Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Rating: 70%
Ah yes the ever use-to-be-super-popular Napoleon Dynamite...well here's the review for it.

Plot: Napoleon is a high school student who lives with his older brother, Kip and grandmother who is often bullied at school and often daydreams in class drawing fantasy creatures. When his grandmother break her coccyx, his Uncle Rio come to look after Kip and Napoleon while she's recovering. Meanwhile at school he becomes friends with a girl named Deb and a Mexican kid named Pedro who eventually run for student president.

Alright show of hands, who remembers adoring this movie the point of wearing "Vote for Pedro" shirts, trying to do Napoleon's dance and trying to remember every single line from the movie and stuff like that back in the day? *a whole crowd raises their hands under the exception of a couple of people* Yep that's what I thought. I myself use to impersonate Napoleon a lot, do some of his dance moves during actual dances and wear a "Vote for Pedro" throughout a fair portion of the 8th grade and the first 2-3 years of high school. In fact the whole deal in my blog where my cursing is really a couple of different way to say 'frick' in a fair amount of ways, Napoleon Dynamite was my inspiration for that. Why was this the case for plenty of people like me back then Napoleon Dynamite was very in? Well, it was just entertaining in some of the most unique and silly ways. I mean under maybe a couple of exceptions, it really came to the point that it seemed like anything any of the main characters would say or do would be amusing if not completely hilarious. I mostly rate it a 70% despite all of that being said because A) It's hardly for everybody; many people like my mom or this one girl from high school would either find it a kind of "I'm glad I saw it and I don't ever want to see it again" kind of thing or just hate it with all their hearts because they think it's just the stupidest thing they ever saw in their lives. So for people who are reading this review and haven't seen it, bear that in mind if you want to see it. Because this is kind of the sort of movie where you either like/love it or just hate it with all your might and it's very rare where it's somewhere in between for people who've seen it. And B) similar to what I said when I reviewed Lilo & Stitch almost a year ago, I feel like I've grown out of Napoleon Dynamite. It's not that it's bad, but it feels like I've given the film all the love I can muster when it was so popular and eventually just moved on to bigger and better things. But never the less it can still be a very fun movie to enjoy.

Music: This movie had an awesome soundtrack. I mean I wouldn't say that much for the score exactly because I feel like I'm over that as well as the movie in general, but this film did introduce me to some lovable song that I had never heard of until I saw this film like "Forever Young", and "Time After Time", and I thought it was cool that they had "Larger Then Life" in it. (Yeah I know that's Backstreet Boys but so what? I like the song.) And yes, the song that Napoleon dance too is very memorable if you're someone who liked/loved this movie back in the day.

And that's my review for Napoleon Dynamite. Many people love it, some people hate it, really the style of the film and just the all around story and choice of comedy is set in a way where it can go either way for anybody. But for most of us, Napoleon Dynamite is a hilarious movie that is well worth remembering giving us plenty of laughs whether you still love of the movie or are well over it like I am.

The Broadway Melody (1929)

Rating: 25%
Well I guess I had to get to this film eventually when it comes to reviewing Best Picture winners. So here's my review for The Broadway Melody.

Plot: Hank and Queenie are two sisters who do a sister act that they intend to use to end up on Broadway through Hank's love interest, Eddie who is a song-and-dance man for a Broadway theater. They manage to get in, but then Queenie who is the younger sister starts dating a wealthy man that Hank and Eddie don't want her to have anything to do with because he's a playboy. So while they are all working on the show, Hank and Eddie try their best to convince Queenie that she shouldn't date him for her own good.

Yeah I'm sure this was a big deal back in its day, but it's not that grand to me. Sure you get some nice songs about Broadway that you might enjoy if your a Broadway or musical in general geek, but when it comes to the story, it's just about a couple of people trying to become stars and then the rest of it is about one of them doing something she shouldn't and the rest of the main cast telling her not to time and time again throughout the film. So you may have some music to enjoy, but at the end of the day, it still gives us a story that you're probably not going to enjoy today.

