloom like My Dying Bride, a band that has been at the forefront of the doom metal genre since their inception in the early 90′s.  Though emotionally and thematically very much in the wake of their past material, Evinta rids itself of guitars and all other typical instruments in favor of classical instruments, creating a powerful, epic, atmospheric, expansive (3-disc) ambient/neo-classical experience.

Most Metal-Sounding Song Title:  “Destroyer of the Universe” by Amon Amarth

You know it.

Biggest Guilty Pleasure:  Amaranthe’s self-titled album

Look up any music video from these guys and you’ll think you’re watching an MTV reject band, but all their songs are so damn catchy!  Lacuna Coil, eat your hearts out.  Also, how smokin’ hot is that singer?!

Most Unique Genre-Bending:  “Cardiac Rebellion” by Becoming the Archetype

Progressive Death Metal mixed with…Ska?!?!  This song features Dennis Culp from Five Iron Frenzy on trombone (welcome back, guys!!)

Best Cover Song:  “Holding Out for a Hero” by Emerald Sun

Bonnie Tyler would be proud (maybe).

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photo sources:

http://threnodies.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/sorcier_des_glaces-the_puressence_of_primitive_forests.jpg

http://www.sweetslyrics.com/poze/Omnium%20Gatherum%20New%20World%20Shadows.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-09TwBvu1ONE/TX_9QKOamiI/AAAAAAAABYo/o8thqJSKXf4/s400/Primordial%2B-%2BRedemption%2Bat%2Bthe%2BPuritans%2BHand.jpg

http://alllossless.net/uploads/posts/2011-11/1322559272_esoteric-paragon-of-dissonance.jpg

http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/images/covers/insomnium-one-for-sorrow-20110928132413.jpg

http://www.nordicmission.net/users/nordic_mystore_no/images/hopeforthedying2.jpg

other resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://www.metalcastshow.com/

“Le Havre” a nice time, okay?

by Andrew Bowcock

One of my personal frustrations with cinema nowadays is the tendency to pick a trend and run with it until its beaten dead into the ground.  Hollywood is an easy target, but this behavior isn’t unfamiliar to other regions of the world.  However, as an artist, I feel it’s important to strike a balance between doing something that’s “your own” and attempting something new.  It’s a bit of a dance, and the best filmmakers usually know how to boogie, but sometimes moving at a steady tempo keeps you feeling the most alive.

From what I’ve gathered (based on the six films of his I’ve seen thus far), filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki has limitations, but he acknowledges these, throws his hat behind him, and just does his thing anyways.  This film in particular doesn’t break any new ground for the Finnish auteur, but for those of us who enjoy his style, that’s totally fine.  It may not be new to him, but sometimes the rest of us film enthusiasts need a break from the slew of downer films we get so used to at the nearest Laemmle.

What is “his thing”, you may ask (assuming you’re unfamiliar with the man)?  Every shot is harshly lit, and vibrantly colorful: everybody is on stage, and it’s their moment.  This makes everything feel simultaneously unimportant and urgent, depending on your perspective.  Despite being a Finn making a French film, Kaurismäki’s style always feels very French to begin with, echoing often to some of the structural mannerisms of Robert Bresson and Marcel Carné; the characters all feel like they may have once been an extra in a Jacque Tati film, but now they finally get to talk a bit, and yet don’t always quite know what to say.

I should however emphasize that these characters are all ultimately just everyday people: despite any stylistic influence Kaurismäki has potentially had on filmmakers like Wes Anderson, he’s not interested in trust fund rejects going through an early mid-life crisis as much as the average Joe trying to keep his girlfriend happy while pulling long hours at work…or a Russian rock band with spear-headed hairstyles and elf shoes touring in a strange land on their last nickel because they have a clueless manager and have been exiled from their native land (okay, maybe that second one is a bit more of a stretch, but please don’t miss the two Leningrad Cowboys movies).

Le Havre follows Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a shoeshiner who encounters a young illegal African immigrant boy (Blondin Miguel) who is in hiding from the authorities.  Marx’s big heart compels him to do whatever he can to help the boy, despite the struggle he faces with his wife (Kati Outinen) being recently struck with a serious illness.  Marx does his best to care for his wife, while doing what he can to privately provide for the boy.  Simple in form and humble in its goals, this film has no desire to shove any political idea or obvious ideology down anybody’s throat, but just tells a human story.

Aki Kaurismäki is skilled at taking serious, dower themes and giving them a brighter feel without cheapening the situations.  Whether the characters are stuck up in death, despair, or suffering, it all feels like it will eventually be okay…and it usually is (I suppose that could make Kaurismäki the anti-Lars von Trier).  Though this film was prone to give me a few warm fuzzies, I sometimes do wonder if he could have gone a little further with stretching my empathy muscles, but perhaps part of his charm is…well, charm, finely balanced without any manipulation or overbearing sentimentality.

Le Havre is pleasant, optimistic, and a great date movie (it’s French and everything)!

Le Havre is Not Rated by the MPAA, but contains nothing objectionable.

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photo sources:

http://www.postercollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LeHavre.jpg

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Le-Havre-by-Aki-Kaurismaki.jpg

other resources:

http://www.imdb.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/

BEST IN GENRE (Top 10): Action

#10 — Kill Bill:  Volume 1 (2003)

Cinema meets an ad for the slap chop. If you are a fan of cutting, chopping, or seeing a tribute to Asian film through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino, then this something you should consider viewing. Any fan of kung fu, samurai, or even anime movies will see quite a few similarities and easily point out Tarantino’s inspiration for this film. A fantastic action movie well deserved to be on this list, check it out.

-J.C. Stephens

#9 — Terminator 2:  Judgement Day (1991)

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a masterpiece. Sure its an action film, albeit a mind blowingly rad action film, but it’s also a compelling drama. Okay, okay so its no Ordinary People or anything, but it’s enough to move a fanboy to tears. James Cameron shines as a filmmaker with this film. His pacing is uncanny as the film becomes a roller coaster of highs and lows both explosive and intimate. The man vs. machine themes of the first films mature in the sequel now exploring mankind’s co-existence with technology which tirelessly steams-rolls ever forward. As relevant a cautionary tale now as it was 20 years ago, Terminator 2 is also both a capsule and pinnacle of the incredible real-life stunts whose life-span is slowly winding down in the age of digital effects (a digital age that was also propelled by the innovative CGI sequences in this very film.) The action, the drama and the CGI that still holds up better than most of its spawn two decades later, Terminator 2: Judgement Day has more than earned its place as one of the all time best where action films are concerned.

-Austin Flones

#8 — Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

The Indiana Jones trilogy represent the best of good action films and Last Crusade represents the best of the trilogy. The film features the return of Sallah and Marcus Brody in expanded roles and introduces Sean Connery as Indy’s dad. The characters play off each other wonderfully, giving both comedic levity and dramatic gravitas. The plot is grand in scale– secret societies, diverse locales, surprising appearances, and the mother of all archeological MacGuffins. This movie, as with the other good Indy movies, heralds back to a more pulpy style like the adventure magazines and film serials of the 40′s and does with so much charm and heart, it’s going to be hard not to have fun watching.

-Kenny Cooper

#007 — Casino Royale (2006)

With this single film gone was the false Hollywood-ized James Bond. Gone were the campy villains and plots. Gone was the hokey directing. Gone was the presentation of women as simply sex objects/symbols. Casino Royale gave us a new kind of James Bond, a human one. It also gave viewers a well-structured, twisty, and exhilarating action film. It’s filled with impressive, masterfully filmed action sequences, suspenseful scenes that keep one the edge of their seat, and two very compelling leads.  Director Martin Campbell also skillfully brings cinematic sensibilities and a particular rawness to the film. He begins Royale with a violent opening filmed in crisp black-and-white, and continues to surprise us throughout with beautiful scenes, such as when Bond simply holds a traumatized woman in the shower, and harrowing ones including a brutal torture scene that pushes the limits of its PG-13 rating. It is everything, not just Bond films, but action films in general should be, but hardly ever are.

-Andy Motz

#6 — Oldboy (2003)

The old saying “revenge is a dish best served cold” takes on a new meaning in this Korean action-thriller masterpiece from Park Chan-Wook.  Based on the Japanese Manga of the same name, Oldboy starts off as a revenge tale but turns it on its head in the most powerful fashion imaginable, and then performs a bloody autopsy.  It takes the Count of Monte Cristo story, gives it a modern twist, films it with a masterful eye of Kubrickian perfection, injects it with disturbing themes, and knocks you over with a twist that would make Alfred Hitchcock and M. Night Shyamalan blush, while inspiring Freud to publish 3 more books to do it enough justice.  There’s plenty of action and humor throughout it, but the stylized fist-fights and stabbings you witness onscreen actually feel like temporary solace from the brutal impact of Oh Dae-Su’s unfolding internal toil — which, by the end, leaves you utterly speechless, and him even more so (perhaps a distasteful pun if you’ve seen the ending, but a true one).

