#8- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (9 of 10)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a well crafted film, one which is enjoyable the first time and bares up to re-watching. It was all around good, with good acting, an excellent plot and lovable characters.

In the film, Benjamin, the title character, is born in a senile condition but becomes younger with time, like reverse ageing. While the core of the story is about his relationship with a girl who ages in a more mundane fashion the film meanders, not in a bad way, about Benjamin's whole life.

The film's strongest point is its complex plot, with several side stories weaving in and out of the primary plot. For example, a former professional swimmer who meets and becomes a love interest of Benjamin reappears briefly later in the movie, after swimming the English Channel. This particular style of film reminds me of another great film, Forest Gump in which a full life story is told, with several similar side stories.

Another interesting part of the movie was the special effects used in making the actors appear the correct ages for the story. As for Daisy, the heroine of the story, several actresses are used, however Benjamin is played by Brad Pitt from senility to infancy. A small piece of film trivia here, before 1956 the standard in the film industry was to hire older actors and use makeup to make them appear younger if the film had to cover younger parts of their lives, however with the film Giant (one of James Dean's three major films) younger actors, i.e. James Dean, where used and where made to look older. It was a very novel approach at the time but has become commonplace. It's interesting how far we've come since then.

All in all The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was an all around excellent film, a must see and perhaps the best film for some time before or since. At the same time, I realize that this movie may not be for all, due to the relatively high need to pay close attention.

#7- Rocky III (7 of 10)

One might think a question common among Rocky connoisseurs would be 'Has Rocky jumped the shark?' but the more honest question is 'When did Rocky jump the shark'. If you asked me I would say somewhere between III and IV.

For those unfamiliar with the Rocky films, Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) is an Italian American boxer. In the first two movies Rocky rises to be the heavy weight champion of the world and in the third movie he has to defend and regain his title against a stronger opponent. The Rocky films are the typical underdog overcoming stifling odds movies.

Rocky III was certainly a entertaining film, the question however is whether 3 is too much or just enough. It was good to see most of the cast from the original Rocky back for round three (no pun intended), especially Apollo Creed played by Carl Weathers. As we see in later rocky films the loss of the original cast really takes away from a film sequel.

If Rocky III was better than it was bad then the appearance of Mr. T as Clubber Lang is what tipped the balance. At times Mr. T's acting was over the top but generally he added an element to the movie that lends it re-watchability. With such great quotes as 'I pity the foo[fool]!' Rocky III will at least be remembered, even if not favourably.

In the end I really can't say whether Rocky III was a worthy film or not. It had qualities of a great film, but at the same time it had several of the tell-tale signs of being a series that was dragged out for too many sequels and should be put to rest. In the end I would say it's worth a watch, but you should make up your own mind.

#6- The Spanish Prisoner (9 of 10)

There are two kinds of films, the kind that challenge the audience to think and those that aim only to entertain. The Spanish Prisoner definitely falls into the first of those two categories. 

The movie is about a stock market analyst, Joe Ross, who develops a 'process' for use in the open market. Supposedly this process will generate quite a sum of money for its investors. Joe is befriended by Jimmy Dell, played by Steve Martin and is subsequently conned into giving up his process.

The acting was perhaps not as good as it could have been, don't get me wrong it wasn't bad but some of the dialog seemed stilted and facial expression and body language where less  immersive than they could have been. Steve Martin proved to be the most experienced actor, playing his role deftly, even if it seemed to have a comedian play such a serious role.

What little the film lacked in acting it more than made up in plot. The story line was well crafted and engaging. What was nice was that the audience could imaginably predict what was going to happen if they where quick on their feet, for example at the point when a fake FBI agent contacts Ross, from what had been gathered earlier in the film it would be possible to determine that the FBI agent was an impostor. If there was one thing that could be added to the film is a warning at the beginning of the film stating that the audience should stick with the film, even if they become confused, all is explained in the end.

All in all The Spanish Prisoner is an excellent film and very engaging, a must watch for fans of the mystery genre.

#5- Serendipity (4 of 10)

As a film Serendipity is unenjoyable, one I could go the rest of my life never seeing this movie again and I'd be perfectly happy. However, I should say my opinion is likely biased; romantic comedies are not my preferred genre of film. As a consequence my experience with such films is limited, but from what little I have seen Serendipity would sit somewhat higher among the ranks for it’s occasional humor and wit.

 In the movie Jonathan Trager, played by John Cusack, meets his “Dream Woman”, through a fortunate accident (called serendipity), who is a firm believer in fate or destiny and leaves whether or not she will continue to be with John up to chance. Several years later when both characters are about to be married (not to each other) they each go on a mad search for the other.

