Al's Top 100 Guilty Pleasure Movies Part 1

Cinema is an ocean of limitless possibilities, and we, the audience, stride along the beach of this ocean, always looking for treasures that may wash ashore.  Each passing season brings a tide of a particular sort:  every summer, a tide of blockbusters washes over us with a wealth of polished stones.  Every fall, the Oscar bait is unearthed.  Now and then, we come across random surprises.  No matter what, most of us actively seek out the gleaming treasures:  we’re always looking for the next Godfather, the next Dark Knight, the next Amour, the next Matrix, or whatever else.  In our pursuit of all things golden and bejeweled – the films that everybody agrees are great and are praised by the critics – we often step over the plain-looking rocks, the transparent sea glass, the empty shells, or the ugly trash.  Few of us will stop to admire these failed and forgotten pieces, admiring them for values that others don’t care about.

At the very least, enjoying films that everybody else dislikes is a matter of personal taste.  At the most, it’s a bold stand against haters and critics, and maybe an act of rebellion.  Either way, there are a healthy number of film I enjoy, but few others do.  Sometimes, I know certain films are bad, but I enjoy them anyway for whatever reason.  Other times, I’m perplexed as to why certain films are universally hated.  I don’t really care what other people may think of my tastes:  these are the films that make me laugh, make me feel excited, and capture my imagination in different ways.  These are the films that beckon me, as if to say “come on, watch me! You know you wanna!”

These are my guilty pleasure films:  the ones I love, but receive little love elsewhere.  Some of them will be movies that are so bad, they’re good.  Others are novelties that I enjoy.  Most will be failed blockbusters and box-office bombs, and many may have been forgotten in time.  For me, however, all of these films have had me coming back for more.  In fact, most of them are films I disliked at first, but grew to love them on repeat viewings.

In a way, I tend to value these films more than what is on my Top 100 Favorite Movies list.   I suspect it’s because some of these are more unique, or they’re more entertaining and enthralling, or just plain funnier.  Or, it could be because a lot of these films have been with me my whole life.  Chances are that you’ll read through this list and think of me as an unsophisticated idiot.  Whatever.  Good or bad, I love all these films, and I probably wouldn’t recommend them to anybody else but me.

Without further ado, here is my Top 100 Favorite Guilty Pleasure Movies! All of these films have either ranked "rotten" on rottentomatoes.com (a percentage, usually less than 50%), OR achieved less than a 6.0 (out of 10) on imdb.com.  These are not in order of the scores, however; due to the combination of entertainment value, resonance, and replay value, these films are simply ordered based on which ones would I watch more than the other.

Here it goes...
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100:  Satan Met a Lady

imdb score:  6.0 | RT score:  Not Available

Guilty of:  Misconceived and silly.

What I say:  This is basically an adaptation of The Maltese Falcon, as a comedy.  Somehow, they took a serious, gritty, hard-boiled thriller and morphed it into a silly, irreverent comedy.  It’s certainly not the stuff dreams are made of, but the film is short, sweet, simple, has a decent style, and a few amusing moments.  It’s good for a quick laugh or two.

My score:  3/5
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99:  Dungeons and Dragons

So where can I get blue lipstick from?

imdb score:  3.6 | RT score:  10%

Guilty of: Cheap, silly, horrible writing and acting, and some folks are offended by Marlon Wayan’s character, calling him a racial stereotype.

What I say:  Oh man, this film sure is cheesy.  It might even be the cheesiest of all the films I’ve seen.  Even Jeremy Irons’ performance is cheesy:  he ramps the cheese up to critical mass! It’s a cheap and silly film; I was initially drawn to it for its special effects, but even those are pretty weak.  What matters here, however is the execution.  Sure, the special effects are cheap, but they’re well-executed, and bring some fairly cool dragon battles to life.  The film hardly drags, and it has the right spirit and tone.  As a lighthearted adventure, the film is at least partway successful.

My score:  3/5
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98:  Entrapment

Be honest...this is the only scene you enjoy watching in this movie...

imdb score:  6.1 | RT score:  38%
 
Guilty of: Weak plot, considered a bore.
 