Music: Now the actual song "Broadway Melody" was okay, but this movie did introduce the song "You Were Meant For Me" which is a nice song and I can understand why it has gotten many versions of it many times from artist and movies like Singin' In The Rain.

And that's my review for The Broadway Melody. If you like any movie that's about Broadway that then moves to a story that's not all that grand, then here's your movie, otherwise it's roughly just good for some of the music and maybe the story if you're into that simple kind of story.  

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Rating: 85%
So this is a review I've wanted to do a while but haven't really gotten to until now. So here's my review for While You Were Sleeping.

Plot: Lucy is a lonely collective token collector for the Chicago Transit Authority who wants to travel. Everyday there's a handsome commuter named Peter that comes to her station to take the train that she has a secret crush on. On Christmas day, Peter is pushed onto the train tracks by a mugger and Lucy saves him from being hit by a train. He falls into a coma and so she accompanies him to the hospital but the doctors wont let her see him because she isn't family. But then a nurse overhears her saying to herself "I was gonna marry him" and allows her to see him thinking she's his fiancee. But then Peter's family comes and are lead to believe that she is his fiancee. So she's panicked about the lie at first but then when Peter's godfather finds out about the situation, he suggests that she keeps the secret because of how she has brought the family closer together.

This is a very good romantic comedy. One of the few among the last couple of decades. I mean yes you have it set very much like any other romantic comedy, but this movie gets away with it buy being completely entertaining with a cute story, very lovable characters (I mean one of them was played by Peter Boyle for crying out loud (rest in peace)), and you can't help but love the actual romance and comedy that comes along with it. Honestly, I feel like all the romantic comedies around our time or at least the ones between 1995-2000 ish if not even a fair bit of romantic comedies around our time have all tried to roughly try to outdo While You Were Sleeping. I probably feel this way since this was the first romantic comedy I've seen ever and I feel like this might the first where it have the whole supporting case being the family of either person from the love couple and stuff like that, but it's such a good movie to have been the first romantic comedy I've seen that I think it gets away with that cause I have yet to find a .

Actor/Character:
Sandra Bullock/Lucy: Adorable. Plain and simple. I mean you really have to love this character from the moment you see he secretly expressing her crush on Peter. It-it's just cute straight off the bat. I mean this film is an example of how big of a difference her acting was when she did The Blind Side a couple years ago. (I have yet to review that one but it totally recommend it.)

Music: Now I know that the score is roughly styled very similar to pretty much any romantic comedy from that decade, but I honestly think this one pulls it off. I think it's just the way the songs are styled just really worked in bringing what was happening to life. Especially that song that was kind of the theme for Peter's family.

And that's my review for While You Were Sleeping. It's a very cute and lovable film that I think is just one of the best romantic comedies that I've seen that is styled in a way that you're very familiar with, but it feels like that this is where that style originated and even if it isn't, it brings out a certain charm that you just have to love.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Rating: 100%Yeah. This is one of those awesome comedies that had my praising coming eventually. So without much left to be said, here's my review for Young Frankenstein.

Plot: Fredric is the grandson of Victor Frankenstein who was a famous mad scientist that tried to bring the dead to life. One day a solicitor comes to him to tell him that he has inherited his family's estate in Transylvania after the death of his great-grandfather. So he comes to Transylvania where he meets his hunchbacked, bulging-eyed servant named Igor, his assistant Inga and estate's housekeeper Frau Blücher *horses panic* OH KNOCK IT OFF!!! *cleares throat* Anyway, he eventually finds his grandfather's secret laboratory where he finds his grandfather's private journals and becomes convinced that he could bring the dead to life. So he robs the grave of an executed criminal and sends Igor to collect the brain of a dead scientist. But when Igor does so, he accidentally destroys the scientist's brain and so takes an abnormal brain instead. So Fredric, Igor and Inga work together to give the corpse life only find out they created a monster with the brain.