 All in all the characters where flat, Sara and John are “good”, their spouses are subpar and their respective friends on their search for each other seem to serve no purpose other than to provide an opportunity for the main to characters to express their feelings.

 The film isn’t entirely devoid of wit and humor, Eugene Levy, as a Bloomingdale's salesman, is humorous and entertaining. The closes misses and round about ways of finding of each other by the main characters are also amusing.

 In conclusion Serendipity isn’t a great film, not even a good film but probably not a terrible one. If hard pressed, I might watch it again, if I was terribly bored. Maybe… 

#4- Finding Nemo (4 of 10)

Is Finding Nemo a good film? Upon my most recent viewing of it, I would say no, it's cliche and uninteresting. But on recollection of the first time I saw it, I'd have to say I used to have a better impression of the film. I think much of the enjoyment of the film was in its novelty.

In the movie the protagonist, Marlin, loses his son, Nemo. Through the trials they both face to try to find each other their character flaws are resolved and they live happily ever after.

One of the main attractions of the film was its animation. It was one of the first films to use the bubbly and plastic look that was ever so prevalent in the film. All the bright colors where pleasing to look at, at first but after seeing the film a couple of times it becomes like wallpaper and you realize that there's not a whole lot to the movie, save its bubbly graphics.

As for the plot, I have to say that I'm no fan, but others seem to like it. It's pretty obvious from the beginning that Marlin has issues with letting his son go, and as the film progresses we see that he gradually overcomes that fear. For example, when in he's about be eaten by a whale and his friend, Dory, tells him to let go he refuses and uses Nemo's name. This is one way of developing a character, although it certainly isn't subtle.

While I found most the characters flat, Gill, a fish in an aquarium whom Nemo meets, did appear to have some depth. Gill was captured from the sea and throughout the movie expressed his desire to return to it. Gill has an injury that is never explained. Later in the movie Gill sacrifices himself to help Nemo escape. If an animated fish can truly have an interesting  personality then Gill did.

In the end, I'd say Finding Nemo was an insubstantial film, and does not bare close inspection. It is however amusing and heart warming if one isn't looking foe a movie that will really cause to think.

#3- The Karate Kid (9 of 10)

The Karate Kid, at least the 1984 original, is a truly classic movie and I would recommend to just about anyone. In the movie Daniel Larusso (played by Ralph Macchio) moves to California against his will. He is immediately drawn into conflict with the local hooligans, and is beaten up regularly. Until he meets an old man from Okinawa who teaches him karate and turns his life around. 

To say that The Karate Kid is the best film ever would be a lie, it certainly shows it age. It was in the made in the ‘80s and you can see it in the dress and haircuts, this can take away from the file or add a retro touch depending on how you look at it. 

The film has all the signs of being cliché, young kid faces adversity, is defeated, through his strength of character he gains strength, the underdog wins out in the end. However The Karate Kid is not as terrible as one might think given the breakdown. 

Firstly, the acting was pretty good, particularly Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, who is entertaining and believable. Mr. Miyagi’s additional story about his enlistment in the U.S. Army and his wife’s death in an internment camp during child birth ended up adding to the plot without overpowering it. 

Also, by using karate as the unifying theme it also brings freshness to the action/drama genre. Lots of films have covered this story, few have used karate. 

 In conclusion The Karate Kid is a good film, typical of its time but good all the same. Definitely worth a rent if your into the ‘80s classics.

#2- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (7 of 10)

In my opinion there some movies that should be remade, and some that shouldn't. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate is of the later group.

When you put Tim Burton and Danny Elfman on the same project you will get the same movie every time, with a meticulous music score and a dozen one dimensional actors with way too much makeup. That's not to say this style of film making doesn't have merit, it has made a nice career for Tim Burton but it doesn't mesh well with the classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

The first of the many unfortunate differences is the country in which the film supposedly takes place. The 1971 version of the film takes place in England. In the 2005 incarnation pounds are clearly in use, however a man offers Charlie "500 Dollars". While this is a minor inconsistency it hurts it.

The second and perhaps most blaring difference is that of the personality of Willy Wonka. In the original film Willy Wonka was witty, not just strange. Johnny Depp did the best he could but the greatest actor in the world couldn't save a film from a poor script. Also the addition of an additional story for Willy Wonka was unnecessary and took away from the overall plot.

Third, again typical of Tim Burton, it was felt that a narrator with a deep voice was needed to make the film a coherent work. This 'little touch' was a sign that the acting and plot was sub-par and needed the crutch of narration.

It was clear to me that even if it is possible to remake Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that it didn't happen in 2005. Perhaps this remake can find a spot on cable TV but it isn't and never will come close to the original.