-Andrew Bowcock

#5 — Yojimbo (1961)

Now some will argue that Seven Samurai is the superior Akira Kurosawa film, but my money is on this one.  Not just because I think the leaner, darker take is more engaging for me, but this one is without a doubt quite the film.  Toshiro Mifune is devilishly and darkly comic as the antihero, Sanjuro, who comes to a town run by rival crime lord factions.  Sanjuro gets in bed with both sides and plays them both.  It’s quite a dark interesting tale that arguably inspired the idea of the lone gunman / lawman coming to clean up the town, but where those often rely on platitudes, cliches, and over-moralizing, this brings a harder edge.  You can definitely see not only how this inspired Sergio Leone, but also Sam Peckinpah.  Without this and other samurai films, I venture that westerns would never be the same, and for me that’s more than enough reason with all the others to say this is one of Kurosawa’s most interesting, best, and one of my personal favorites.

-Matthew Groves

#4 — Die Hard (1988)

It starts like the premise of a heartwarming family comedy. The holidays are approaching and Bruce Willis is a husband and father is reunited with his family in the garish glamour of the 80s. Then all of a sudden – terrorists! “Now I have a machine gun. Ho! ho! ho!” Released in 1988, Die Hard is far from being the first action film – but it has set the tone for many ripoffs and parodies afterward. While there are the standard guns and explosions and one-liners, the film is intelligently written to milk as much suspense as possible out of its office skyscraper location. And for what it’s worth, it tends to make the lists of people’s favorite Christmas movies as well.

-Rachelle Klemme

#3 — The Dark Knight (2008)

It’s easy to call it the “greatest superhero film ever made”, but that actually wouldn’t be doing it justice.  Christopher Nolan introduced a craft to “superhero” films that was never before known, surpassing the genre completely and creating something more.  In other words, he made Batman movies feel like real films, not just some throw-away summer blockbusters that would be forgotten the following month.  No, films like The Dark Knight stick with you, not only because of the wonderful craft involved, but because you can tell there’s a mind behind it and it makes its audience ask some serious questions about life, justice, humanity, good & evil, and many other things that the best comics, books, and films all should do.  Outside of the legendary performance as the Joker by Heath Ledger and the opening bank robbery sequence that history’s greatest crime films would envy, The Dark Knight implements heavy emotion and powerful ideas into its breakneck, mile-a-minute pacing, and is beautifully executed with a meticulousness that’s sadly absent from all too many comic book films (or action films in general).  Nolan has set the bar incredibly high for action films, and so far there’s little competition for his style of writing & directing, which combines the muscular and flashy with the dense and brainy — meaning jocks and nerds can for once actually come together and agree on how awesome his films are.

-Andrew Bowcock

#2 — Seven Samurai (1954)

If I had only one movie to watch for the rest of my life, I’d choose Seven Samurai. Scroll through some listings of some financiers involved in Kurosawa’s projects and you will find familiar names like Francis Ford Copolla, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. There’s a reason why some of the greatest American directors have come to the assistance of an elderly director from Japan who was making movies well into his nineties and going blind. Hell, even Martin Scorsese acted in one of Kurosawa’s films, giving us a chance to witness one of the greatest directors of all time be directed by the grandmaster director of all time. From Kurosawa came the modern action movie, and yes, that even includes Star Wars which is derived from Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. But Kurosawa’s greatest achievement is Seven Samurai. The movie is perfect. I could write enough words about it to fill up entire books and still have more to say. Where do I even begin? Do I begin by marveling at his technical prowess? Or should I start off by discussing his insight on human nature and his celebration of the individual? Should I begin with the human comedy? Or a discussion of the social and political statements he is making? But starting off with any of those topics first may alienate those who are already resistant to the idea of watching a black & white film in a foreign language, so I will simply start with a one-sentence plot summary: Seven Samurai defend a poor farmer village against forty bandits. To put those odds in layman’s terms, it would be like the Ninja Turtles taking on Shredder, Krang, all the Foot Soldiers and, like, five Technodromes all at once. And if that illustration doesn’t explode your mind, then, all right, SIX technodromes all at once. Really, it’s that epic.

-Abe Rose

#1 — Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made one of the greatest, most iconic action-adventure films of all time with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Perhaps it is the hat and whip. Perhaps it is the search for sacred relics from ancient civilizations. Perhaps it is the special effects and wonderful chases. Perhaps it is the booby traps. Everything about the character of Indiana Jones and his world just feels right. He’s an old adventure serial with some extra grit. He’s an adult Tintin. The ever changing locales from steamy South American jungles to more domestic schoolrooms of the 1930s to archaeological digs and dangerous streets in dusty Egypt Raiders has it all. Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliot, Paul Freeman, and a slew of faceless Nazis inhabit this mythical world that reinvented exotic adventure and put it on display for new generations of movie goers. Every element of this wonderfully enjoyable film inspires the imagination. Everyone’s seen it and everyone loves it. And deservedly so! The only crime is that not all of its sequels could measure up, however Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade might be just as good as this first fun romp through the world of action archaeology.

-Jonathan Burrello

INDIVIDUAL VOTER LISTS:

Andrew Bowcock:
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. The Wages of Fear (1953)
3. Oldboy (2003)
4. Captain Blood (1935)
5. Casino Royale (2006)
6. Mission: Impossible (1996)
7. Yojimbo (1961)
8. Clear & Present Danger (1994)
9. Hanna (2011)
10. Hard Boiled (1992)

Jonathan Burrello:
1. Seven Samurai (1954)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
3. The Three / Four Musketeers (1973 / 1974)
4. Spartacus (1960)
5. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
6. The Italian Job (1969)
7. Leon: the Professional (1994)
8. Enter the Dragon (1973)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Lethal Weapon (1987)

Kenny Cooper:
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. The Seven Samurai (1954)
3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
4. Heat (1995)
5. Leon the Professional (1994)
6. Die Hard (1988)
7. Point Blank (1967)
8. Dr. No (1962)
9. Enter the Dragon (1973)
10. The Mark of Zorro (1920)

Roshanna Elwing:
1. From Russia with Love (1963)
2. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
3. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
4. Dirty Harry (1971)
5. Shaft (1971)
6. Tango and Cash (1989)
7. Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
8. Flash Gordon (1980)
9. Street Fighter (1994)
10. Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Austin Flones:
1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
2. Predator (1987)
3. Dr. No (1962)
4. First Blood (1982)
5. Aliens (1986)
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
7. Fists of Fury (1972)
8. Leon the Professional (1994)
9. Desperado (1995)
10. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)

Matthew Groves:
1. Natural Born Killers (1994)
2. Valhalla Rising (2009)
3. Yojimbo (1961)
4. The Limey (1999)
5. Vanishing Point (1971)
6. Straw Dogs (1971)
7. Inception (2010)
8. Hot Fuzz (2007)
9. Bronson (2008)
10. Miami Vice (2006)

Rachelle Klemme:
1. The Matrix (1999)
2. Goldfinger (1964)
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
4. No Country For Old Men (2007)
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
6. The Dark Knight (2008)
7. Oldboy (2003)
8. Infernal Affairs (2002)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Enter the Dragon (1973)

Andy Motz:
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
2. Casino Royale (2006)
3. North by Northwest (1959)
4. Collateral (2004)
5. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
6. A Bittersweet Life (2005)
7. The Dark Knight (2008)
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Aliens (1986)

Mathew O’Neill:
1. Battle Royale (2000)
2. The French Connection (1971)
3. Bullit (1968)
4. Dolemite (1975)
5. Total Recall (1990)
6. Deadly Prey (1987)
7. White Ghost (1988)
8. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
9. Run Lola Run (1998)
10. Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

Abe Rose:
1.Seven Samurai (1954)
2.The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
3.Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
4.Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
5.Yojimbo (1961)
6.Oldboy (2003)
7.The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
8.The Dark Knight (2008)
9.Children of Men (2006)
10.The Fugitive (1993)

J.C. Stephens:
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
3. Die Hard (1988)
4. Kill Bill Vol 1. (2003)
5. Ip Man (2010)
6. Inception (2010)
7. The Hunt For Red October (1990)
8. Drunken Master (1978)
9. Enter the Dragon (1973)
10. Predator (1987)

___________________________________________________________________________

photo sources:

http://www.stardustmovies.com/gallery_film/(170409161146)killbill_1_1.jpg

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1991_Terminator_2:_Judgment_Day/1991_terminator_2_005.jpg

http://media.techeblog.com/images/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade.jpg

http://www.flickdirect.com/images/movies/casino-royale2006/casino-royale2006_9.jpg

http://www.asianmoviepulse.com/wp-content/uploads/oldboy.jpg

http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_01_img0546.jpg

http://www.altfg.com/Stars/d/die-hard-bruce-willis.jpg

http://www.darkknightblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/dark-knight-joker2.jpg

http://www.dgaquarterly.org/Portals/0/images/0603/DVDs_SevenSamurai.jpg

http://www.moviemobsters.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/indiana-jones-raiders.jpg

CHRONICLE CAST — Episode 2: Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” & “Tideland”

Check out EPISODE 2 HERE where we discuss 2 very different eras in Terry Gilliam’s career, as represented by the wildly different films Brazil (1985) and Tideland (2005).

Editor’s Update:

Hey Everyone,

Due to some in unforeseen issues that arose with our iTunes page, the best place to check this out is this direct download site, HERE.  So the link above you cannot download the podcast for the time being.  We will let you know when the issues have been ironed out.  So sorry and thank you for your patience.

