Favorite Opening Scenes: Raging Bull

If I had to choose my favorite shot Martin Scorsese has ever crafted, this would be it. Being the opener for Raging Bull, it does everything an opening scene should, and more. It sets the tone perfectly, and is at the same time sorrowful and beautiful. It is a fine example of why I am ever inspired to make films in the first place. What is also incredible is Scorsese's ability to do this all without so much as moving the camera, as well as the fact that relatively nothing is actually happening in the scene. Definitely one of the best opening sequences ever in a film.

The Wolfman

If The Wolfman isn't a letdown, I don't know what is. Directed by Joe Johnston, this promising film has an all-star cast, including Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro as the titled character. Of course on top of that, the film has the classic story to back it up as well. So what went wrong? Well, lots of things. The film has a notorious history of having several last-minute changes, including in direction, composition, writing, and screen-time. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out for the best. The opening scene is the best foreshadowing for exactly how to expect the rest of the film to go. A scared man, nervously holding a lantern in the middle of the woods (at nighttime!) is running from something spooky, and we soon realize it is a werewolf, who eats his face. He howls. Enter opening credits. If one word should be used to describe this film, it is predictable, and this is where the movie falls short of entertaining me. However, I gave this scene the benefit of a doubt for being an intentionally campy movie, which I have a weakness for, but my hope was in vain.

Chewbacca on a Squirrel Fighting Nazis

Yup. You're welcome.

via Kotaku

Inception

I was looking forward to Inception for quite a long time. What's not to like? Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cillian Murphy, all directed by Christopher Nolan? C'mon. As expected, the movie was a fantastic one, although it is not without it's flaws. Instead of attempting to interpret the film, which would take many long nights of research, coffee, and multiple viewings, I'm just going to tell you why I liked it.  Once again, Nolan gets a thumb up his originality in storytelling; the "dream within a dream within a dream" sequence just isn't something that has been done before. The final act consists of 45 minutes of screen time, and it never bores you for a second; not only is it nearly non-stop action, there are three different scenes going on at the same time, continuously cutting back and forth, always making sure your eyes are glued to the screen. One of these scenes is a fight in the hallway of a hotel between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a nameless gangster, and being one of the most well shot scenes in the film, it is very mesmerizing to watch. Nolan basically attempts to defy all the laws of physics and give the audience the feel of the lack of gravity, and he is very successful. Also, it finally gives Gordon-Levitt the chance to be a badass.

The Mist

I was considerably late to The Mist party, and painfully so because I've heard endless comments on the conclusion of the film, without actually knowing what it is. Whenever I felt I would hear a possible spoiler, I would basically cover my ears with my hands and shamefully sing aloud. Despite this, I wasn't exactly expecting a top-notch film; it always seemed like it would be more comparable to an M. Night Shyamalan film such as The Happening (which if you didn't already know, is a film that you would never want your film being compared to by any means necessary). As in, a very promising cast and story, but for one reason or another it just falls completely flat on its ass and fails to succeed on any level, really. Also, even though I recognize Thomas Jane as a talented actor (whom is the main protagonist of The Mist), my last cinematic experience with him wasn't a very pleasant one. The last film I've seen him star in, The Punisher, was so unexpectedly intolerable that I actually shut it off before the third act, which is something I rarely do. Thankfully, this wasn't the case with The Mist. Frank Darabont directed the film, who is a veteran when it comes to adapting Stephen King novels to the big screen, has also directed movies such as The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. So my low expectations for this film were nonsensical and stupid, really.

Toy Story 3

What's unique about the Toy Story trilogy as a whole is its consistency with the lives of those who saw the films as they were originally released. The original Toy Story was released in 1995, when I was six years-old, which I saw in theaters. Andy, the main driving point for all of the toys in all three films, is also about six. Toy Story 2 was released 4 years later; Andy is a little older, as was I. Now fifteen years later after the release of Toy Story comes the third and final chapter in the series, Toy Story 3. Andy is now leaving for college, right up to date with the events in my life, once again (almost, at least). The growth of Andy is entirely parallel with mine, so each film strikes a chord with me no other film has, and I know for a fact I'm not alone, as all my friends grew up with it as well. Besides the timeline, the film is also consistent with it's characters; every reoccurring character is always voiced by the same actor it was in the film before it, even Andy. For a trilogy that spanned over the course of 15 years, this is an amazing feat (and good luck).

Punch-Drunk Love

Punch-Drunk Love is Paul Thomas Anderson's fourth feature film; he has helmed such products like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and most recently There Will Be Blood. I am a huge fan of each of these, especially Blood, which is probably somewhere in the top ten list of my favorite films of all time. It should come to no surprise that I enjoyed it, but this film is definitely not for everyone, for a few reasons.