What I say:  Strange though it is to pair sixty-something Sean Connery with twenty or thirty-something Catherine Zeta Jones, they share some interesting scenes together, and pull off some cool heists that felt fairly high-tech at the time this film was made.  While films like the Ocean’s 11 remake and the Italian Job remake will remain my personal favorite heist films, I’ve enjoyed Entrapment just as well over the years.  Watching CZJ moving through the lasers in a skin-tight outfit didn’t hurt either.

My score:  3/5
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97:   Batman and Robin

Holy s**t Batman!

imdb score:  3.6 | RT score:  12%
 
Guilty of:  Too much cheese, too many bad jokes, horrible acting and writing, too much flair and style over substance.
 
What I say:  This one definitely ranks pretty high on the cheese-o-meter.  It can be hard to take the onslaught of ridiculous dialogue (rendered exceptionally ridiculous with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s constant one-liners, Uma Thurman’s overly-dramatic monologues, and George Clooney trying too hard to act cool) and the onslaught of bright colors and gaudy production value.  I still give it credit for entertaining:  the action is certainly frequent and flashy.  Humor can be a huge hit-or-a-miss, but the overall tone is appealing.  Despite all its stupidity, there is something about B&R that keeps me entertained and sometimes coming back for more.

My score:  3/5
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96:  Final Fantasy:  The Spirits Within

imdb score:  6.4 | RT score:  44%

Guilty of:  Dull story, no emotional impact.

What I say:  When I first saw this film, I was as enthralled as I was pleased.  It was technically impressive for its fantastic digital renderings:  I still think it contains the best and most real-looking animations for human beings to date.  There is action to be had.  As far as the story goes, I really dug it when I was younger, and parts of it stood out to me.  Today, not nearly as much, else it would have ranked higher. 

My score:  3.5/5
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95:   Virus
 
imdb score:  4.6 | RT score:  9%

Guilty of: Predictable, poor story, poor acting.
 
What I say:  Parts of it made me laugh.  Parts of it were wicked.  If nothing else, the special effects are cool and it’s pretty exciting to watch this killer alien cyborg running amok.  It’s definitely lacking in story development and originality, but it makes up for it by just being loud and fun.

My score:  3/5
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94:   Star Trek V:  The Final Frontier

In reality, Kirk is only two feet off the ground.

 imdb score:  5.2 | RT score:  21%

Guilty of:  Well, it’s an odd-numbered Trek film.  Everybody knows the even-numbered ones are the best.  Also, largely considered the worst of the series due to its plot, poor special effects, being boring, iffy handling of theology, and Sybok.

What I say:  I’d say I enjoyed this film as much as the other old Trek films.  The action is plentiful enough, but it’s the comedy that makes this movie fun.  Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty exchange lots of amusing gags and anecdotes here.  Most other complaints never really bothered me that much; I was just thrilled to watch the classic characters do their thing.

My score:  3.5/5
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93:   X:  The Movie

You know things get serious when your back is on fire...

 imdb score:  6.0 | RT score:  Not Available

Guilty of:  Not as good as the original manga (or the anime series that came later), not enough room for character or story development.

What I say:  I totally agree that this anime film doesn’t do the whole story much justice.  The original story calls for juggling fourteen different characters on opposite sides of an epic conflict, so cramming all that into a ninety minute feature is pretty skimpy and frustrating.  It’s made even worse with shoddy English dubbing.  Still, the action and animation quality is pretty darn cool, and the film does capture the barebones essence of the whole thing.  Since the movie came out before the manga’s finale, it also has the benefit of a wicked, punctual, somewhat satisfying ending.  I may continue to watch the full-length series for a complete story, but this film offers enough of everything for a quick and condensed experience.

My score:  3/5
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92:  Barb Wire

Baywatch took a very interesting turn...

imdb score:  3.1 | RT score:  29%

Guilty of:  Bad acting, dull and gaudy.

What I say:  Pamela Anderson.  Nuff said!

My score:  2.5/5
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91:  Wing Commander

 imdb score:  3.8 | RT score:  11%

Guilty of:  Clichéd, with bad dialogue and cheap production.

What I say:  While the special effects haven’t aged that well, I always loved them for bringing these fleets of spaceships to life in front of a colorful deep-space backdrop.  The action is often quite cool.  I actually wish there were more movies like this that have such explosive and stylish space battles.  Plot, characters, and overall production are weak indeed, but I’m willing to put up with it.  At times, it comes off as a fun, lighthearted adventure.