Update 5/10/11:

Just so everyone knows the podcast is back up on iTunes and ready to download.  Check it out, comment on it, give us a positive review on iTunes, because it will get us more notice on there!  And if you don’t have iTunes don’t worry and go to the direct download link.  Thanks and enjoy!

-Matthew Groves, Founder/Editor

BEST IN GENRE (Action): James Bond Retrospective — Part II: 1980′s-2000′s

by Andrew Bowcock

As I mentioned in Part I of my retrospective, I’m observing the chronology of the James Bond canon, and deciding whether each film is contextually essential (among the best of the series), worthy (a solid Bond flick), decent (worth seeing if you’re a fan), subpar (not good, but possibly a little fun), or garbage (not worth your time at all).

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Fiddler on the Roof fans might be excited to see Bond team up with Topol in this one.  This movie isn’t particularly bad, but my major problem (besides the ridiculous non-sequitur opening sequence where Bond drops Blofeld down a smoke stack from a helicopter — an unjust ending to who was once a legendary villain) is that it’s just not very memorable overall.  I remember there was something about an underage figure skater girl that liked him, but honestly I had to check on IMDB to remember what was going on in this movie at all.  That’s usually not a good sign.  Plus, we still have to deal with more of the Roger Moore schtick (thankfully it’s a little tamer this time than it sometimes is).

Verdict:  Subpar

Octopussy (1983)

The Cold War is in full-swing here, and a jewel smuggling operation involving a Fabergé egg ends up being way more than anyone imagined.  The locations alone are enough to draw in an audience, but there’s a sense of urgency brought into the plot by the inter-cutting with the political issues tied to the goings-on with NATO and Russian military leaders which make the story seem slightly more complex than usual, despite a few nonsensical detours.  Once again though, the increasingly campy presence of Roger Moore’s 007 only does harm to what I feel could have easily been more tantalizing had somebody else been given a shot at the role.  In addition, there are some horrible attempts at comedy thrown in that don’t fit at all (i.e. Bond swinging from jungle vines while we hear a “Tarzan” yodel…yes, seriously).  There’s also a part where he’s hiding in a fake alligator, and another part where he’s dressed in a clown disguise.  Apparently Moore was slated to be Bond before Connery even got the gig…I wonder if the franchise would have lasted this long if that were the case?

Verdict:  Decent

A View to a Kill (1985)

Ah, Roger Moore…after a long career of being a consistently mediocre (and by this time slightly geriatric, at age 57) James Bond, his time as 007 finally comes to an end.  Just as I mentioned in Part I about how Diamonds Are Forever was so disgustingly 70′s, likewise, A View to a Kill is terribly 80′s (Grace Jones as a Bond girl…really?!)  Though I have a soft spot for the Duran Duran theme song, this Goldfinger remake is just as incredibly lazy as it is ludicrous.  The “action” scenes are very underwhelming the few times they surface, and even the ending climax on the top of the Golden Gate bridge doesn’t deliver more than a couple unintentional laughs and rolls of the eyes.  That’s right, not even Christopher Walken playing the villain can save it.  With Moore at his least appealing, this film is utterly doomed…though Tanya Roberts is super sexy.

Verdict:  Garbage

The Living Daylights (1987)

The effectiveness of Timothy Dalton‘s approach 007 is often debated, but personally, I like him.  This is one of my favorite Bond films for several reasons.  Firstly, like all the others among the best it actually feels like a real spy film instead of the extended escapade of campiness we saw in much of Moore’s career (for an accurate parallel, take Schumacher‘s Batman & Robin vs. Tim Burton‘s 1989 Batman).  Sure, there are moments of over-the-top action and bad puns, but in comparison to the film that preceded it, this feels like a masterpiece.  Dalton’s Bond proves to be more suave and a little bit more serious than we’re used to…and hey, guess what?  He’s actually not a total jerk, and for once feels like he has a little bit of regard for human life.  Of course, that doesn’t stop him from taking the sometimes violent steps necessary to accomplish his mission, protect the lady, and ultimately survive himself, but there’s undeniably more dimension here.  The story in The Living Daylights is actually not too bad (more Cold War-related stuff, with betrayals & defections sprinkled throughout) and the locations literally take Bond across practically the whole world, making it fun, through-and-through.  And, for some reason, when Dalton played 007 he didn’t feel the need to land on every female tail that waltzed onscreen; there are a couple instances of implied sexuality but they’re few and far between, making it feel like there’s actually a little bit of restraint going on, something which was becoming rare in the series, despite trying to keep it consistently PG.

Verdict:  Essential

License to Kill (1989)

This is the James Bond movie at its darkest and most violent yet, garnering the PG-13 rating for the first time ever.  Though not quite as good as The Living Daylights, License To Kill is a strong sequel.  In this one, Bond’s long-time friend, CIA operative Felix Leiter, gets married, but immediately after falls victim to a violent, gory incident which leaves his new wife dead and himself brutally injured.  Dalton’s presence this time feels angrier, being that he must deal with the revoking of his license to kill and the near-death of his friend at the same time.  His only choice from here is to arrange a rogue infiltration of a Mexican drug lord’s allegiances in order to attain vengeance for his friend.  A couple fun marks in this film are Q’s heavier-than-usual involvement (he actually helps Bond during a mission for the first time, thus attaining more screen-time than ever before), and seeing Benicio del Toro in one of his first feature-film roles.

Verdict:  Worthy

Goldeneye (1995)

After the box-office failure of License to Kill and a 6-year silence (the longest span since the series began), some doubted if they’d ever see a new 007 film again.  However, there was a new kid on the block, and the newer, more polished approach to the James Bond character was very much welcome.  Pierce Brosnan, who was originally slated to replace Roger Moore in the 80′s (but ended up stuck in a contract with the TV series Remington Steele), was now cast as Bond, and the hype was ripe after the world viewed perhaps one of the most exhilarating teaser trailers ever cut.  It was perhaps risky to make a Bond film that for the first time had no basis in any of the beloved Ian Fleming novels, but as it so happened, Goldeneye delivered well…very well.  Director Martin Campbell skillfully toned down the camp, fleshed out the characters, and enhanced the atmosphere and action in a way that practically no Bond film before had done.  Brosnan’s Bond was distinctly believable — even though I’d seen several Bond films before he was even cast, when I think of Bond, Pierce Brosnan manifests the amalgamated persona that I feel best encapsulates the most recognizable incarnation of the character.  Perhaps I was just tainted by him being the longest lasting Bond in my lifetime, but even before Sean Connery, when people say “James Bond” my mind immediately clicks with Brosnan, specifically from this film.  It’s a shame the shining star would wane so quickly.

Verdict:  Essential

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

*Sigh*…we didn’t really expect it to last, did we?  It’s not the most awful thing ever, but the approach in Tomorrow Never Dies seemed to try to equate 007 more with an overly brawny, almost Schwarzenegger-esque action star than the classically smooth secret agent.  There are way too many machine guns, jumping off buildings, motorcycle stunts, and the like for it to really ring true.  I guess it’s not bad if you’re into that sort of thing…but then there’s the whole rest of the movie.  Jonathan Pryce just might be one of the lamest movie villains ever: he’s a media mogul (yeah, pretty much a newspaper guy), who essentially wants to take over the global media in order to create more bad news; one of the most unfortunately memorable lines in the movie is Price’s delivery of the line “there’s no news *incredibly long pause* …like bad news!”  However, if you’re looking for a few cool stunts, shootouts, chases and nothing more…eh, I won’t stop you.

Verdict:  Subpar

The World is Not Enough (1999)

If you’re looking for a fairly satisfying Brosnan-Bond that isn’t Goldeneye, well…this is your only choice, actually.  Most people will tell you similar things about this one: mostly about Denise Richards sucking, but the rest of the movie being at least decent.  Robert Carlyle plays one of the more interesting Bond villains in the late franchise: a man who is unable to feel pain because of a bullet lodged in his brain that will eventually kill him, but for now just inhibits his ability to feel.  In the meantime, Bond must deal with protecting Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of oil tycoon, from falling prey to kidnapping, all the while stumbling upon a nuclear plot which threatens the safety of more than a few worldwide.  There are a couple twists along the way (yes, perhaps a couple we saw coming), and the movie never really goes off the deep end, but as is already common knowledge, Denise Richards’ attractive body is balanced out by her terrible acting a bit too well.  Also, we see James Bond get injured (as in breaking a bone and needing a doctor’s treatment) in what seems like an all-too-rare occurrence given the astronomical number of times he’s placed himself in harm’s way.  The serious tone in this film doesn’t work its charm as well as it did in Goldeneye, but it’s still an improvement over Tomorrow Never Dies, and I might’ve qualified this as “worthy” if it weren’t for how anti-climactic the finale was.  And as Pierce Brosnan’s credit rolled away at the end of this film, so did any dignity he had left as 007.

