112 - The 40 Year Old Virgin

Connection To THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER - Paul Rudd.

Before seeing The 40 Year Old Virgin, I already brought, watched and loved the DVDs for Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. So I actually think my mind going into this would be different to somebody who hadn't seen either of these shows would know despite the title that the film as the potential to have heart.

I think the title does make it sound like it will be American Pie but with an older character, a desperate odyssey for a virgin to finally get laid - but it's not really like that, it's his new friends that are pushing him to get laid, but the only way the truly know how to make him appeal to women is to give him Lothario traits that never suit him, but I think the message is actually the exact opposite to American Pie which message seem to be lose your cherry as soon as possible so there's no more pressure to this films hey just wait until you yourself are ready, which is ultimately the better message of the two for me.

While it does have something in common with American Pie and that is comedy set-pieces - the infamous chest waxing scene which Steve Carell did for real is probably the films most famous moment, though there is other funny scenes including Carell talking to Elizabeth Banks' book shop worker in only questions ("do you like to do it yourself?") and Apatow's wife Leslie Mann drunk driving are among the stand out scenes.

Overall Apatow's directorial debut is probably still his best film - the others haven't proven they have had the same re-watch-ability like this movie has. The cast are on super-form and has time to be a bit disgusting whilst still having a heart. Recommended.

111 - The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Connection To THE BLING RING - Emma Watson.

I was invested in this film from start to finish - pretty noticeable for me since it came right after watching The Bling Ring... This film had characters you could get behind and even a neat twist towards the end of the film.

For me this is the first bonafide proof that Emma Watson can make it away from Harry (her fun turn in This Is The End came after and is basically an extended cameo despite her name making it onto the poster) who too me carried off the American accent - generic as it may be - pretty well, but that's just the opinion of a Brit and I do think she is the best thing about this film. You could say why our main guy would hold her up as the ideal woman.

The film is set in the early 90's but it's really not that clear in a lot of ways to be fair - it's following the book but they could have moved the time period backwards or forwards and I don't think it would have had an effect either way - maybe it would have been easier for the youngsters to know that this super hard song that they don't realize what it is Heroes by David Bowie, if it was set any later or sooner because for it seemed like a song they should have known.

I thought the mental health aspect of the film was covered well in a non judgmental way - I think a lot of because could identify with wanting to fit in with more "normal" people as they see them but know their past experiences could hold them back.

Overall, a really well done film, so many aspects of it I liked - I would recommend it especially if you've felt like a bit of a social outcast or something like that.

110 - The Bling Ring

Connection To GET OVER IT - Kirsten Dunst who has a small role here.

Good on Sofia Coppola - she's managed to put the backlash of her perform in The Godfather Part III behind her and as managed to have a successful career as director, but me the truth is her films have ultimately left me cold, her most acclaimed film so far Lost In Translation just left me bored to tears if I'm honest and I'm a big Bill Murray fan and like Scarlett Johansson too.

I think the story intrigued me of The Bling Ring though, based on a true story in the Hollywood Hills, of a bunch of teenage criminals (mostly girls) who rob from celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.

The sad truth is, yeah this left me cold like the majority of her work (Virgin Suicides in fairness I remember liking but it's been so long since I've seen it), like Lost In Translation or Marie Antoinette I felt nothing while watching it. It feels easier to write something when you loved it, or had so much fun watching it or the opposite end where the film was just so bad you can just have a go at what you didn't like about it.

The film brought to mind - Spring Breakers - though both are different films other then pretty girls commit crimes - in the fact that is really what is most memorable about them, we had some ex-Disney princesses in Spring Breakers going against type and here we have Emma Watson and others, I mean there is a lot of prettiness going on here but the entire thing was just nothingness.

The film feels like bored teenagers talking, do robbery, the aftermath, doing it again and repeating until they get caught, are we supposed to feel anything for these bored kids? Because I sure as hell don't, I don't necessarily ask to be able to identify with characters in films but I at least want to feel their motivations perhaps.

The person to me who came out of looking this film the best for me is actually Paris Hilton - who had a small non speaking role - she was one of the real celebrities robbed (multiple times) and actually lets her real house be used in the film, I thought that was actually pretty cool of her and she didn't mind letting herself look stupid.

Overall, the scores on the net suggest the score is a little bit of a notch above average, so there must be people out there who liked it but for me it was such a cold experience that I didn't end up really enjoying. 