My score:  3/5
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90:   Skyline

imdb score:  4.4 | RT score:  15%

Guilty of: Bad story, bad dialogue, stupid characters making dumb decisions.

What I say:  Now here are some special effects that stand up really well.  If nothing else, this flick does a great job of taking a standard story with standard shooting locations and filling it all up with a slick and explosive spectacle.  In this day and age, alien invasion movies have become a dime-a-dozen, so this feels like more of the same, and all the stupid characters don’t help.  I still had a blast watching it, even if for all the wrong reasons.

My score:  3/5
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89:   Hulk

imdb score:  5.7 | RT score:  62%

Guilty of: Boring, too much talking, fake-looking special effects, inconsistencies in the Hulk’s size, mutant poodles.

What I say:  Yeah, it takes a while for this film to get going, but once it does, it’s like, holy crap! The Hulk picked up a freaking tank and hurled it miles away! He beat down helicopters and rode a plane to the edge of the atmosphere! When the action hits and the Hulk comes out, the filmmakers really tried their best to make the Hulk pull off some incredible stuff.  Extensive exploration of the characters may drag down the experience quite a bit,  and the use of transitions and split-screens are very trippy, but I’ve always felt it was worth sitting through for a fantastic final act.

My score:  3.5/5
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88:   Star Trek:  Insurrection

imdb score:  6.3 | RT score:  56%

Guilty of: Odd-numbered Trek movie.  Plays out too much like a 2-hour episode of the show.  Thus, it’s more of the same, dull, contrived.

What I say:  Granted that it does feel like a series episode rather than a feature film, I always did enjoy the space battles (especially the nebula battle, which is a thing of beauty), the shuttle pursuits, the humor, and the overall tone of the film.  It’s just another fun adventure for the Next Generation crew, and that’s not a totally bad thing.

My score:  3.5/5
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87:   Maximum Overdrive

This truck is so evil!

imdb score:  5.0 | RT score:  17%

Guilty of:  Absurd plot, annoying characters, silliness.

What I say:  I’ve always gotten a kick out of watching this film.  What could be cooler than watching a bunch of machines (especially trucks, bulldozers, a hum-vee) rising up against humans? The only thing more cool and wicked than this are the Terminator or Matrix franchises.  As it is, Stephen King plays this out with his usual campy B-movie charm (not just as writer, but also as director!), and I find it quite charming indeed.

My score:  4/5
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86:  The Time Machine (2002)

The future may not be bright, but at least it's orange.

imdb score:  5.8 | RT score:  29%
 
Guilty of:  Switches from compelling drama to action/adventure territory too fast, poor writing.

What I say:  Yeah, the 1960 film remains the best possible film adaptation of HG Well’s classic story.  It’s pretty odd that Simon Wells (the author’s great-grandson) changed things up with this newer adaptation, and he does to with mixed effect.  The best that can be said is that the visuals are pretty cool, especially during the actual time-travelling.  I think most audiences agree that the opening scenes, which underscore the reasons why the guy built the machine, are the most compelling.  The rest is just a brainless actioner.  Overall, it’s a pretty fun ride anyway.

My score:  3/5
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85:  The Room

Oh hi guys!

imdb score:  3.3 | RT score:  35%

Guilty of:  EVERYTHING!

What I say:  No really, everything about this movie is terrible, make no mistake.  The sets are as plain as can be, and the photograph and editing are equally stagnant.  What really takes the cake here will be the acting and writing:  it has to be seen to be believed.  Nearly every line is so terrible, so forced, so illogical, it’s awesomely hilarious.  The Room is stupid and cheap, but it stands as one of the best so-bad-it’s-good type of films of all time.

My score:  2.5/5
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84:  The World Is Not Enough

Skiing is a dangerous sport.

imdb score:  5.8 | RT score:  29%

Guilty of: Standard plot, iffy writing, Denise Richards.

What I say:  At one point (well, the time of its release), this was my favorite James Bond picture.  I loved the action, and I was really taken by the story and its characters.  These days, I got to admit that my enthusiasm has waned a lot, and the film does feel very plain and standard.  I still give it credit for taking a few bold twists, for having a bad guy that implies something greater, for having an awesome femme fatale, and for its smashing boat chase scene.