Verdict:  Decent (though the theme song was performed by the band Garbage…heh heh)

Die Another Day (2002)

The fencing match is easily the most British scene in a Bond film in a long time...and yes, that's actually Madonna doing a cameo in the middle

So here it is: the ultimate Brosnan stinker.  This film is so obsessed with stupid technology.  For one thing, Q (who is now John Cleese) gives Bond’s car an invisibility shield — you know, just in case.  Also it has metal spiked-traction tires, you know, just in case he somehow gets stuck in a melting ice castle in Antarctica or wherever the dumb villain (who apparently never sleeps and has been genetically altered from being a Korean guy to being some British dude) has decided to put his ice castle that he melts with his Goldeneye-ripoff sun-laser thing.  Diamonds, lasers, genetic alterations, invisible cars, blah blah blah — it’s all in Die Another Day without really caring what it’s doing or whether or not it makes any damn sense.  Halle Berry really sucks in it too.  So what isn’t terrible in this film?  Actually, one of the worst things about it is how great the opening sequence is, making the rest of the film such an incredible let-down.  James actually gets captured by North Korean military extremists at the beginning, and during the title sequence we see him actually going through torture and starvation, which apparently lasted for months until he was traded back to MI6.  Ooh, this is different, right?  This dark, serious turn made it seem like the rest of the film might actually give us something more interesting, but unfortunately the pendulum had to promptly swing to the other extreme.

Verdict:  Garbage

Casino Royale (2006)

In an era of gritty reboots, Casino Royale stands tall as one of the absolute best  — not just a great James Bond movie, but a fantastic film all-around.  A year after Batman Begins revived the Batman franchise and gave it a deeper sense of importance than it ever had, so this film did with the James Bond franchise, making it the most believable, realistic, and yet exciting take we’ve ever seen on the secret agent.  This film follows the original Ian Fleming novel very well (at least for the second half), taking Bond back to his origins, but adding a modern flare to it.  Just as Martin Campbell re-imagined 007 for Goldeneye, he does so again in an even more extreme fashion with this film, making me wonder why he hasn’t been the sole director of James Bond films ever since he first gave it a shot.  Instead of reveling in the negative aspects of Agent 007′s personality, this film presents him without apology as a slightly sociopathic anti-hero, pulling back on the “fun” aspect a little bit in order to be a little bit more honest about how a person of his status got to be where he is, sifting through the puns and stereotypes, and cutting to the core of who the “real” James Bond is.  Daniel Craig does a brilliant job in his bravely raw approach to 007…he’s easily the most badass of any actor who has yet taken the role.  In perhaps what could be interpreted as a dismissal of the rest of the franchise, a bartender asks if James wants his drink “shaken or stirred?”, to which he sternly replies “do I look like I give a damn?”

Verdict:  Essential

Quantum of Solace (2008)

The first Bond film meant to be a direct sequel to the one before it, Quantum of Solace showed a lot of promise, especially in that it was directed by Marc Forster, who had directed practically nothing but great films until this point.  My excitement peaked when I heard he was at the helm, but quickly waned once I actually saw the film.  Since Casino Royale stripped James Bond down to the nitty-gritty of his character in order to build him up again from scratch, a sequel would need to advance his arc in some fashion if it wanted to be successful.  Unfortunately, Quantum of Solace is little more than a Jason Bourne-wannabe film, but less interesting.  Since we have no more of the silly puns, fun but barely practical gadgets, and over-the-top characters in this new universe, we need something else to replace that old Bond “charm” (I use that word very loosely), and QoS delivers almost nothing fun, save for a couple decent action scenes.  It’s essentially a flat, boring action film that’s barely even a Bond movie despite its best efforts to remind us (i.e. a woman who drowns in oil and is left lying dead covered completely in the substance on a bed, an obvious homage to the paint suffocation in Goldfinger).  Sure, it still has the classic opening title sequence using scantily-clad/naked silhouetted women artfully rendered using the thematic elements from the film, but despite Daniel Craig’s great execution of all the complex fight sequences, this film falls back on an incredibly ho-hum plot with zero character, and in the end remains pretty unsatisfying, even for a simple action film.

Verdict:  Subpar

As for the future of James Bond, “Bond 23″ is slated for 2012 with Sam Mendes attached as a director.  I for one, hope they continue in the more mature direction, but obviously more in the vein of what Casino Royale set up, and I surely hope they’ll squeeze at least one more good film from Daniel Craig before he’ll inevitably have to hand off the role to someone else.  Will they ever stop making these movies at all?  The way Hollywood is going with a ridiculous slew of sequels, prequels, reboots, and the like, it’s not likely for a very long time.

Keep a look out for my next article, where I talk about a few anomalies in the James Bond series that aren’t part of the official canon.

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photo sources:

http://i1.cdnds.net/10/22/550w_showbiz_ds_icon_topol_01.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vX5ZlMjYBxA/TbANN0fA4xI/AAAAAAAAAqU/DBUMiu-hmEQ/s1600/octopussy_babe.jpg

http://www.celebratingchristopherwalken.com/photos/view.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zm-2hX05Nfg/THF8Ozc4kwI/AAAAAAAAAj8/iS0cMSJNd1w/s1600/living+daylights+06.jpg

http://bluraymedia.ign.com/bluray/image/article/984/984334/license-to-kill-blu-ray-review-20090519010349218-000.jpg

http://mimg.ugo.com/201001/12593/goldeneye.jpg

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1997_Tomorrow_Never_Dies/1997_Tomorrow_Never_Di_147.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Zm-2hX05Nfg/TTM91ZhnseI/AAAAAAAAAvk/ZeT__SSfRIM/s1600/world%2Bis%2Bnot%2Benough%2B04.jpg

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20061117HO_Casino_Royal_1_450.jpg

http://closetonefilms.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/quantum-of-solace.jpg

other resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://www.imdb.com/

http://www.youtube.com/

BEST IN GENRE (Action): James Bond Retrospective — Part I: 1960′s-1970′s

by Andrew Bowcock

One of my biggest movie heroes growing up was James Bond.  Ironically, my mother was the one that prompted my discovery of many of these movies (though she’d be the first to tell you that he wasn’t the best role model for a young boy).  Bond was a key player in my understanding of discovering how film has evolved through the decades by taking a single character and morphing him to fit whatever current cultural backdrop or political climate our world was experiencing.  Though Agent 007 was always intended to be a bit of an ass, at the end of the day he was still somehow the most qualified one to save the world.

The intelligence of the approach to Bond’s reputation as a questionable human being and a socio-political dichotomy within these films ranged from self-aware to oblivious, and sometimes determined how worthy the films were of a second look.  Down the road (especially well into Roger Moore‘s career as the 007) and even beyond the parodies (the 1967 Casino Royale for instance), James Bond’s depth as a person often seemed little more important than the improperly placed innuendos he incessantly murmured around women.  However, despite whatever negative marks in his reputation, Bond still has managed to retain a somewhat respectable standing today, with more than 20 films to date featuring his character.

I’ve decided to chronologically take a look at the entire James Bond film canon (thus far in history), and highlight what I’ve found to be the best and the worst of the series up to this point.  Keep in mind for this chronogical series I’m only taking a look at the official Bond films in the canon, not the parodies, spinoffs or “unofficials”, which I’ll save for another post.  I’ll determine a rating for each film accordingly, giving my opinion on whether it’s essential (among the best of the series), worthy (a solid Bond flick), decent (worth seeing if you’re a fan), subpar (not good, but possibly a little fun), or garbage (not worth your time at all).

Dr. No (1962)

“Bond, James Bond.”  One of the first lines Sean Connery delivers as a response to a woman during a game of cards whilst a cigarette hangs from his lips was most of the world’s first introduction to the iconic MI-6 agent onscreen.  Few knew that simply the statement of the man’s name would become a world-famous phrase for decades to come.  Dr. No isn’t the best Bond film, but it introduced so many classic moments, nostalgic phrases and visuals, that it’s hard not to hand it to the film that would spawn 20+ sequels.  What other spy film could you say held this much sway?  Dr. No simply opens up the larger world of Bond’s enemies, but focuses on one villain who seems like the most direct threat at the moment, Dr. Julius No, who is behind a series of murders and, as it turns out, a larger scheme to destroy the U.S. space program.  For the first time, we discover that Bond is the only one who is slick enough to make it far enough to disarm the enemy…but not before playing some cards and seducing a couple beauties along the way.  It just comes with the territory, right?

Verdict:  Worthy

From Russia With Love (1963)

The first of the “great” 007 films, and probably one of the best all-around, From Russia With Love takes James Bond’s character slightly more seriously than its predecessor, and makes us feel a little more threatened and claustrophobic in its setting (about half of the film takes place on a train).  In this one, we get a bit more of a look behind the enemies of Bond (and the rest of the free world apparently), the secret terrorist organization SPECTRE — however, we still don’t a glimpse at the face of the mysterious man holding the white cat, who would later be revealed as Ernst Stavro Blofeld.  Bond’s mission is to retrieve a dangerous encryption device stolen by this organization, but in doing so he’s forced to get close to a young, beautiful, and naive Russian spy named Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), whom he’s obligated to be at competitive odds with but still protect.  The fragility of the situation adds to the suspense and the ultimate satisfaction of the climactic action sequences later in the film.  Also, Robert Shaw plays a very intimidating villain.