This is a hilarious movie. I mean I've only read the book to actual Frankenstein and I haven't seen the movie (maybe I should) but this is definitely my favorite version of the story being much more light and funny and all that jazz...well it's an understatement to say that it's funny. I mean how they did the acting, or maybe just the design at some points and just the dialogue is just so gosh darn funny! I mean all these jokes...I mean...they're just...some of them you have to rewatch dozens of times, they make you laugh so hard. They where clever, they were witty and you have to love every single one of them. I mean it's just little wonder this got #13 on AFI's list of top 100 funniest films.

Actors/Characters:
Gene Wilder/Dr. Fredric Frankenstein: I really enjoyed this character. Just how he tried to avoid being a Frankenstein, and yet changes his mind and all that jazz was just extremely well done.
Marty Feldman/Igor: Igor was a lot of fun. He was mysterious, silly, energetic, and it's just sad that Feldman didn't live very long after this film.
Peter Boyle/The Monster: He. Was. AWESOME AS THE MONSTER!!!! He displayed being an actual monster so well but just how he expressed some of the things happening to him - especially during the scene with the blind monk (loved that scene) - was just hilarious and extremely well done.

Music: Well that violin theme can get stuck in your head after watching the movie. But what everyone probably remembers most is the classical number of Fredric and The Monster singing and dancing to "Puttin' on the Ritz". Why? Well go watch the movie and find out yourself if you don't know. I'm not going to tell you if you if you haven't seen the movie, do you take me for a monster!?!?!...*clears throat* pardon the pun.

And that's my review for Young Freankenstein. It's a clever, well made hilarious film that will leave you laughing your heart out and altogether finding it an unforgettable film plain and simple.

Holes (2003)

Rating: 75%
I remember when I was reading the book back in the 5th grade and I enjoyed it a lot. So I was excited when I heard they were doing a movie based on the book. So I decided it's high time I finally time that I see this movie again and finally review it. So here's my review for Holes.

Plot: Stanley Yelnats IV is a teenager who is born into a family that believes that they are cursed because his "No-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather". One day a pair of shoes falls on him that turns out to be the shoes of a famous baseball player. The police arrest him believing he stole them and rather then sending him to jail, the judge sends him to Camp Greenlake: a detention camp at a dried-up lake where the detainees have to dig a hole on the lake everyday. While at the camp we are also learn more about his great-great grandfather and also a story about a teacher who feel in love with a black man a century before the events of the film in a town at the same place shortly before the lake dried up.

I really enjoy this move and the story to it. It may have it's parts where some of the things in it sound unrealistic, but that's not that big of a deal since you should bear in mind that it is based off of a kids book. But what a good book it was and I honestly think this is one of those rare times where I felt the movie was better. It displayed a very interesting and unique world while giving us all these interesting stories that came together very well with characters that were fun to watch and it was a creative film through and through. I mostly say that it's better then the book because I think it did a better job then the book did with the story because I think the way they organized the stories and explaining how they all connect with what's happening to Stanley and his friends and some of the differences from the books I think helped with that a fair bit.

Actors/Characters:
Shia Labeouf/Stanley Yelnats: This is where I've been particularly sad at what has been happening to Labouf ever since he became Sam Witwickey in the Transformers movies. Because LaBeouf gave us a very enjoyable character that you just had to enjoy and he acted very well to bring us it. I stand by my opinion from when I was reviewing Transformers: Dark of the Moon that I really hope things change for the better with Labouf now that his Transformers days have ended. Maybe things roughly have already with Lawless, I don't know for sure because I haven't seen it yet but from what I hear he's pretty good. I'll just have to hopefully see someday.
Signourney Weaver/The Warden: She was very enjoyable as The Warden with the catchphrase and everything. Then again maybe it's my biased opinion to say so since it's Weaver...aw who cares!?! It's fricking Ripley for heaven sakes!!!