My score:  4/5
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83:  Heavy Metal 2000

Whoa.  Nice...axe...

imdb score:  5.2 | RT score:  0%

Guilty of:  Focuses on one story instead of having an anthology of stories.  Bloated, dull, uninspired, cheap.

What I say:  Sure, it’s only one story, but I had fun watching it.  I loved the heroine and I enjoyed watching her kick everybody’s butt! The animation may not be the best, but it looks smooth, and is nowhere near as gaudy as the first film.  Occasional bits of gratuitous sex and violence don’t hurt either.  It’s a thrilling piece of pulp sci-fi, and I kinda wish there are more stories like this in the genre.

My score:  3/5
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82:  The Darkest Hour

This is why it's dangerous to breakdance on the street.

imdb score:  4.9 | RT score:  12%

Guilty of:  Mindless, with terrible characters and a weak plot.

What I say:  You know, I didn’t think this was nearly as bad as I expected.  Despite a few stupid parts, the film is successful at being fast-paced and entertaining.  I liked the concept of invisible electric aliens.  I enjoyed the special effects, regardless of how cheap they looked.  Overall, the film never really bored me, and I appreciate it for that.

My score:  3.5/5
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81:   The Man With the Screaming Brain

This is how you'll appear when you reach the end of this list.

imdb score:  5.5 | RT score:  33%

Guilty of:  Considered weak, pointless, and unfunny.

What I say:  Well, the film is pretty cheap and silly, but it did make me laugh.  I give huge props to Bruce Campbell, who’s as macho and funny as ever, and flexes some decent acting muscle as a man who literally fights himself.  It gets really crazy when the guy’s wife becomes a robot.  It makes for a pretty fun tongue-in-cheek type of B-movie.

My score:  3.5/5

To be continued...

Video Game Review: Far Cry 3

"Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact... same f@!&ing thing... over and over again expecting... s&!t to change..." - Michael Mando

There are plenty of video games that put a gun in your hands and have you shoot your way through scores of bad guys in linear levels.  Far Cry has always established itself as a far bolder, more flexible, more strategic, more intense type of game than the standard shoot-em-up fare.  Although I haven't played much of the first game, the second one became an intriguing challenge for me as I explored the African wilds, playing a lone guerrilla popping out of the jungle to take over outposts and gradually worked my way deeper into enemy territory.  The only drag in Far Cry 2 was the repetition in combat, exploration, and missions.

Far Cry 3 offers the best experience yet.  It plops you in the dead center of peril, not only having to fight off pirates, but also the elements.  The bad guys offer a formidable challenge at times, but more often than not, you really have to watch your back in the jungles and in the ocean, because there's always a snake, a leopard, a shark, or some other crazy animal stalking you.  Sometimes, you can get the predators to attack your enemies.  Or, you could just rush in with all guns blazing, blowing everything up and blasting your way to victory.  Better yet, you can pick off your enemies one by one with stealth.  As before, the choice of technique and approaches is flexible; you can achieve the same goals in a number of different ways.  The map for this game is huge, offering a plethora of gorgeous sights, unique landscapes, and tactical advantages.  It is loaded with collectables, missions of various types, and challenges that will help in earning money and experience points.  As you go along, you unlock better weapons, more skills, more vehicles, and more resources.  Overall, you can spend hours and hours combing through the map, and it'll never once feel dull or repetitive.  It might get aggravating with some challenging hunts and missions, but the game is definitely rewarding and addicting.

What really helps with this game is that the story is strong:  much more so than its predecessor, which never felt all that tangible or deep to me.  In this game, you play a young man on vacation, who gets captured along with his friends by pirates and subjected to some pretty ugly captivity and torture.  It's your job to break out and free (or perhaps avenge) your buddies.  As you go along, you are plunged into the middle of a civil war of sorts, and are required to beef up your combat skills.  All that in itself makes for a pretty deep and intense experience, as the character is made to get in touch with his primal instincts to become a sharp instrument of death.  It's got a strong Heart of Darkness vibe to it (even moreso than the last game), and it really helps that the game focuses on a kid from the civilized world being forced into war, brutality, and raw survivalism in the jungle.