Verdict:  Essential

Goldfinger (1964)

One of the most famous Bond films might also be one of the most over-rated.  Though Goldfinger has plenty of fun, action, and suspense, it began to develop some very unhealthy tropes concerning Bond’s character.  This time 007 is even more misogynistic, cruel and despicable of a hero than he was before.  The innuendos start becoming more obvious (i.e. naming one of the main female characters Pussy Galore), and though some of the women, like Galore (Honor Blackman), are meant to have questionable allegiances, it doesn’t quite make up for a few parts that are a bit disturbing if we look back on them with honesty.  I’m referring mainly to one sequence which was pointed out to me a while back by fellow Chronicler Kenny Cooper, where Bond refuses to let Pussy Galore leave a barn where he was being held hostage, and proceeds to essentially pin her down and rape her (so the implication goes).  What’s so horrible about this scene is that we’re not intended to find his behavior disturbing — if you listen to the music cues and the way it’s all edited, it’s exudes the tone of “hey, this is fun, right?”

On a less pessimistic note though, this was the first film in history where we see a “real” laser on film — which incidentally almost singes through James’ crotch…(maybe that balances the other scene out?)  Also, good ol “Q“‘s little gadgets for Bond start to get a bit more ridiculous this time around.  Maybe this film’s classic status is equaled out by 007′s initial responses to his surroundings:  when Pussy Galore introduces herself, Bond replies “I must be dreaming”, and when Q introduces the fact that Bond’s car is equipped with missiles and and an ejector seat, he says “you’re joking?!”  Q then says “I never joke about my work, 007.”  Never…really?  Well, I guess that’s sort of true for at least a few more films.

Verdict:  Decent

Thunderball (1965)

By now it’s starting to become more of the same: SPECTRE’s up to something, and instead of playing a little Sherlock Holmes, Bond just finds the right women to seduce to get close enough to the subject.  Though this film is a little more espionage-y than Goldfinger, Thunderball fails to be as exciting as it should be.  A lot of the film takes place underwater — one of the worst places to film “action” sequences.  However, at the beginning he does use a jet pack.  You gotta admit that Emilio Largo’s (/Adolfo Celi’s) eye patch is pretty badass though.

Verdict:  Decent

You Only Live Twice (1967)

"Japanese" Bond perhaps looks a bit more like Mr. Spock

In You Only Live Twice, James Bond goes to Japan, and fakes his own death.  It’s a fun Bond flick with some pretty great explosions near the end (it involves a volcano, if that gives you an idea).  However, the idea of the ninja secret service turning James Japanese as a disguise is a little silly, even for a series this tongue-in-cheek.  The highlight of this film, however, is that we see Ernst Blofeld for the first time (this and the following two films are unofficially deemed the “Blofeld trilogy”).  Though the man has taken several very different forms by different actors, the most iconic is in the scarred, creepy little man portrayed by Donald Pleasance– which would later become the direct inspiration for the character Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers films.

Verdict:  Worthy

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Diana Rigg is alongside George Lazenby, who is bidding farewell to the guests as well as his short-lived career as 007

George Lazenby takes over the role of James Bond for the first and (thank God) only time.  Sean Connery quit the role, and originally Timothy Dalton was offered the job (though he would later take it in the 80′s, he believed himself too young at the time).  Lazenby is by far the worst casting choice for James Bond.  He lacks the charm and charisma that Connery had, and whenever he made an attempt at a joke, it fell terribly flat and made you cringe instead of cracking a smile.  The most frustrating thing about this film is that the story is actually pretty unique and intriguing for a Bond film.  Despite all the familiar spy fare, i.e. going undercover, infiltrating one of Blofeld’s schemes, etc. — there’s something that adds a bit of dimension to 007′s character, which is his decision to get married.  Since the world knew Bond at this point to be the “forever bachelor” type, this came as a bit of a shock to some audiences.  However, if the series were to continue as before, we all know that Bond can’t remain married.  All I can say is this film has probably the bleakest and saddest ending to any Bond film.  If only Connery were still in the role for this one, the emotions might have felt all the more real, making this one of the best in the series to date.

Verdict:  Worthy

Diamonds are Forever (1971)

There’s no way around it: Diamonds are Forever is disgustingly 70′s.  No, that’s not a good thing.  The pattern I’ve found in all of the worst Bond films is that they reflect the period in which they were made very thoroughly, but in the worst light (and with the worst sense of humor) possible.  It’s 1970′s Vegas, and Sean Connery returns to the 007 role for the last time officially (he would “unofficially” return in the 80′s for one more…if you’re confused, I’ll explain in a future article).  The plot is somewhat similar to Goldfinger (which was its main inspiration apparently), and two of the henchman Bond goes against are the sadistic gay couple Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd (the former played by Bruce Glover, father of Crispin Glover).  I can’t tell if the creepy portrayal of Wint and Kidd is homophobic or just really gross — either way, I’ve literally had nightmares about these guys stalking me (one time it was on a golf course for some reason).  This was hands-down the campiest Bond movie to date, and Sean Connery’s hairpiece was seriously the worst.  This started the trend of prolific Bond actors going out on a very poor note.

Verdict:  Garbage

Live and Let Die (1973)

Jane Seymour was probably one of the hottest Bond girls.

Roger Moore steps into his first film as James Bond, and makes it look fairly promising.  His approach to 007 is a little more nonchalant and less rugged than Connery’s, but we can tell it’s still the same agent (and miles better than Lazenby).  If anybody remembers anything about this film, it’s the catchy theme song composed by Paul McCartney & the Wings, which drives in the playful but occasionally ominous nature of the film.  The tone and the atmosphere for this one is a bit darker (as it deals with the occult & voodoo), and it has a rather creepy ending which feels like it would belong better in a Vincent Price film.  Yet for all the charm and usual Bond fare, by now it feels like his character’s appeal is starting to wear thin a little bit.  We might understand why as we venture further into Moore’s career.

Verdict:  Worthy

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Yes, this is a still...they're actually not posing for a photo shoot

You can’t fault Christopher Lee for this one, he does a tremendous job of playing a villain with a very dumb gimmick: killing guys he doesn’t like in his little house of mirrors with his golden gun (apparently golden bullets flatten on impact, causing a more gruesome kill).  As the obnoxious theme song warrants, “love is required whenever he’s hired, it comes just before the kill”.  So basically, he has to have sex before he sets up the little game of cat-and-mouse, otherwise…well, I don’t know.  Oh yeah, and James Bond has to stop him.  This movie features a couple of Asian schoolgirl girl ninjas, an annoying redneck cop with a lower lip that looks like it had a golf ball jammed into it, and the charming little Hervé Villechaize (from Fantasy Island) as Scaramanga’s (Lee’s) main henchman.  There’s not much else here to discuss.

Verdict:  Subpar

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

The highlight of this one really is actually not the villain, but the mute giant henchman known as “Jaws” (played by 7 foot, 2 inch tall Richard Kiel), a very large, very strong man, with a deadly smile — that is, a mouth full of metal teeth, which are his main method of murder.  In this one, Bond’s accomplice is Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach), a KGB agent whose lover was killed in action by 007, giving their partnership a heated dynamic as they’re forced to team up to stop a hijacking of British and Russian submarines with nuclear capabilities.  It’s got plenty of gadgets, suspense, action, and just enough of everything else to keep a spy film up to par…sort of.

Verdict:  Decent

Moonraker (1979)

Okay, this one is pretty dumb, but it is James Bond in space (at least that’s why I liked it as a kid), and we get to see Jaws in action once again.

Verdict:  Subpar

Check out Part 2

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photo sources:

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/files/2010/12/drno015ub7.png

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_93S0o84H0qI/TCiyvjkBPnI/AAAAAAAAAY0/0yQl2J85fbA/s1600/fromrussiawithlove2_lg.jpg

http://www.filmcritic.com/assets_c/2010/02/Goldfinger-thumb-560xauto-24159.jpg

http://chud.com/articles/content_images/117/THUNDERBALL5.jpg

http://andrewsidea.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/livetwice1.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UC9hn8K9kxw/TY9Yqx7AjTI/AAAAAAAAFaI/dggZd66d3ik/s400/on-her-majestys-secret-service.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/3117427840_9e01feaa1d.jpg

http://clothesonfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Live-and-Let-Die_Jane-Seymour_white-dress-front.bmp.jpg

http://www.hobo-bonobo.co.uk/topten/images/0808052329267.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Zm-2hX05Nfg/TCrFPYq5HPI/AAAAAAAAAek/cACBj7v0p98/s1600/spy+who+loved+me+07.jpg

http://007bond.weebly.com/uploads/3/6/6/9/366983/8597971_orig.jpg

other resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://www.imdb.com/

CHRONICLE CAST — Episode 1: Action Films

Check out the First Episode of our new Podcast, Chronicle Cast HERE

(Don’t forget to leave comments below!)

BEST IN GENRE (Sports): Top 10

#10 — Murderball (2005)

Murderball is an intense inspirational portrayal of the lives of paraplegic (and some nearly quadriplegic) athletes — that having been said, the fact that they are handicapped is completely irrelevant after you see how hard these individuals play and what they can achieve. This film is an excellent example of humankind’s unshakable ability to overcome adversity.

