How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

We are living in a golden age of animated films. The past ten years have given us some of the best animated films ever created: Monster's Inc., Shrek, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, 9, Up and more - never has the animation genre been so aesthetically beautiful, emotionally powerful, and all-around exciting! 2010's How To Train Your Dragon can surely be added to the list of fantastic animated films of the past 10 years: a terrific film about family, friendship, individuality, and the importance of understanding before action.

It all begins with a young Viking blacksmith's apprentice named Hiccup. In a land where the aspiration of all Vikings is to be a big bad dragon slayer, Hiccup finds that he does not quite fit in. A strong personal drive and a talent for forging exists, but Hiccup's scrawny physique and tendency for clumsiness and disaster makes dragon slaying very difficult - a problem furthered by the fact that Hiccup's father is village leader and legendary dragon slayer Stoick. But Hiccup's desire to be a great dragon slayer is put to the test when he meets, befriends, and trains a rare breed of dragon outside of town. This dragon (ironically dubbed "Toothless") gives Hiccup a new outlook on life as he learns the truth about dragons while everyone else in the village lives to kill them.

A story with some seemingly been-there-done-that elements is in fact told with care, uniqueness, humor, and heart as our main character Hiccup searches for a place in his world and acceptance from his father and entire Viking village. While a few supporting characters are of the more clichéd variety, the characters are one of the film's greatest strengths. The likability level of each character is increased by much of the voice talent behind them: although some stars are throw-aways (Gerard Butler, America Ferrera), as just about any actor could play the role as well as another, other actors - especially Jay Baruchel and Craig Ferguson - are crucial in the forming of their characters. Baruchel is particularly important for the character of Hiccup, providing the awkwardness and dry sense of humor that makes the character so likable, and Ferguson's quirky delivery alone makes the character of blacksmith/dragon slaying instructor Gobber so hilarious. Then there are the dragons: the many odd, lively, and unpredictable creatures that help make the film so enjoyable. Hiccup's dragon friend Toothless is a particularly strong character - undoubtedly the strongest in the film - the kind of endearing character that cannot say a word while communicating the most in the film.

How To Train Your Dragon is the embodiment of fantasy entertainment, creating a fun and lovely world of dragons and Vikings (to the point where one stops questioning why all of the adult Vikings have Scottish accents and all of the young Vikings have American accents). After doing such a great job helping the Pixar team create an amazing look for the 2008 animated film WALL-E, the best cinematographer of our day, Roger Deakins, reassumes the title of "visual consultant" for this 2010 animated film - and it shows. The animation is exciting and first-rate with action and beauty in every shot, making most modern animated films look like flip book animation. John Powell's fantastic score adds another dimension to the already epic film landscape by amplifying the sensations of every scene.

But where How To Train Your Dragon is pure movie fun and substantial in its quality animation and characterization, the film also packs an emotional punch. The relationship between Hiccup and Toothless has its funny and exciting moments but many simple sequences achieve very moving results. Particular poignancy exists in the relationship with Hiccup and his father, as the audience is reminded of the importance of not only accepting who they are and where their talents lie but accepting who other people are as well, and especially in Hiccup's relationship with Toothless and subsequent journey of learning the truth about dragons amidst a culture who strives to destroy them. As fun and exciting as some animated films can be, the films with such great themes as How To Train Your Dragon are the films that standout within the genre.

Produced by the teams at DreamWorks Animation - the same studio that brought the Shrek films, the Madagascar films, Over The Hedge, Bee Movie, and Kung-Fu Panda to the screen - How To Train Your Dragon is easily their best film yet. As good as they are, no other film that has come out of DreamWorks Animation can compare with the character, visuals, and emotion of How To Train Your Dragon. With so much heart and visual grandeur, How To Train Your Dragon is as meaningful for the individual viewer as it is an overall fun event for the whole family.

WIN+...no other words are needed.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

If you need heroes, send in the Basterds.

There are really only two types of reviews you will find: either people absolutely LOVE it and will see it again and again and again, or people who hate it and Tarantino with every fibre of their being. Now, I'm a big QT film, and I was happy that this was a BIG step up from Death Proof (which I wasn't a big fan of).

Now, what people need to understand before they read and/or write any more reviews about "Inglourious" is that it is an A/U (alternate universe). Of course Hitler wasn't shot and killed by American soldiers! Of course all of the major Nazi leaders weren't blown up in a French cinema! What are you, stupid? God. Seriously. Oh, and all of the shit people give it about the over-acting and the cheesiness of it all, have you ever even seen a QT film? If you didn't like Kill Bill, you aren't going to like this, so why did you even bother buying a ticket. Anyway, I fucking loved it.

