1. Extracted (Nir Paniry 2012)
Starring: Sasha Roiz and Dominic Boggart are about the only names you need to know.
Why I like it: What can I say? I'm a sucker for intense psychological stuff, without the "Nolan Curveballs" (like those in "Inception", "The Prestige" and countless others) and Roiz is an actor whose skill I greatly admire. The story goes that a scientist (Roiz) invents a program that can basically insert one person's consciousness into the mind of another, to be able to view that person's memories. So of course the minute he applies for grants and whatnot to fund the last phase, the government gets wind of it and wants a demonstration: in the mind of an accused criminal, to find out if he actually committed the murder for which he was accused. Of course, nothing goes as planned and the scientist ends up trapped in the man's memories. His own body is comatose, and if they cannot figure out how to extract his consciousness, he could be trapped forever. The visual effects, the editing and cinematography are stellar for an indie film, and the casting choices of such committed actors makes this movie a win.
2. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Zach Helm 2007)
Genre: Live-action Family Fantasy
Starring: Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, and Dustin Hoffman
Why I like it: Because magic and color! Films like these can be kind of patronizing, the ones with the "Believe in the magic of yourself" and whatnot, and sometimes the wackiness of a children's film can get out of hand so far that it appeals only to a very narrow, easily-appeased, hyperactive child. (As the movie Cat in The Hat or Nanny McPhee does) However the wackiness of Mr. Magorium centers around perfectly-timed wordplay, fertile imagination, and an underlying gravity that pulls everything in and keeps it rooted. Say what you like but this is a movie I keep coming back to!
3. Epic (Chris Wedge 2013)
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrel, Christoph Waltz, Chris O'Donnell, Aziz Ansari... and a whole lot more
Why I like it: it's cheesy, yeah... but I'm a sucker for fantasy and awesome acting--even if the most awesome thing about these actors is their voice. From the guy that brought you Ice Age comes a story not unlike a very environmentally-conscious twist on the premise for the Spiderwick Chronicles. It's tiny people! Vivid colors! Humor! A three-legged, blind pug! Never mind that it also includes Stephen Tyler, Pitbull, and Beyonce... I can forgive that because this movie feeds my fantasy-inspired soul.
4. Never Let Me Go (Mark Romanek 2010)
Genre: Sci-fi dystopian drama
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, Kiera Knightley
Why I like it: It's a strange addition, I know, but I really REALLY like it a lot! The story centered on a group of young adults who discover that they are clones bred only for their organs, and they bond over the desire to be more than just "walking donors", but mostly I watch it for the fantastic skill of the actors involved. The film made some very thought-provoking points about human existence and whatnot, but a lot of this movie is spent on the nonverbal--what the actors are "saying" when they're not saying anything. That, I believe, is where the true skill of an actor comes out, and these actors display profound emotions only possible when one is totally immersed and becomes the role.
5. George and the Dragon (Tom Reeve 2004)
Genre: Live-action family fantasy
Starring: Michael Clarke Duncan, James Purefoy, Piper Perabo, Patrick Swayze (who'd have thought?)
Why I like it: Dragons, duh! Even though the computer animation was wayyy not the caliber it is today, I think the true skill comes out in the way the actors still manage to react and perform exactly as if this thing that they cannot even fathom is real. And the Special Effects people have to orchestrate things like the monster breathing, moving, what the environment does, what it sounds like--all completely fabricated because the thing is not and never has been actually real. Movies back then didn't ride on their special effects. There was still something to be said for the skill of the actor to take a cornball movie and treat it like an historically accurate epic! It's cheesy in some places, crude in others--but I like it!
6. Son of Rambow (Garth Jennings 2007)
Genre: indie drama
Starring: Will Poulter, Bill Milner
Why I like it: SUPER SUPER cute movie about two boys from vastly different upbringings who bond over a love of Rambo and the aspirations to become film stars. Truth be told, I mostly only watched it for Poulter--loved his performance in Voyage of the Dawn Treader and wanted to see more of his work--and also because Jennings also directed another movie that I dearly love, so I knew I was in for a treat. The boys cavort and pull pranks and try their darnedest to fit in at school and impress the French exchange students who show up--and it's just a marvelous little romp that I enjoy for the same reason I love being an elementary schoolteacher!
7. Tron (Steven Lisberger 1982)
Genre: sci-fi
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner
Why I like it: A movie about the world inside a supercomputer... animated by computers (among the first movies to do that).... in a time when people were only just discovering what computers can do. Plus, it's Jeff Bridges in his prime... the guy has SERIOUSLY slacked off in recent years! I got intrigued by the movie and the premise when the release of "Tron: Legacy" was announced. To fashion a sequel to something twenty-seven years after the first installment... Well, just imagine if Peter Jackson had waited that long... or Stephen Moffat, for that matter...
It was a bold effort, and I was super-excited after seeing the first film. The quality of the acting and the fantastic imagery used in the original film is truly something that deserves merit. Also, watch closely: there is a distinct overtone of intelligent design woven into the original film that was abandoned in favor of a flimsy "evolution" storyline when Disney produced the sequel. (Didn't like Jeff Bridges' character reduced from a snarky, energetic programmer to a placid Zen monk, either.) Compared to today, yes the animation is vastly inferior--but in the context of that era, I regard it as magnificent.
8. Race to Witch Mountain (Andy Fickman 2009)
Genre: live-action sci-fi family
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig
Why I like it: Out of all the family movies The Rock has done so far, this one is my favorite... namely because the premise is so tantalizing, and the kids pull it off so well. The sci-fi effects are fun to watch, and it's always a pleasure to see young actors who take their roles as seriously as the adults they act with. Plus the cameos at the Science convention (including Garry Marshall) were fun to pick out.
9. Leatherheads (George Clooney 2008)
Genre: comedy
Starring: George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, Jonathan Krasinski
Why I like it: the humor, basically. A movie about the early days of American football and a guy who wants to put together the first professional team that is not affiliated with any college. Basically, it's just a chance for George and Renee to exchange zingers and run through the cinematic comedy cliches while Jonathan supplies the slapstick and the drama factor. There is not one part of this film to be taken very seriously at all--and everyone is completely stone-faced deadpan. My kind of humor.
10. How To Train Your Dragon (Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders 2010)
Genre: animated family fantasy
Starring: Gerard Butler, Simon Pegg, and Jay Baruchel
Why I like it: dragons again. LOTS AND LOTS OF DRAGONS. Of every shape and size and color! With just about as much personality as the human characters! It's kind of a cheap plot-line, but the music and the animation and the Scottish accents (which is odd, considering that they're supposed to be Norse Vikings.... but the only accents are American and Scottish... oh well! My favorite!) and the DRAGONS make it all worth it!
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