-J.C. Stephens

#9 — The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)

For all the movies Hollywood produces about baseball, movies about the Negro Leagues are still the minority. With Bingo Long we get a glimpse of history as well as some great baseball action. It’s as fun, breezy, and charismatic as its delightful cast headed by Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, and Richard Pryor. The players play because they love the game and we watch because we love seeing talented men have a ball. With its pleasing demeanor this film examines the American enterprising spirit and resilient sense of humor and there are moments where I swear you can recall a time before all the pretensions and even smell the grass and dirt of a game with your neighborhood friends from seasons past.

-Jonathan Burrello

#8 — The Sandlot (1993)

One of, if not the most beloved and quotable kid’s films of the 90′s, The Sandlot was and is an instant classic that makes you immediately want to get up, slap on a leather glove and go play with your old pals. A dusty neighborhood diamond, a legendary monstrous dog, the beautiful lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn (played by a young, talented Marley Shelton), a Babe Ruth signed baseball and the incredible PF Flyers, the legacy of The Sandlot has remained intact for the past two decades and will continue to warm the hearts of sports fans and nostalgics from now until FOOOORRR-EEEVVVV-EEEERRR….

-Austin Flones

#7 — The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

This movie is pretty much the archetype of the sports biopic. Everything we associate with the genre– hard work, the triumph of the underdog, unexpected adversity, excellence under pressure, the microcosm of the American Dream– it’s all goes back to a black and white Gary Cooper hitting baseballs through windows. The true story of New York Yankee Lou Gehrig and his amazing if short life stars Gary Cooper in the titular role and Babe Ruth as himself. Ever since Gary Cooper reiterates Gehrig’s immortal words about being the “luckiest man on the face of the earth” in the face of a disease so rare and serious they named it after him, this movie has been the emotional benchmark all sports movies live up to.

-Kenny Cooper

#6 — Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Here is a movie that was shot under-budget, ahead of schedule, without rewrites, with a small marketing campaign, and was able to generate enough word-of-mouth to win it a whole slew of Oscars including Best Picture, and a second Best Director Oscar for the legendary Clint Eastwood. Oh, and I forgot to mention that he starred in, produced and wrote the music for this movie too. What’s ironic is while the making of this movie sounds just like one of those inspirational sports movies where the heroes rise to withstand all odds and going the distance against Apollo Creed, Million Dollar Baby actually feels alien to the sports movie genre. Sure, it has the structure and plotting of a routine boxing movie, but it’s not until late into the movie that we realize that this movie is not going for the usual catharsis that consists of training montages and advice from Mr. Miyagi. No, this movie is a carefully constructed meditation on the lives of three individuals that go to great lengths to protect each other. There is a great temptation for actors to flamboyantly overdo their performances into grand caricatures, but you will find no such performances in this movie. And neither will you find any overtly egotistical decisions made by the camera work or the editing that call attention to itself. All the focus is directly on the story of these people, and to put anything flashy or sappy into the mix would just be distracting. Eastwood trusts the material enough to let it stand on its own, and his direct approach to the story results in an immensely powerful story.

-Abe Rose

#5 — Chariots of Fire (1981)

“I believe that God made me for a purpose. But he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure.” Chariots of Fire has its own twist on the underdog story. While Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) are not the usual down-and-out losers – it’s clear from the beginning that these runners are very good at what they do – they are cultural outsiders. Abrahams is Jewish and faces an uphill battle against prejudice. Determined to excel and defeat anti-semitism, he doesn’t face overt hatred but struggles against subtle bigotry wherever he goes. Liddell is Scottish Protestant and runs for the pleasure of God, but his spiritual beliefs are at odds with Olympic officials on one hand, and other Christians who don’t think he is devout enough. The two main characters’ amiable rivalry, contrasting approach to their passion, and pursuit of honor make this movie. The Vangelis contemporary electronic score and synthesizers may have been an odd choice for a 1920s period drama, but let’s face it – only the epic-ness of the 80′s could have done justice to this story.

-Rachelle Klemme

#4 — Hoop Dreams (1994)

In the  1994 documentary William Gates and Arthur Agee share two things in common: their love for the sport of Basketball and growing up in a poverty stricken area.  However it’s their love (and genuine talent) for Basketball that pushes them to overcome harsh, uncontrollable external circumstances and strive for that chance to play professionally. The film follows the two boys from junior high through high school as they deal with family conflicts and nasty education politics. Yet at three hours it never loses its way, always managing to be engaging. Hoop Dreams realistically connects humanity, dreams, and basketball resulting in one of the best sports films ever made.

-Andy Motz

#3 — Rocky (1976)

There are primarily two types of sports movies, the first is Rocky and…I forget the other one. While the Cinderalla story has been around as long as, well, Cinderella, there is a freshness about Rocky that makes us feel like we’re seeing the story for the first time. When Rocky confesses that he doesn’t think he can beat the champ, we feel as forlorn as if he’d just been knocked out in the first round; when Rocky asks to kiss Adrian, we’re so convinced by her nervousness that we wonder if she’ll actually agree. Rocky makes us believe, but it only does this because it is so good at making us doubt. The success in this movie lies in its lack of self-consciousness. Every aspect of the story should lead us to expect a victory, but every sincere word from the remarkable ensemble goes far enough to convince us of the impossibility of the situation. When the final bell sounds and no stoppage has occurred nor has any fighter totally dominated, we are caught up in the massive confusion of the ring post-fight and strain our ears to listen for someone to explain to us what precisely has happened. The explanation comes, the music swells, the credits roll, and the purest sense of satisfaction remains.

-Thomas Lazo

#2 — The Wrestler (2008)

All too often it seems like sports movies either try way too hard to make me feel something while lazily (in actuality) trying nothing at all.  The Wrestler doesn’t try to do anything more than paint an honest portrait of a has-been professional wrestler without pulling any punches (or bodyslams), but modern cinematic master Darren Aronofsky does it with a rare sense of restraint and conviction.  Mickey Rourke’s stellar comeback performance drives this sublime yet powerful drama, which seemingly doubles as a commentary on both Rourke’s own acting career and sports films in general.  It calls into question the measure of a man who refuses to succumb to the fact that his glory days are far behind him, and instead of following in the expected tradition of rooting for Randy “the Ram” Robinson we’re hoping he calls it quits before this path destroys him, both inside and out.  However, is wrestling the cause of his deep pain, or his only true solace in life?  One of Randy’s final lines stabs like a dagger as he points away from the ring, solemnly confessing, “The only place I get hurt is out there.”  As the film’s final shot cuts to black and you hear Bruce Springsteen’s somberly inspiring title track (specifically written for this film) usher in the credits, it’s difficult not to sit in contemplative silence as you let it all soak in.

-Andrew Bowcock

#1 — Raging Bull (1980)

When you look at it technically, from the Michael Chapman photography, the editing from Thelma Schoonmaker (with this film incidentally helping start her long collaboration with Scorsese), the incredible performances by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, the script by Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader, and the expressive, bravura direction of Martin Scorsese are all high-caliber.  Truly this not only transcends the entire (and mostly lackluster) genre of sports films, but sets a high standard for American cinema and film at large itself.  This grim, disturbing character portrait still has the visceral, moving power that it did 30 years ago and for anyone who is serious about their love of film or wants to be an artist, this film is without a doubt on that grand, essential list of films that must be seen.  It’s fitting that Scorsese, who, coming from a depression and drug overdose from personal and career setbacks that nearly killed him, wanted to make this his final film, his crowning achievement and in turn Raging Bull became his true comeback, giving him the will and passion to continue on.  Forget the sentimental trappings of most comeback sports films and witness the one that is unparalleled in its dramatic and technical brilliance.

-Matthew Groves

INDIVIDUAL VOTER LISTS:

Andrew Bowcock:
1.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling
2.  This Sporting Life (1963) – rugby
3.  The Pride of the Yankees (1942) – baseball
4.  The Hustler (1961) – pool/billiard
5.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
6.  The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) – baseball
7.  Shaolin Soccer (2001) – soccer + martial arts
8.  Friday Night Lights (2004) – football
9.  The Sandlot (1993) – baseball
10.  Cinderella Man (2005) – boxing

Jonathan Burrello:
1.  The Pride of the Yankees (1942) – baseball
2.  Field of Dreams (1989) – baseball
3.  The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976) – baseball
4.  The Bad News Bears (1976) – little league
5.  Slapshot (1977) – hockey
6.  Rocky (1976) – boxing
7.  Gymkata (1985) – gymnastics + karate
8.  College (1927) – rowing, track and field, javelin, discus, high jump, baseball
9.  Caddyshack (1980) – golf
10.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling

Kenny Cooper:
1.  College (1927) – rowing, track and field, javelin, discus, high jump, baseball
2.  Chariots of Fire (1981) – track & field
3.  The Pride of the Yankees (1942) – baseball
4.  Enter the Dragon (1973) – martial arts
5.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling
6.  Ali (2001) – boxing
7.  Rocky (1976) – boxing
8.  The Sandlot (1993) – baseball
9.  Horse Feathers (1932) – football
10.  Gentleman Jim (1942) – boxing

