This is Fresh Bananas, a movie blog set up by three guys from St. Edward's University. We'll try and keep to telling you about the movies we see, but we might stray from the topic.
Movies are rated based on Banana Peels, 1-4. 4 being the best.
If there's a movie you want us to see, let us know!
Enjoy!
In this day in age, which is ruled by re-vamps, re-thinkings, re-makes, and re-imaginings of movies made 20 years ago, it is refreshing to see a masterful piece of original work. Neill Blomkamp brings us a scarily real story about aliens stranded in an unfamiliar world and forced to live a segregated life. It is safe to say that there are modern political undertones in througout this movie as well.
This movie begins with an Office-like montage of employees with quick cuts to riots and aliens, which comes off a bit corney and takes alot of time from the meat of the movie. For about the first 20 to 30 minutes, you are more likely to laugh or turn off the movie than sit on your couch and enjoy it. This fail in movie-continuity could be attributed to the rookie director, or any other number of factors which include an extremely complex background to the story, but I urge you to stick with this movie. You will love it by the end.
What came out in this movie, and struck me pretty hard, was a more twisted and heart wrenching version of Avatar. Many elements of native versus new comer, alien versus human, and what to do about those conflicts are ever present. Each movie also includes, to some extent, the main character leaving their own 'race' and befriending a new unknown. However, District 9 does this in an uncomparable way, something Avatar couldn't do. The main character in the movie is more believable, more real, than its counter part. The plot lines and back stories are deeper as well, we get a sense that the dilemma District 9's hero is in is dire and has to be reversed. Rather than in Avatar, where many details that would enhance the story got glanced over.
Take this movie for what it is, a beautiful sci-fi thriller that will pull at your heart. We'll be honest and tell you that the first part of the movie is clearly the first major movie for Blomkamp. When you get to the end, though, you will see the connections to its sci-fi counter part, and you will understand why it is better. Stay with it until the end and you will see that District 9 is possibly one of the best movies of 2009.
Leave us some comments, what did you think of the movie?
Can you say HELL YEAH!!?? When I first read about this movie I knew it would be horrible. This movie comes from SNL studios, who brought you Hot Rod, Baby Momma, Ladies Man, and Wayne's World (which is the only one worth anything). It's also based off a skit based on 80's TV show MacGyver, that usually only lasts around 30 seconds, and ends with the main character blowing up.
BUT,
it has a cast that includes: Will Forte, Kristin Wiig, Ryan Phillipe, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Chris Jericho, AND Val Kilmer! Sounds pretty awesome, huh?
PLUS,
It's written by Will Forte, long time actor and writer on SNL, Jorma Taccone, from Lonely Island fame and writer on SNL, and John Solomon, writer for SNL. Those are some pretty good comedic writers. The more I read about this film the more excited I get, and then I saw this picture:
How awesome do they look? I'm pretty excited, are you? Drop us a comment and lets us know what you think!
This movie is incredible. Kathryn Bigelow's sophomore film, The Hurt Locker, plays out the nervracking life of a bombsquad in the Iraq war. This is quit possibly the best movie made about the Iraq war, and it ranks right up there with the best war movies of all time.
The pacing of the film is immaculate, a slow burn of emotions that lead up to the climax. I also liked the lack of title cards at the begining and throughout the film, a tactic that has been overused in 2009. The dialogue and soundtrack is minimal as well, which, coupled with the lack of title cards, gives the viewer a greater sense of bleakness and forces you to connect to a set of flawed characters.
Jeremy Renner turns in a career performance as SSgt. William James, who, like any good hero, has more than a few character flaws and seems to love the very device desgined to oblilterate him. To round out the main characters, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty turn in beautiful supporting roles.
Well I guess I'll try and rank these in the order I liked them best. There's a LOT of movies I wish I had seen but just didn't get around to. If I had seen them, they might have pushed some others off the list...but, as it is, these are the movies I have seen and found to be my favorites:
We're officially one full day removed from 2009 and hopefully fully recovered from that hangover. Now, with a clear head, I take a look back at this past years films and give you my top 10 in no particular order:
Inglorious Basterds UP The Hangover Zombieland Paranormal Activity Star Trek Defiance Taken Sherlock Holmes The Hurt Locker
As you might have noticed, I am missing some pretty good films like Moon, A Serious Man, Where the Wild Things Are, The Road, and others that you'll probably hear about in the coming award season. This is due, in part, to the fact that I havn't seen those movies, or I just did not like them. With that said, I am interested in seeing what you have to say, what were your favorite movies of 2009?