The game looks great, with top-notch graphics.  It is notably bright and colorful, lending it to an almost cartoony appearance, but it is beautifully rendered and textured with quality lighting effects.  Gameplay is smooth and easy to master.  Interfaces and menus are easy.  Sound quality and music are phenomenal.

5/5 (Entertainment:  Perfect | Story:  Very Good | Game:  Very Good)

Film Review: Looper

"The path was a circle, round and round." - Joseph Gordon-Levitt

It seems like I've seen the trailer for this film all year in 2012.  The preview in itself presented a unique concept, in which a hired gun shoots people who are time-warped into the past.  Then he winds up having to hunt and shoot his future self.  What a twist!

All that in itself seemed like a good premise for an action-packed sci-fi thriller with maybe some food for thought.  Seeing the film in its entirety, I got to admit that the previews didn't do this film justice.  Sure, there is action, thrills, and style, but the man-vs-himself plot didn't really take the center stage like I thought it would.  If anything, the film felt like it was cut into two distinct halves:  the first is pretty much everything I expected (lots of gangsters in a futuristic city with occasional bursts of violence), but the second half ventures into some fairly unpredictable territory.

The story is brimming with intriguing ideas and implications.  I'm still not sure if the time-traveling mechanics are 100% foolproof; it's definitely not hard sci-fi (and it won't be as deep as something like Primer).  However, the film lays out its concepts and rules coherently, and shows them in interesting ways.  What really makes it work will be its characters, who show a fair amount of development, and plenty of emotional resonance.  The film goes on to show a whole world of people struggling to hold onto things precious to them.  The "loop" of the movie is not so much about time travel, as it is endless circles of violence, vengeance, and hate that other people inflict on one another (and maybe even themselves).  As such, the film's final solution is quite brilliant.

 The film looks slick and stylish.  Photography and editing are pretty decent.  Acting is great:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quite earnest in his role, and does a tremendous job of showing enough nuance to match up with Bruce Willis, who is still as badass as ever.  Writing is decent.  This production has its fair share of good-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects, but it's most noteworthy for depicting a future that's not overly fantastic, but truly does look plausible.  Music is quite intense.

Chances are good that most casual audiences will enjoy this flick, but fans of sci-fi, action, and crime films should definitely check this out.

Recommended!

4/5 (Entertainment:  Good | Story:  Very Good | Film:  Good)

Writing Prompt: Happy New Year Message

For the first writing prompt of the year, what's more appropriate than a New Years' themed writing prompt? This weeks exercise comes from writersdigest.com, and it goes like this:

• At exactly midnight on New Year's Eve, you receive an e-mail labeled "Open Immediately." The really strange thing is that the e-mail is apparently from your future self.  What does it say?

This prompt originally called for a mere 500 words.  I just wrote stuff until it felt complete.  A bunch of interesting possibilities came to mind, and some of them could potentially be whole new novels.

My response for this prompt is as follows:
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     Just as the fireworks exploded in the sky and splashed vibrant colors over the city block, my phone vibrated.  I couldn't even hear its ringtone over the booming fireworks and the noise from the cheering crowd.  Brandishing the phone, I opened a new e-mail message; I assumed it was a friend or family member giving me a New Year's greeting.
     The message I saw simply read:

Get to 175th Street, now.
RPG

      RPG:  Robert Paul Grazer, was my name and initials.  I signed every e-mail with those three letters, and chances were small that anybody else had those same initials in all e-mails.  One more detail in the header perplexed me:  the message was sent on January 1st, 2025.  That was twelve years into the future.
     It had to be a joke, or a hoax.  I was compelled to ignore it, but something in my conscience convinced me otherwise.  There was an irrational sense of dread and anxiety creeping over me, and with each passing second, it grew worse.  To quell the growing unease, I started moving.  Pushing past the others in the street, I left the main road and started toward 175th Street.
     Traversing away from the crowd, I trotted further away from the city center and further away from the fireworks.  I brushed past some happy, drunken revelers, but otherwise, the streets were mostly empty.  Everybody was in the city center in celebration, and I felt strangely displaced by breaking away from the crowd.
     Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar cut across the sky, drowning out the booming fireworks.  Looking back, I saw a giant metal disc plummeting from the sky.  Its sides were aglow in red-hot flames.
     The saucer-shaped object sliced through a skyscraper, cutting through the top floors cleanly.  The cleaved piece of the building slid and fell into the streets with the sound of crashing glass and metal echoing in the air.
     Continuing into the city center, the disc cut through the fireworks display, with colors lights bouncing off the glowing hull.  Screams erupted all across the square, before the disc slammed into the concrete road.  Many of the cries were silenced.  Seconds later, the sounds of scraping metal, electricity, and otherworldly mechanisms filled the block.
     With gut-wrenching realization, I suddenly knew the truth.  I did indeed send a message to myself from the future.  It was a warning to get out of ground zero and find safety.  Because a war was about to break out between the human race, and something else not of this world.