The film stars an ensemble cast of Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine, who leads a squad of eight Jewish-American soldiers known as the "Basterds" behind enemy lines in Nazi occupied France, Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa of the SS, nicknamed the "Jew Hunter", Michael Fassbender as Lt. Archic Hicox, a British soldier who goes undercover with the Basterds as a Nazi officer, Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark, a German actress and double agent, Eli Roth as Sgt. Donny Donowitz, known as the "Bear Jew", and Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jew who has assumed the new name 'Emmanuelle Mimieux' and is operating a cinema in Paris after the murder of her family by Landa.

Why should you see it? This film has really amazing cinematography, fantastic ensemble acting from the entire cast, and a great homage to the spaghetti western style, as seen in most of his works. I read somethere that only like 30% of the film is in English. And unlike other foreign language film, there were FOUR languages dominating: French, German, English, and Italian. And it all fit into the Tarantino mold of rich, meanungful dialogue one second and then shocking action in another.

And why else should you see it? CHRISTOPH FUCKING WALTZ, that's why! He deserves an Oscar, even for the first 20 minutes of the film. He spoke every language in the movie, a delivered with all the poise and creepiness that Landa must have. He stole the show in an ensemble film, which is quite a feat. Props, man. Props.

I just watched it again yesterday, and I'm still blown away. I fucking loved this movie, and I really can't say enough about it.

All in all, this deserves a WIN+. Seriously.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

So, about how Sherlock Holmes totally blew me away. Yes, that's right, Guy Ritchie delivers once again. As with most remakes that I get wind of, I'm usually like "WTF?! Why?!" But I gave this one a chance 1) because it's Sherlock Fucking Holmes, bitches...and 2) it's Guy Ritchie directing.

I think this is Ritchie's first mainstream film to my knowledge. You may remember Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (EPIC WIN), Snatch, and Rock 'n' Rolla, and many other indie crime films. His directorial "show first-explain later" style is SO evident in 'Sherlock Holmes', it really isn't even a joke, but the two genres (Doyle and Ritchie) mesh SO incredibly well that you can't really think too much about it.

Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. John Watson have been successfully solving cases throughout England for years. This most recent case was that of Lord Blackwood, a man who murdered in the name of his black magic. Finally hanged for his crimes, it comes as an unpleasant surprise when he literally rises from the grave. And so it is up to Holmes and Watson to find him and stop him before his killing spree devours the whole of England.

Robert Downey, Jr. is right at home in the role of the infamous detective. He plays another character with the wit and confidence of his Tony Stark persona in "Iron Man". And I was incredibly happy with his character choices (which were probably mostly Ritchies, but w/e). We all think of Holmes as being neat and clean and proper, but that was never how I personally had envisioned the character. I liken him to Henry Higgins of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion": a learned and incredibly intelligent man on the inside, but a curmudgeonly, unshaven, ill-kept man in the outside. Absolutely perfect, and this performance really spoke to me. Jude Law plays his right hand man, Dr. Watson, in a role much smarter than many incarnations of Watson in the past. Here, the two are equals, more than hero and sidekick, and their chemistry is incredible. Even when the plot gets a bit dry and drawn out, the pleasure of seeing their continuous verbal quarrels worth the admission price alone.

However, as you know, no matter how epically awesome I find a movie, there is always one thing that will really piss me off. This time, it's Irene Adler. First of all, I hate American characters mixed in with all-British casts (but she was in the books, and I hated her anyway). Second, I don't like Rachel McAdams. There were so many other actresses that I would have liked to have seen in this role *cough*Julianne Moore*cough*. Maybe that would have made me like the character a bit more. Third, *SPOILER ALERT* who runs onto the highest possible point on an unfinished bridge to get away from people chasing her, only to realize that once she's on the bridge that she well knows is unfinished that she can't actually get to the other side? Irene. Who falls from said highest point on said bridge about 60 feet straight down onto some flimsy scaffolding that MIRACULOUSLY didn't break, into an incredibly cunbersome position that actually should have severed her spinal cord in 2 places, and then just sits up and talks as if there isn't a single scratch on her body? Irene. (Both of which are more FAILs in writing...not really McAdams' fault there). But I don't care. Fuck her. She's a terrible character who did nothing in the movie except wear pants in a society where no self-respecting woman in her right mind would be caught dead wearing pants--and to make the movie 30 minutes longer than it needed to be. Besides, Holmes doesn't need a love interest thrown into the mix. That's what Watson is for.

All in all, I give this film a WIN for being an AMAZING reboot of a timeless classic.

P.S. I hear there's a sequel in the works! But I keep hearing that Brad Pitt will play Professor Moriarty...Fuck him. I vote for Johnny Depp. Besides, the man needs to get away from Burton and Bonham-Carter and he needs to stop being typecast.