Top 10 Films of the Decade (2001-2010)

Yeah, kinda like this

Let me just say right off the bat that I fully expect to get enormous amounts of crap for this list. This is, as all reviews and things of this nature are, based solely on my opinions (which are also limited to movies I’ve actually seen). Feel free to disagree and leave criticism for my choices, but, as always, please be respectful and mature.

Also, I’m aware that most “Top 10” lists of the decade are from 2000-2009. But hey, since when do I follow established norms? So, without further ado, I present Ben’s Top 10 Films of the Decade.

Movie Review: Iron Man 2

You've just seen everything worth seeing in this movie.

Comic book movies, with a few notable exceptions, are escapist bonanzas jampacked with snarky protagonists, exciting fight scenes, and attractive women. Now, that's not necessarily a criticism. Sure, it doesn't often make for great art, but it's entertaining on occasion. Iron Man 2, however, doesn't even manage to pull off entertaining. From the start all the way through the tedious and ludicrously long exposition to the disappointingly non-explosive finish, the film feels as though no one making the movie actually bothered doing any actual work on it, figuring it'd make buckets of money anyway. What a disappointment.

Impromptu Random Debate Time!

"Never tell me the odds."
No, really, don't.

A recent article on fellow movie blog ScreenRant titled "If Classic Movies Were Cast Today" sparked some controversy amongst us here at YAMB. Well... actually only one recasting suggestion. And it really isn't about the cast, as it is who is the better character. Thus the reason of this post (and to create more traffic for this site...). Today's debate is between two rather popular space rangers: Han Solo (self-proclaimed captain of the Millennium Falcon) and Malcolm Reynolds (captain of the Serenity).

In the ScreenRant article, Nathan Fillion was suggested to be the replacement of Harrison Ford's iconic Star Wars character, rogue smuggler Han Solo. Nathan Fillion played Malcolm Reynolds in the Joss Whedon created series, Firefly (later spun-off into a movie, Serenity). Thus sparked the debate on which character is better: Han Solo or Malcolm Reynolds. 

So, what say you? Who is the better character, Han Solo or Malcolm Reynolds? Comment below and please explain your choices!

Also has a hammer. If you know what I mean...

Geronimo

~Peter

NOTE: As this is my post to moderate, I will not enter in my opinion... 

(you have no idea how hard this is...)

*cough* Han Solo! *cough*

Open Thread (One Day Late...)

Good-bye vacation... hello hectic schedule...

Whew! Hello all!

Well, I apologize for having the Open Thread on Wednesday instead of Tuesday this week.
I am ridiculously busy from getting back from vacation and such (like getting ready for college and preparing college auditions).
Anyway, here it is! In all its one day late-ness glory.

Feel free to keep the suggestions coming!
Or you could talk about how we totally sold out and eloped with Amazon...
Or comment on Joseph's at-first-it-was-funny-but-now-it's-incredibly-creepy obsession with Zooey Deschanel.

Comment away! (and if you still need a reminder, here are the Rules and Regulations of commenting)

The YAMB astore

It's entirely possible that you guys have noticed a link on our Movie Reviews page to something called the "YAMB astore". Or, you know, maybe you haven't. Either way, it's there. Go check it out.

What is this "astore", you ask? Well, it's a program that any website owner can enter through Amazon (it's called Amazon Associates), and in essence, it lets you link to Amazon products and earn some of the profit from each thing sold through your link. Every time a movie is reviewed we'll add a link to it in our astore (DVD, Blu-Ray, and some special edition stuff). Not all of it will be available immediately, like new movies, but the link will still be there for when they come out.


In addition, there will be links on some of our other posts (like the recent movie musical post by Nate) to those films, but they won't go in our astore unless they're reviewed individually. Not only is that our first post with links to the DVDs, but it also has links to the soundtracks of those films. Hopefully we can continue to add links to all sorts of different items relevant to each post, of course focusing on DVDs and Blu-Rays.


[UPDATE: There are two separate options in the astore: "Reviewed Films" and "Suggestions/B*Team Favorites". Feel free to tell us some movies or TV shows we should put up for sale in our "Suggestions" tab.]

Upcoming Films: Zooey Deschanel News

Obsessed? Me? What are you talking about?

For all you out there obsessed with Zooey Deschanel (you are out there, right? It’s not just me, right? You guys are obsessed too? No? Whatever.) here are the latest news slash rumors about her upcoming projects.

How could this go wrong?

Firstly, and most concretely, she’s set to appear in upcoming film My Idiot Brother as one of the three sisters of Paul Rudd’s “idiot brother” character. Although I’m mostly a Paul Rudd skeptic, her fellow sisters, played by Emily Mortimer and Elizabeth Banks, seem at least passable, and despite the title the movie looks to be quite different from his more uncouth movies (I Love You, Man, Knocked Up, etc.). Each of the sisters lets Rudd’s character stay with them for a period of time, engendering much family bonding as the (presumably) endearing loser younger brother helps them recognize their problems, such as workaholism or, in Zooey’s case, coldness and lack of intimacy. This aloofness is damaging Zooey’s character’s relationship with her girlfriend (yes, you read that right), and it’s pretty clear that a movie involving Zooey Deschanel as a bisexual can hardly fail to be awesome. Hopefully this movie will stay away from the more raunchy jokes, and stick to entertaining comedy, but I will confess to some fear about this movie’s quality. We’ll have to wait and see.

Fa La La!: A Few Musical Movies to Check Out

Summer is on its way out, soon to be replaced with the fall. With this change will be the starting of a new school season, the changing of colors in the leaves of trees, and the release of a lot of films that no one has ever heard of that are sure to win a whole lot of awards. There are few better ways to savor what's left of this current season while also looking forward to and celebrating the coming of the next season than to relax and listen to some great music. Below are listed a few musical movies that are sure to contribute greatly to this pursuit.

Across the Universe

Admittedly, the idea that anyone can successfully cover up to two discs worth of the Beatles' material is hard to believe. That these covers can be used to create an actual storyline with characters, all of it based off of Lennon & Co.'s tunes is even more difficult to swallow. Across the Universe, though, pulls it off and delivers a fun and fantastical on-screen version of their iconic heroes' world. The sixties, as presented here, are certainly a spectacle to behold, touching on many of the biggest events and social trends at the time, such as the war in Vietnam, the underground rock scene, counter culture, radical politics similar to the Weathermen, and many more. To back it all up is a cast who can definately sing: Jim Sturgess, as main character Jude, is suprisingly strong, as are the various supporting cast members who show up throughout. Still skeptical? Bono makes an appearance, singing "I Am the Walrus." 'Nuff said.


Soundtrack: Across The Universe [Deluxe Edition]