Film Review: The Godfather

"He is a good godson." - Marlon Brando

This film has spawned so many gangster cliches and parodies that it's not even funny. Every time you've heard of people "sleeping with da fishies" or "making an offer you can't refuse," it'll all boil back to this classic, highly-tutted film.

On first glance, I dismissed the film as being rather dull, despite a few standout moments. On repeat viewings, I have found it more compelling. The film is most memorable for the scenes everybody knows and loves: the scene with the horse's head, the street fighting scene, Marlon Brando's mumbling, the restaurant shooting, sporadic bursts of gunfights and violence...it's all there. Dialogue dominates most of the film, but when given due attention, the story can be rather gripping and mesmerizing. At this point, the only drag I've felt is in the last thirty minutes or so; the film just kinda winds down after nearly 150 minutes of epic-scale gangster mayhem.

The story is long, dense, and chock full of quality characterizations. The film does a fine job of keeping its events in order so that the politics of each situation makes some kind of sense. What matters the most will be the characters, who are endearing, and the underlying themes of family, honor, and loyalty. Family and generations are probably the most blatant themes, especially since most scenes show some strong contrast (or perhaps comparisons) between adults and children.

As a film, it looks really classy. Photography never was a huge standout for these films, but the sepia tones and framing lends the movie a type of classic family-portrait appeal. Editing is decent. Acting is probably the biggest virtue here. Marlon Brando chews the scenery, despite his mumbling and constant fiddling with things, he does show endless nuance and expressions that brings Vito Corleone to life really well. Al Pacino must be at his most nuanced as Michael, and the rest of the magnificent cast fulfills their parts well. Writing is decent. This production has good-looking sets, props, and costumes, and is especially noteworthy for its period reproduction. Music is nice too.

Everybody should see this at least once in their lifetime.

4/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Good | Film: Perfect)

Film Review: Slaughterhouse-Five

"I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it’s a very poor scheme for survival." - Kurt Vonnegut

Chances are you may have heard of Slaughterhouse-Five; it's one of the highly-tutted classics of science fiction, penned by the ever-eccentric Kurt Vonnegut.  As of this writing, I've never actually read the book, but this movie seems to capture the gist of things.  It's a very strange, surrealist story that chronicles a man's life and death through a series of random time-jumps.  The man was a prisoner in WWII (and the actual slaughterhouse was his residence), before raising a dysfunctional family afterwards, and then being abducted by aliens.  Yep, strange stuff indeed.

The film will be most memorable for the rough and dirty war scenes, the sporadic family outbursts, and the scenes on Tralfamadore.  Part of it drag a little, but there's enough interesting scenes to pull the film together and maintain interest, especially for fans of sci-fi, war movies, or bizarre cinema in general.

I have no idea how close of an adaptation this movie is to the book, but on its own merits, the film does an interesting job of using its random narrative structure to show the character at the different phases of his life; really, it shows somewhere between three to five different narrative strings at once.  Some scenes run into each other, with characters in one timeline finishing off dialogue from another, or scenes mirroring each other so that they're intercut together.  It makes the film run as one long and smooth stream of consciousness, while exploring the character's life, memories, and psyche in full.  In a way, you probably could interpret this whole film as the memories, memoirs, and dreams of a man who's either mentally insane or dead.  As such, the film may subtly hint as some underlying themes of life, death, and the human condition.

If there's anything to complain about, it's just the sheer randomness of the story, for even with its constant focus on the main character, it never settles on any specific plot structure or tangible form.

