Film #6: "The Hangover Part II" (2011)

What's the only thing that could top "The Hangover"? How about "The Hangover" in Thailand.

That's right, the fab-four are back (and I don't mean the Beatles...and actually we could say the fab-three since Doug's role is very minor in this sequel to the side-splitting original...but I digress). As Stu's (Ed Helms) dream wedding fast-approaches, Phil (Bradley Cooper) decides that it's yet again time for a crazy night that they will never forget...you know where this is going.

When the dust settles the crew find themselves in Bangkok and discover that Teddy (Mason Lee), Stu's genius/prodigy cello player brother-in-law to be, is missing with nothing but his severed finger (complete with Standford college ring) as a clue to his whereabouts. The only one who is able to remember anything from the night-before is their ex-foe Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), but Mr. Chow decides to do one more line of cocaine before beginning the tale...several minutes later, Chow is face-down on the coffee table without a pulse.

The crew must backtrack their footsteps from the previous night in order to find Teddy and make it to the wedding on time.

With another guest appearance from Mike Tyson and all the hysterics of Alan (Zach Galifianakis), "The Hangover Part II" is essentially all the laughs from the first with several "oh my God did that just happen" moments packed into the seams.

Film #5: "The Iron Giant" (1999)

At the end of a decade where animation pictures were dominated almost entirely by Disney, came arguably my favorite children's movie; "The Iron Giant" from Warner Brothers Studios. (Based on the 1968 story "Iron Man" by British poet laureate Ted Hughes.)


Set in the midst of the Red Scare years of the 1950s, a giant metal robot crashes to Earth and is befriended by excitable nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal). As one could imagine, Hogarth quickly discovers how difficult it is to hide a 100ft metal man from his mother, the town, and most importantly, Government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald).

It doesn't take long for Hogarth to get caught up in every boy's dream of having his own Robot, but agent Mansley is hot on their trail and soon has the army knocking on the door of smalltown New England. Hogarth needs some help and fast, so he recruits the aide of the local scrap collector/artist Dean McCoppin (Harry Connick Jr.).



Never does Hogarth question his new friend's purpose or his strength but one day in Dean's scrapyard, he discovers something about the Iron Giant that might change their friendship for good.


In a movie that my mother claims "hits close to home for someone from the Red Scare generation", "The Iron Giant" brings to life one of the most amazing adventures for the young-at-heart.

Film #4: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

He's back! With all the quick-thinking and slow-motion thought sequences just like the first. Explosions, gadgets, disguises, and of course memorable one-liners.

Following up the great success of "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), director Guy Ritchie again brings together an all-star cast to tell yet another story of mystery and action. In their new adventure, Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) recruit the help of Madam Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace), a gypsy, and Sherlock's brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry) in an attempt to bring justice to their arch nemesis Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris).

As the group soon finds out, Moriarty is the center of a conspiracy that will reign terror (and plenty of explosives) down onto the people of Europe. The story twists even more when they discover that Madam Simza's brother Renee might be the only key to getting to Moriarty before it's too late.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" is the perfect film for someone looking for A-list acting and a taste for adventure and excitement.

Film #3 of 300: "Another Earth" (2011)

Brit Marling, Brit Marling, Brit Marling. The name says it all. But for most the name says nothing at all since she has been arguably one of this millennium's most underrated female talents in film.

Her newest writing project, "Another Earth" explores a young woman's newly started life-after-high school and an accomplished orchestra conductor from Yale. Their "two worlds" are brought together by means of a fatal car accident that incidentally occurs on the same night that "another Earth" is discovered within our own solar system.

Things take a complicated turn when John (William Mapother) learns of who Rhoda (Brit Marling) really is and what really happened that fateful night that brought their lives together. Coincidentally, Rhoda has won a shuttle trip to the newly discovered world and now must answer the timeless question, "Would I leave it all behind if I had the chance?"

With an excellent soundtrack composed by the band Fall on Your Sword and the backdrop of New Haven, Connecticut, "Another Earth" is a must-see before "the end of the world in 2012".

Film #2 of 300: "Following" (1998)

"And when it stopped being random, that's when it started to go wrong."

Christopher Nolan's award-winning debut into features was certainly a good indicator of things to come. Nolan's knack for suspense in "Following" helps set the stage for some of his later masterpieces such as "Memento" and "Inception", as well as "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", and the yet-to-be released "The Dark Knight Rises".

This black and white crime/mystery/drama/thriller follows a young writer named Bill who takes simple curiosity with everyday people to a whole new level by following them as they go about their day.

As his fascination increases, so does the suspense as Bill discovers that one of his "interests" is on to his little game. Enter Cobb; a well-dressed razor-tongued burglar who decides to take Bill under his wing. As Bill learns the ropes of breaking and entering, the viewer can't help but think that there might be more to Cobb than originally thought.

In this excellent homage to one of films greatest Noir

artists (perhaps you've heard of Hitchcock?), suspense and

mystery are accentuated by quick editing and

a story that has viewers questioning when

and where from start to finish.

Film #1 of 300: "Midnight in Paris" (2011)

Much in the same way that he brought magic to life as a boy, Woody Allen continues to do it on the screen. This time with an all-star cast of A-listers almost as famous as the characters which they portray in this quaint story of a middle-aged writer looking for something more.Gil (Owen Wilson) finds himself in Paris with his wife Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her overly-critical parents who are on a business trip and decides that perhaps some of the Parisian lifestyle might do his writing a bit of good. Passing up a night of dancing with Inez and some friends, Gil takes a late-night stroll through the city.

After accepting a ride from some seemingly harmless socialites in a 1920 Peugeot Landaulet, Gil realizes that he is no longer in the same Paris. He finds himself transported back to the 1920s in the company of some of literature and art history's greatest personalities. Midnight after midnight Gil finds himself in the company of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), and Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody).

As the days pass, Gil's own life situations start to deteriorate and he finds himself caught between two worlds, two eras, two lives. His life in 2010 with his un-supportive wife and in-laws, and his newfound life in the roaring 20s which also happens to contain Adriana (Marion Cotillard).

Will Gil finally discover his own story or will his new "old" friends simply fade as quickly as they came? Woody Allen truly creates his own brand of magic in "Midnight in Paris"