Music: I really like the soundtrack to this film. I mean you have that short version of "Down In The River to Pray" and songs like that, that where nice. But then you get that song "Dig it" I've always wanted to get that song on a CD or on my MP3 or something like that with no success which SUCKS because it's a totally awesome song that's just catchy as FRICK!!!

And that's my review for Holes. It gives us a very creative and imaginative world that tells a clever kids story a little better then the book that it's based off of that is definitely a very enjoyable movie to watch.

Hitch (2005)

Rating: 70%
Another Will Smith film that I just recently saw and now am reviewing called Hitch...also nuff said.

Plot: Hitch is a professional "date doctor" who helps men woo women. His current client, Albert is trying to get a date which a client in his investment film named Allegra who is also a celebrity. Meanwhile Hitch is falling for a gossip columnist named Sara who eventually is also trying to discover who is the "date doctor" is after her best friend had a one-night stand with a guy who claimed to be one of his clients.

This would definitely be one of those actually decent romantic comedies. It had a good concept, the characters where lovable and the romance and the comedy especially was fairly clever. Will Smith -being Will Smith - gave us a character that was very fun and also clever and whether you agree with at least most of his motives or not, you have to really care and respect on how he's one of those guys that really cares about love and how to help guys find it. Which is part of why I like this movie. It focuses a little more about trying to fall in love or with how to talk to women and stuff like that and that's a serious matter to look at and I liked how they did it with this story concerning not just Hitch but the rest of the cast while also giving us some pretty cute comedy along the way.

Music: I personally liked the soundtrack to this film. It just had some memorable ones like "She Drives Me Crazy" and there were some others that were fun to listen too like "Now That We Found Love", "Ooh Wee" and "Yeah!" (man that last song remind me of high school dances back in the day)

And that's my review for Hitch. It has a decent concept that may not make it the best romantic comedy you've seen but it's still has some clever and unique charm for you to have a nice time watching.
   

Top Gun (1986)

Rating: 55%
After hearing the tragic death of this movie's Tony Scott (Requiescat in pace (rest in peace in italian)) I figured it was time to finally review what seems to be his most famous piece. So here's my review for Top Gun.

Plot: Maverick is a pilot that flies a F-14 Tomcat along with his Radar Intercept Officer and best friend Goose for the USS Enterprise. One day during while intercepting MiG-28s, Maverick's wingman Cougar becomes too shaken to land his plan afterwords so Maverick disobeys orders and helps him land. Later Cougar retires and so Commander Stinger unwillingly sends Maverick and Goose to Top Gun school which is meant for the "best of the best" and was also meant for Cougar and his Radar Officer before he became shaken and retired. So Maverick and Goose start going to Top Gun where they developed a rivalry against another pilot named Iceman who is the top student of the school and Maverick falls in love with a woman named Charlie who turn out to be one of their Top Gun Instructors.

Now I know this is meant to kind of pay my respects to the director, honestly, it's just eh. The story was just alright, the characters where nothing unique and the action was okay.  I guess the problem is that I've roughly heard the concept to some of the story many times before. And some of the things that happened I thought where a little ridiculous. *WARNING SPOILERS* I thought it was stupid that Iceman and Maverick became friends the way they did. I mean personally I agree with howitshouldhavended.com that Maverick should still be pissed at Iceman over what happened to Goose. *END OF SPOILERS*

Actor/Character:
Tom Crusie/Maverick: Yeah he was just okay. I mean he acted his character fine but the whole dead parents and the something of a bad boy attitude has been done before...that's kind of all there is to it.

Music: To the movie's credit it did give us a pretty enjoyable soundtrack. I mean "You Lost That Lovin' Feelin" and "Great Balls of Fire" goes without saying, and my word does "Danger Zone" get really fricking catchy to listen to.

And that's my review for Top Gun. I'm sure there's plenty of reason to love and remember it but really it's just eh for me and the best part to remember from it are generally are certain songs from the soundtrack