Austin Flones:
1.  Rocky (1976) – boxing
2.  Hoop Dreams (1994) – basketball
3.  Any Given Sunday (1999) – football
4.  Chariots of Fire (1981) – track & field
5.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling
6.  The Sandlot (1993) – baseball
7.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
8.  Whip It (2009) – roller skating
9.  Angels in the Outfield (1994) – baseball
10.  Cool Runnings (1993) – bobsledding

Matthew Groves:
1.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
2.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling
3.  The Natural (1984) – baseball
4.  Hoop Dreams (1994) – basketball
5.  Junior Bonner (1972) – rodeo
6.  They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) – dance marathon
7.  Boxing Gym (2010) – boxing
8.  This Sporting Life (1963) – rugby
9.  He Got Game (1998) – basketball
10.  Ali (2001) – boxing

Rachelle Klemme:
1.  Rocky (1976) – boxing
2.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
3.  Chariots of Fire (1981) – track & field
4.  Breaking Away (1979) – bicycle racing
5.  Rocky II (1979) – boxing
6.  The Sandlot (1993) – baseball
7.  A League of Their Own (1992) – baseball
8.  Remember the Titans (2000) – football
9.  The Blind Side (2009) – football
10.  Field of Dreams (1989) – baseball

Tommy Lazo:
1.  Rocky (1976) – boxing
2.  Hoosiers (1986) – basketball
3.  Chariots of Fire (1981) – track & field
4.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling
5.  Remember the Titans (2000) – football
6.  The Natural (1990) – baseball
7.  Cool Runnings (1993) – bobsledding
8.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
9.  The Sandlot (1993) – baseball
10.  Rocky III (1982) – boxing

Andrew Matthews:
1.  Hoop Dreams (1994) – basketball
2.  The Calcium Kid (2004) – boxing
3.  Shaolin Soccer (2001) – soccer + martial arts
4.  Cinderella Man (2005) – boxing
5.  Death Race 2000 (1975) – extreme car racing
6.  BASEketball (1998) – baseball + basketball
7.  When We Were Kings (1996) – boxing
8.  The Hurricane (1999) – boxing
9.  Best in Show (2000) – dog show
10.  Happy Gilmore (1996) – golf

Andy Motz:
1.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
2.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling
3.  Hoop Dreams (1994) – basketball
4.  Chariots of Fire (1981) – track & field
5.  Million Dollar Baby (2004) – boxing
6.  The Big Lebowski (1998) – bowling
7.  The Hurricane (1999) – boxing
8.  Breaking Away (1979) – bicycle racing
9.  Cinderella Man (2005) – boxing
10.  Caddyshack (1980) – golf

Abe Rose:
1.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
2.  Hoop Dreams (1994) – basketball
3.  Million Dollar Baby (2004) – boxing
4.  Friday Night Lights (2004) – football
5.  Murderball (2005) – paraplegic rugby
6.  Rocky (1976) – boxing
7.  The Karate Kid (1984) – martial arts
8.  Breaking Away (1979) – bicycle racing
9.  Field of Dreams (1989) – baseball
10.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling

J.C. Stephens:
1.  The Wrestler (2008) – wrestling
2.  Murderball (2005) – paraplegic rugby
3.  Raging Bull (1980) – boxing
4.  Million Dollar Baby (2004) – boxing
5.  The Fighter (2010) – boxing
6.  The Blind Side (2009) – football
7.  Remember the Titans (2000) – football
8.  Slapshot (1977) – hockey
9.  The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings (1976) – baseball
10.  Gymkata (1985) – gymnastics + karate

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“I Saw the Devil”, but Should You?

by Andrew Bowcock

I openly admit it: I enjoyed the first Saw film.  I found the story to be rather compelling and well-constructed, despite several other flaws (mainly shoddy acting), which in most circumstances could be detrimental to such a film.  I even enjoyed a lot of the sequels to a certain extent — the writers managed to weave an elaborate, engaging, psychologically-twisted narrative throughout the series.  The problem is that the Saw franchise started out as a compelling morality tale, but progressively seemed to collapse in on itself.  In the first film, the only gore that was shown was there to make a point, and anything that we’d consider shocking or gratuitous was meant to enhance the conflicts of the characters — both internally and externally.  We didn’t find Jigsaw to be a righteous character of upstanding methods, but we empathized with his intentions despite his distorted execution of justice.  However, sequel after sequel felt obligated to top the film before, and soon some audiences began to distinguish the films from each other solely based on Jigsaw’s traps.  Though the stories remained somewhat compelling, Hollywood knew that in order to keep audiences coming back they needed to crank up the shock value.

The Saw franchise gave birth to the popularity of “torture horror” — sadomasochistic flicks that play off of the audience’s threshold for witnessing pain and violence, and seeing how much they’re able to handle.  This made the nature of watching these films a bit of an irony, especially if the audiences actually got amusement from watching such films.  Likewise, the problem with revenge films is that too often they pry themselves into the category of “guilty pleasure” for target audiences, whereas we should all seriously be questioning what it is we’re getting this “pleasure” from and why we feel such guilt.

The Korean revenge horror/crime thriller I Saw the Devil is one of the most violent films I’ve seen in a long time: it’s filled to the brim with bludgeonings, dismemberments, limb-twisting torture, suffocations, stabbings, shootings, and rape.  Does this sound like an exploitation film?  As brutal and merciless as this film dares to be, its main focus is intent on continuously asking the viewer, “Do you enjoy this?” — and, to the those who would answer yes, it asks an even more important question by the end: “why?”

Very early in the film we’re made sure to see and understand how despicable of a character the serial murderer Kyung-Chul (Choi Min-sik of Oldboy) is.  He brutally murders the wife of secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon (Lee Byung-hun), who is thus obsessed with getting revenge.  As intelligent and skilled as Soo-hyeon is, he decides that a simple death wasn’t going to be enough, so he cripples Kyung-Chul unconscious, makes him swallow a bug, and begins to stalk — even “hunt” him.  From that point forward, whenever Kyung-Chul is in the process of committing his inhumanly evil deeds, Soo-hyeon interrupts…violently enough to hopefully get Kyung-Chul to rethink his future actions.  However, Kyung-Chul turns out to be more horrific and monstrous than anybody could have anticipated.  The rest of the film involves Soo-hyeon’s struggle between bringing what he sees to be fair justice and trying to keep from turning into a monster himself…which is exactly what Kyung-Chul wants.

Both lead performances are very good, to say the least.  I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that I think Choi Min-sik brilliantly plays one of the most horrific, amoral fictional serial killers I’ve ever seen.  This pushes you to easily sympathize with Lee Byung-hun’s character’s wrathful actions.  Director Kim Jee-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, The Good, the Bad & the Weird) and writer Park Hoon-jung do a masterful job of making you hate the antagonist, and yet by the time the shocking ending hits, twisting your sympathies into being at odds with yourself.

As gratuitous as the violence is, I would argue that it’s just shy of being excessive.  Given the confrontational nature of the film, witnessing certain lengths of depravity is very necessary.  Perhaps parts of the film could have been cut, but there was a decent amount of restraint behind many scenes where the implication was more terrifying than the actions which weren’t shown.  There are several great scenes (though I hesitate to use such terminology in the context of this film) — one of the most thrilling taking place in a cannibal’s secret cabin in the middle of the woods (and no, the cannibalism isn’t what’s thrilling).  This entire sequence is fantastically orchestrated: very intense, nerve-racking and edge-of-your-seat with a rather unexpected payoff.

I Saw the Devil is, no doubt, not for for everybody.  In fact, I don’t suggest most people see it unless you have a very high threshold for violence.  On the flip-side however, I think this might be one of the most important films for horror & revenge film fans to see.  The brutality of this film forces you on a thrilling yet unpleasant journey that makes you by the end likely to ask yourself “what have I done?”, even though you’ve only been staring at a screen and subconsciously cheering for questionable things.

So give it a shot…if you don’t mind being thrilled, disgusted and challenged in equal parts.

I Saw the Devil is Not Rated, but contains graphic sequences of horrific violence and gore (including sexual abuse), nudity, and language.

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photo sources:

http://www.millavenue.com/_files/images/936full-i-saw-the-devil-poster-(small).jpg

http://hdwallpapersfix.com/download/i-saw-the-devil-852×480.jpg

other resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://www.imdb.com/

Becoming the Archetype: On Dracula, Metal, Nerdiness, and More (Interview — 2/26/11)

conducted by Andrew Bowcock

Left to Right: Brent "Duck" Duckett (drums), Daniel Gailey (guitar), Jason Wisdom (lead vocals, bass), Seth "Count Seth" Hecox (guitar, keyboards, clean vocals)

Recently I had the exciting opportunity of getting an exclusive interview with Seth Hecox (aka “Count Seth”), guitarist and keyboardist of progressive death metal sensation Becoming the Archetype in order to talk a little bit about what drives the band, their history, as well as their highly anticipated new release, “Celestial Completion“, which will be bestowed upon this earth through Solid State Records on March 29th, 2011.

AC:  It’s a pleasure to chat with you, Seth. Is there any significance behind the name “Count Seth”, or is it simply an arbitrarily chosen, badass-sounding moniker in the vein of other influential extreme metal acts?