108 - Lucky

Connection To INTERSTATE 60 - Ann-Margret.

On paper it was intruging premise, a black comedy about a serial killer winning a huge amount on the lottery and getting the girl of his dreams (who all the victims look like) but seriously a black comedy needs to be funny - which this is only in spades (unintentional pun related to the chosen picture).

To be fair the lead pair - Colin Hanks and Ari Graynor - really do try to work with what they've got, the performances show there is potentially a better film in there (and the pair would be up to it to star) but it's really hard to know who we are supposed to root for - the serial killer or the money grabber - and the movie never really decides. I know you could say that you don't after always root for the character but in the case of the movie I believe it's down to the film's writing.

I thought the ending was quite predictable, I'd predicted it pretty accurately including a character's death, though Graynor's performance in the later scenes do deserve mention - she is genuinely a talented actress who has not found her true role yet in my eyes.

Overall, count yourself lucky if you haven't seen this (thanks I'll be here all week), a sad example of talented actors stuck in a film that simply doesn't work, a film that lives up to none of it's potential and there is so many better black comedies out there. 

107 - Interstate 60

Connection To SMALL APARTMENTS - James Marsden.

Sneaking onto DVD - bypassing the cinema completely - with very little fanfare despite a decent cast - and never growing any sort of following, Interstate 60 is an hidden gem of a movie.

Written and directed by Back To The Future co-writer Bob Gale, the movies problem could be that it was hard to explain without it sounding a little bit odd or even pretentious, the film is basically a metaphysical road movie.

James Marsden meets Gary Oldman who grants exactly one wish to each person, and he ends up wishing for answers, which sees him travel to the non existing Danver alongside the also non existing Interstate 60, which includes hoping to meet the girl of his dreams he finds himself on many little adventures.

A lot of these little adventures are very enjoyable from the museum of fake art, to a town obsessed with suing because everyone is just about a lawyer to a town that every inhabiting as on a particular drug to Chris Cooper who is a hitchhiker but would rather employ somebody per mile as in enter a boss/worker relationship.

Marsden carried the film really well I thought, you feel like he is a guy who deserves good things to come his way, at the time it was also unusual to see Oldman in a American film and not be the film's villains, BTTF alumni Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are in this too, but Fox is more of a fun cameo - other people who pop up include the Pink Power Ranger, Kurt Russell, Ann Margret and Amy Smart as the girl of his dreams.

Overall, such a cool little movie, this is about my third time seeing it and still enjoy it as much, I recommend it because I do think you would be in for a treat if you watch it.

106 - Small Apartments

Connection To MONSTERS UNIVERSITY - Billy Crystal.

You know I ended up liking this movie more then I thought I would I think I might have entered it with a little bit of prejudice, maybe because I'd heard the word quirky being mentioned (see Ghost World for me talking about quirky) and the film gradually got more enjoyable as the film went on.

While the beginning - the aftermath of what looks like a murder - is not really as intriguing, I wasn't wondering what had happened - Matt Lucas with the dead body of his landlord and Lucas is clearly not running on all cylinders, and over this we meet a series of characters, which is where the more time we spend with them the better it gets.

We have residents of the apartment block played by James Caan, Johnny Knoxville and Juno Temple among others and I chose them three particularly because they stood out the most for me - there is also none resident roles for Dolph Lundgren and James Marsden who I won't spoil their roles too much but are enjoyable. The film however belongs to none-resident Billy Crystal and a fire chief detective investigating the murder (makes sense in the context of the film), which to me proves Crystal is still capable of great work if the material is right.

Overall it's probably a film I may never watch again but it did creep up on me, by the end I had forgot about not been interested in the beginning but I would say watch it, like me you might end up liking it.

105 - Monsters University

Connection To GHOST WORLD - Steve Buscemi

Behind Toy Story, Monster's Inc. was probably the Pixar film that I would most welcome a sequel too, more so then A Bug's Life, more so then Finding Nemo (which is getting one), more so then The Incredibles... wait scratch that Incredibles and Monster's Inc. where probably neck and neck when it came to which one I wanted a sequel and certainly more so then Cars - which made a load of money and it did get a sequel, Cars remains among my least favourite of the Pixar output.

But it turns out we wasn't going to get a Monster's Inc. sequel but rather a prequel... which mean't no Boo, her and Sully's relationship in the first movie was a great element of it, but I guess we miss out on having potentially a 13 year old Boo which probably would have been a bad thing.