The film has quality photography and really excellent editing.  Acting is a bit over-the-top, but it gets the job done really well, and the writing is not bad.  This production has fine-looking sets, props, and costumes.  Music is not bad either.

For bringing a literary classic to life, the film is worthwhile seeing.  As random and strange as it is, I'd recommended some caution:  rent it and see what you think for yourself.

4/5 (Entertainment:  Pretty Good | Story:  Good | Film:  Good)

Happy New Year 2013!

As the world completes its eternal elliptical path around the sun, it carves a path in the cosmos for the human race; so it comes to pass that one era end and another begins.

...or, rather, one year ends and another begins.  Maybe not an entire era per se.  Whatever.  The point is, 2012 has ended and 2013 begins.  Chances are that I'll remember 2012 as (maybe the final) year I got to visit Scotland and Germany, the year I visited my grandmother and some of my uncles in the States, the year I lost close to 30 pounds, the year the Mayan doomsday scare came and went so very uneventfully, the year of the Hobbit and The Avengers and Skyfall and The Dark Knight Rises, the year of the 57th Presidential Elections in the US, the year London hosted the Olympics and the Queen of England celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, and the year we were all blessed with that "whoop it gangnam style!" song.

And yeah, it's also the year I completed a new novel:  Perfectly Inhuman, the epic rampage resulting from a cloned pop star going wild.  It's actually a pretty big deal, considering I came up with the story ten years ago.  It experienced quite a weird evolution in all that time, but it finally came together within the past year.  It's pretty amazing how so many ideas I had over the years wound up being pieced together with a bunch of new ones to make something really cool and exciting.  One of my prerogatives this year will be in editing, rewriting, and maybe even shopping it around for publication.  One can always dream, anyway.

More importantly, 2012 will be my final year living in England.  In a pretty short time, I'll have to move.  As nice as it's been to live in the rolling green hills of Yorkshire (rain and all), the conditions of my day job have ended, and I feel like it's time I transplanted myself to a new place.  I'm pretty used to moving every few years; spending more than four or five years in one place tends to get old, stagnant, perhaps even monotonous.  I feel it's time change things up again, to go to someplace new, take on new challenges, and see new sights.  The prospect of finding a new home in another part of the world is definitely thrilling.  At the same time, it's a little wearisome to think about the work involved:  having to pack up all my belongings, my car, settle my affairs, etc.  From experience, I know that the next few months will be fast and relentless, given all the work.

So yeah, I have a lot to look forward to in 2013, from that alone.  Who knows what other surprises 2013 will have for me, and all of us?

Moving and writing will not be the only things on my mind.  It's only customary to mull over some New Year's resolutions:  stuff that's really nice to contemplate, but rarely ever gets done.  In fact, the one resolution I always bring up - losing weight - wound up being most of the way fulfilled last year, the year I didn't bother making that resolution.  Isn't it funny how that works?

With at least some conviction, I do intend on sticking with these.  My top five resolutions this year are:

1. Finish all the writing projects I've started.  My to-do pile currently has around seven short stories and seven novels that remain unfinished.  To say nothing of the stories I've finished and never bothered to proofread.  Despite all I have to do, I have a bad habit of dreaming up new stories to make and starting off new drafts.  For now on, I need to focus on finishing stuff up before starting anything new!
2. Publish something! For the love of God, I gotta do something with all the stuff I finished! Even if it's self-published, I need to get something out there!
3. More blogging.  I've had plenty of ideas for good or fun blog posts, I just get lazy sometimes and don't bother putting them up.  Well, that's gotta change.  I hope to get somewhere between 10 - 20 posts a month, as life allows.
4. I got plenty of other things that need to be finished.  I got over two thousand photos from the past year or so that needs to be sorted through.  I got video clips since 2010 that I need to edit and compile into viewable segments (I might even post them on youtube, see what happens).  I resolve to finish all these things off before 2014.  
5. Get below 200 lbs and stay that way. 

You'd think these resolutions would be easy, but finishing a dozen stories, sifting through thousands of files, and dieting will be work, I'm sure.  However, I do hope that these things will make 2013 a productive and satisfying year.

And for everybody else out there, I wish you all a Happy New Year!