SETH:  The title of Count Seth was bestowed on me several millennia ago. At this point, I can’t even remember who gave it to me. But I am fascinated with European metal dudes like Count Grishnackh. Its really just a stage name, so that no one gets the real Seth Hecox confused with the persona I adopt while on stage.

AC:  So…does Dracula really exist?

SETH:  I like to think that Dracula exists in our hearts. He’s inside each of us, if we just realize it.

AC:  Do you think he’s a threat?

SETH:  Oh yeah, the very real existence of Dracula within your heart is a serious threat. He’s a powerful figure and can wreck you, your life and more importantly, your appetite. No sane person wants to drink blood the rest of their life.

AC:  Excellent point.  When I saw you guys open for Living Sacrifice last December I noticed you had a new guitarist. In fact, I heard you recently went through a couple line-up changes. The last time I saw BTA play I think Alex was still in the band. Care to briefly go through the band’s lineup changes since the beginning and how they’ve impacted your musical evolution?

SETH:  Well, we used to be five guys. Jon left and Alex entered. Then we became four guys because that made sense to all of us. Then Duck left and Lopez entered. Then Duck and Jon both came back almost simultaneously. So we were back to the four writing members of the original BTA. Then Jon left for good about a year ago to pursue a full-time married life and fatherhood. At that point Daniel entered. Daniel has been the perfect addition for us. He writes well, he’s a great lead guitarist, he sings and he screams well. And he’s upbeat and energetic. I couldn’t ask for more.
Really, it sounds like a lot of changes, but they didn’t mean a whole lot. Jason and I have been consistent through all of those phases and albums. Jason and I have developed a vision for the band and cast that vision to whoever else was with BTA at the point. We’ve been fortunate to have enough talented friends that we’ve had no problem finding replacements when they’ve been necessary.

AC:  Yeah, change is inevitable as life starts to get in the way. Daniel seems like a great guy and a very skilled guitarist, but I kind of miss Alex’s hair. At least you still have Jason’s signature beard though.
So I’ve heard more than one source refer to you guys as a “breath of fresh air” within the Christian metal scene (which I agree with). Any opinion on that statement?

SETH:  Well I obviously like it when people say nice things about BTA like that. I like to think of us as more of a silent-but-deadly fart. You don’t know we’re here, but we are, and you’ll make the shocking discovery soon enough. And once you do, you’ll never be the same. In a bad way.
Haha, just kidding. But really, we’re glad when people feel like they’re getting something unique from us because we’re trying to offer something unique. And we’re always paying the price for having that goal.

AC:  From talking to you at the Anaheim show and based on what you’ve shown me from “Celestial Completion”, it seems like BTA has ventured further into experimentation than ever before, even to the extent of using former Five Iron Frenzy trombonist Dennis Culp to help concoct a little “Ska metal” on one song. Care to whet the appetites on what else can be expected?

SETH:  We have sitar and all kinds of stuff. I can’t go into all of it, but there is a serious stretching of the metal sound. And I think people are gonna really enjoy the new sound of metal we’re bringing.

AC:  That’s pretty exciting to hear.  I’ve been a fan ever since “Terminate Damnation”, and have loved each album since in it’s own way.  You guys recently shot a music video, is that right?

SETH:  Yeah we did and it’s gonna be killer. For all you gaming nerds out there, this is the video you’ve been waiting for. The music video features the members of BTA as characters inside a Nintendo role playing game. Original NES RPG. The directors created legit 8-bit graphics for the on-screen sequences and we wielded swords and spears and axes and maces for two full days of shooting Lord of the Rings type of scenes.

AC:  Awesome!  Yeah, I remember reading one of your recent blogs which mentioned how you’re all fans of classic RPGs…any favorites that you’d like to mention?

SETH:  Jason is the biggest gamer of all of us. He loves the Zelda and Final Fantasy series. Ocarina of Time is a fav he’s mentioned several times.  I’m actually more of a fan of card-based role playing games. Ever heard of Munchkin? Now there’s a fun evening with friends!

AC:  Zelda and FF are unparalleled, I must say. I haven’t had the pleasure of playing Munchkin, but from what I’ve heard it sounds interesting. I was never too fascinated by the D&D realm until recently when one of our authors wrote an article on his recent experience with the game. Now I’m kind of itching to play it.

AC:  While we’re on the subject of games: what BTA song would you like to see make it on Rock Band?

SETH:  If I could personally choose any BTA song to be on Rock Band, I’d choose “Elegy” because I wrote it and I’m most proud of that song.

Cover art for "Celestial Completion" (releases March 29th, 2011). Click photo for a special pre-order promotion.

AC:  It’s such a generic question to just ask about one’s “influences” so I’ll try to make this more interesting: can you give me at least 3 metal acts, 3 non-metal acts, and 2 influences outside of music (I guess you might have already named one) that have had the greatest impact on you?

SETH:  Haha, nice phrasing on the question. As for metal acts, I’d say Opeth, Mastodon and either Living Sacrifice or Extol have had the biggest influence.
Non-metal would have to be Five Iron Frenzy, Mxpx, and Weird Al. We learned how to have fun and be energetic and funny from these guys.
Non-musical influences would include, you guessed it, RPGs and sci-fi.
Finally, book series such as the space trilogy by C.S. Lewis and the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King have been inspiring. As well as LOST. Well, the first 5 seasons…

AC: Since your latest album title is taken from the classic Extol song I could’ve guessed that one!
FIF was my idol growing up, Opeth is currently one of my favorites, and I’m a pretty big sci-fi nerd myself, so it seems as if our roots bare a strong resemblance. (As much as I’d love to elaborate on the subject, I’m not the one being interviewed…haha)

AC: So anyways, what drew you to the world of heavy metal in the first place?

SETH:  That’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves recently. How do young, middle class suburban white kids who are content with life for the most part end up playing extremely aggressive music? Walker Percy had some interesting things to say about that. I think it just happens that metal is the most “musical” genre out there and we were drawn to that. Also, we each had phases we went through where we were more aggressive by nature and it just so happened that we got signed at that moment and now we’re still doing it. So we’re sort of finding this out about ourselves and trying to come to terms with playing heavy music while being mostly at peace with ourselves.

AC:  Yeah, it seems like half the metal fans out there are an anomaly — instead of being drawn to the music through social alienation, they’re simply alienated because of the music they’re drawn to. While we’re on the subject of alienation:
Christianity plays a huge part in your band’s identity, both as people and as musicians. However, there seems to be a very common trend among “Christian bands” who, once they begin to attain popularity, have a tendency to disassociate themselves from that label. So I’ll ask you straight up: Is Becoming the Archetype a “Christian Band”? What significance do think that term holds?

SETH:  We’re comfortable with that title being applied to us. Honestly, we’re not concerned too much with what people want to call us, whether it’s screamo or death metal or prog metal or Christian metal or whatever. All the members of BTA are born-again Christians. That is apparent in our lyrics and we hope it’s apparent in our actions. But we try very hard not to be anything but fun-loving individuals who try very hard to make good art.

AC: Fair enough.  Whether or not one concurs with your beliefs it’s tough to deny how epic “How Great Thou Art” is…any other famous hymns you’d consider covering in the future?  Any other covers in general?

SETH:  We’d love to do some more hymns, but they’re hard to plan. They kind of just have to happen.
We did discuss covering a Garth Brooks song, but we decided not to for the time being. Haha, how cool would that have been?

AC:  That might be a divisive move for metal fans outside the south, but it would most definitely turn some heads!
What’s the word on future tours? I know your popularity is mostly centralized to the US, but have you guys gotten to (or plan to) tour abroad much?

SETH:  Yeah, we’ve been to Europe twice, went to South Africa and Mexico last year and are currently planning our third European tour for fall this year. And there are some rumors about Australia as well.

AC:  Good luck with all that, man — I know touring can be a daunting task, but I hope you all keep it up.
Do any of you have plans to participate in other musical projects in the future?  How long do you anticipate BTA to be around?

SETH:  Yeah, touring can be pretty tough. Thanks for the good wishes!
I’m involved in another band called Anchors and I love doing it, but BTA has been busy enough recently to leave me no time for Anchors. I fully plan to be involved in music somehow for the rest of my life.
As for BTA, we don’t have an end in sight. As long as we’re making music that we’re proud of and that people deem worthy of purchase, I don’t see a need to stop. Obviously, it’ll end sometime, but we hope it’s further off in the future rather than soon.

AC:  Well I, for one, plan on supporting you guys as much as possible.  Whether it’s buying an album, attending a show, or requesting your songs on the Metalcast (I hope that helps your international exposure!)
Thanks again for lending your time, Seth. Hopefully this won’t be our last interview.
Any closing thoughts?

SETH:  My closing thought is this new phrase I’ve coined. I’m trying to get it to catch on with the hip crowd :) That phrase is “Nerd on!” So yeah, get your nerd on and rock out!

photo sources:

promotional photo courtesy of Becoming the Archetype, photographed by Troy Stains

http://www.one21music.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/becoming-the-archetype-_celestial-completion.jpg

other resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://www.metalcastshow.com/

http://www.solidstaterecords.com/