With the new year upon us and a year full of great movies behind us, it is time to take a look at whats ahead. Here's a list of movies to look forward to in 2010:
01/01/10 The White Ribbon dir. Michael Haneke A series of strange accidents occur in Eichwald, a small village in Protestant northern Germany, on cusp of World War I. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery, but who is behind it? from imdb.com
01/15/10 The Book of Eli dir. Albert & Allen Hughes feat. Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman
In a post-apocalyptic United States, a lone man (Denzel Washington) fights his way across the country in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. from imdb.com
02/12/10 The Wolfman
dir. Joe Johnston
Nobleman Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) returns to his ancestral homeland, where his brother has gone missing and villagers are being killed by a nightmarish beast. The search reunites him with his estranged father (Hopkins) and draws him near to his brother's fiancée (Blunt), however, Talbot's lager concern is the discovery of a side to himself which he never could have imagined existed ... from imdb.com
02/19/10 Shutter Island
dir. Martin Scorsese
When a psychotic killer (Mortimer) disappears from a mental institution on Shutter Island, a pair of U.S. Marshals (Ruffalo and DiCaprio) race against the clock in order to track her down. from imdb.com
03/05/10 Alice in Wonderland
dir. Tim Burton
19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror. from imdb.com
03/16/10 I Love You Phillip Morris ♥ dir. Glenn Ficarra
Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven realizes he's gay and decides to live life to the fullest - even if it means breaking the law. Steven's new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another.from imdb.com
04/16/10 Kick-Ass
dir. Matthew Vaughn
Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.from imdb.com
05/07/10 Iron Man 2
dir. Jon Favreau
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances -- and confront powerful enemies. from imdb.com
05/14/10 Robin Hood
dir. Ridley Scott
The story of an archer in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion who fights against the Norman invaders and becomes the legendary hero known as Robin Hood. from imdb.com
06/16/2010 Inception
dir. Christopher Nolan
A CEO-type becomes involved in a blackmailing scandal.from imdb.com
07/16/2010 War of Gods
dir. Tarsem Singh
Greek warrior Theseus battles against imprisoned titans.from imdb.com
09/01/2010 The American
dir. Anton Corbijn
An assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.from imdb.com
10/15/10 The Social Network
dir. David Fincher
A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.from imdb.com
10/15/10 Black Swan
dir. Darren Aronofsky
A thriller that hones in on the relationship between a veteran ballet dancer and a rival.from imdb.com
12/17/10 Tron Legacy
dir. Joseph Kosinski
A virtual-world worker looks to take down the Master Control Program. from imdb.com
TBA
Tree of Life dir. Terrence Malick
The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence. from imdb.com
The Wild Cards:
01/08/10 Youth in Revolt dir. Miguel Arteta Like most teens, young Nick Twisp (Cera) is ruled by his libido. And from the recesses of a trailer park in Northern California, Twisp concocts a plan -- make that multiple schemes -- to lose his virginity to a local girl, the precocious Sheeni Saunders (Doubleday). from imdb.com
01/08/10 Daybreakers
dir. Michael & Peter Spierig
In the year 2017, a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher (Hawke) works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save humankind. from imdb.com
02/12/10 A Prophet
dir. Jacques Audiard
A young Arab man (Rahim) serving time in a French prison transforms into a mafia kingpin. from imdb.com
02/26/10 CopOut
dir. Kevin Smith
A comedy about two cops (Willis and Jordan) whose adventures include locating a stolen baseball card, rescuing a woman, and dealing with gangsters and their laundered money. from imdb.com
02/26/10 The Crazies
dir. Breck Eisner
As a toxin begins to turn the residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa into violent psychopaths, sheriff David Dutton (Olyphant) tries to make sense of the situation while he, his wife (Mitchell), and two other unaffected townspeople band together in a fight for survival. from imdb.com