Monsters University does a credit to Monster's Inc. - even adding another dimension to that great film - a nice opening quelled the fears I had that this had the potential to be a film that I would enjoy. Though the film as the college movie cliches it works because - obviously - they are monsters the ones doing this.

I expected that Sully and Mike would not be instant friends - I knew we was going to see the birth of their friendship which again it was enjoyable seeing them on opposite ends before learning to accept each other then the friendship. I had no idea Randall (Steve Buscemi) was in this movie, so was great to see him not be the villain, I kind of wish - to use a wrestling term - showed his heel turn (he starts good, joins a frat but there is no evil turn for him).

I would say the new side characters are not quite as memorable here on the role, the rest of their frat are great but many of them don't stay in the memory quite the same way the predecessor did but it's not a complaint - they've had years to imprint themselves maybe a second viewing of this could change that.

Overall, a film I enjoyed watching from start to finish - Pixar on their game, such as here means adults and kids can watch it together and both love it, this comes recommended for me (like it means something).

103 - The Avengers (Avengers Assemble)

Connection To VIEW FROM THE TOP - Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow.

You got to hand it to Marvel Studios - planning ahead - 5 movies it took to get to this point - Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk (which sees a recast here) and giant failure in there and it could have put a damper on getting this far.

Avengers Assemble (as it's called here in the UK likely because of the Steed/Peel Avengers) brings together all those heroes plus Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) who haven't had their own solo movies in 2012's best comic book movie (I would have said Dark Knight Rises but that movies plot holes seem bigger every time I think about it).

Joss Whedon, is both a great and odd choice for a director depending which way you look it - great because he's done plenty of quality work - Buffy, Angel, Firefly - but odd when you consider Firefly didn't make a season, and Buffy and Angel where never rating juggernauts (He did write stuff like Toy Story that was hits though so he's proved he can be involved with a bonafide hit) but to me it's like Sam Raimi when he was given Spider-Man or Peter Jackson Lord Of The Rings - these guys proved they could do awesome on limited budgets so why not give them the keys to the candy shop...

The film's ace in the hole - which is probably true in the film Marvel Universe as an all - is Robert Downey Jr., you feel he really IS Tony Stark and is engaging every time he's on screen, Mark Ruffalo the replacement Bruce Banner is great - I'd go as far to say he's better then Eric Bana or Edward Norton in the role and would welcome seeing him in a solo movie, I think Chris Hemsworth's Thor is one of the least interesting Avengers characters (the first film was good though, haven't seen the second) and Chris Evans is an enjoyable Captain America. I liked Tom Hiddleston as - Thor's brother and film's villain - Loki, but... I suppose he's not really a big enough villain in someways for the movie.

That is a minor niggle, and another minor niggle is they spend time with some of the S.H.I.E.L.D characters etc. but they have nothing to do once the Avengers show up, obviously we want more Avengers but it seemed a set up that say Agent Hill (Cobie Smulders) might get more to do as the film goes on.

Overall, this is what comic book superhero movies should be like - exciting all the way through, and you want to stand up and cheer when the Avengers unite.

102 - View From The Top

Connection To JUST LIKE HEAVEN - Mark Ruffalo 

For me this movie failed to take off...

Ha ha ha... you see what I did there, because it's about flight attendants. Sadly this lame joke of mine that I couldn't resist is really about the quality of the movie.

I struggled through this because as a comedy it's never funny, you can blame 9/11 all you want (the film was made in 2001 but limped out in 2003 because of those attacks) but it would have just flopped in 2001 in my opinion if the release that year went to plan.

Where do I start, because there really isn't much to talk about - it was not a film I really cared for, Gwyneth Paltrow is an actress I've never really loved (she's done decent work in fairness) and Mike Myers smaller supporting role is hilarious - no wait it's not funny in the slightest.

I really wasn't a fan of the colour scheme of this movie, it felt ugly to look at especially in the costume design - I guess they was trying to go for retro looks (a lot of it's look's 70's - bad 70's) but it just didn't go for me. The last half hour I just wanted to end because the film was really dragging towards it's finish line.

Overall, there is nothing that stands out - well in a good way - there is much better films to spend your time watching, if you own it on DVD and haven't watched it yet, just leave it on the shelf or give it away there is nothing here to see. (so yeah a short write up for the film, doesn't deserve more words).