Masters of the Universe (1987)

[Movie 134 / Day 118]

I loved He-Man when I was a kid.  So when this movie came out, I was terribly excited about it and instantly loved it too.  Almost as much as The Neverending Story.

Obviously, back then, I couldn't appreciate the terrible storyline and the incredibly bad make up (Skeletor's in particular - lingering shots on his evil visage reveal joins in the rubber 'skull' he's wearing, including a gaping gap at the bridge of his nose and a seam running between his nostrels.  Which are painted on.  He also has lips.  Since when does a skeleton have lips?).  Skeletors troops actually look alright - mainly because whoever designed them clearly took a Stormtrooper, painted it black and added part of Darth Vader's helmet.

When I was young, I also didn't notice the awful acting and the laughably bad action.  Which really, really, really sucks.

So, it's terrible then.  Courtney Cox looks cute as the young girl but hasn't quite got the hang of acting; the bloke that plays her boyfriend looks (and acts) like a reject from the casting for The Breakfast Club; and Dolph Lundgren is oiled up, pumped up and sounding like he just landed in the country and has learnt his lines phonetically.

+10 for nostalgia.  -7 for destroying my memories.

My rating: 3.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.1 / 10
Running time: 106 mins
IMDB link

Cleaner (2007)

[Movie 133 / Day 117]

Distinctly average movie about an ex-cop (Samuel L. Jackson) who now runs a cleaning company that specialises in cleaning up after somebody dies inside a house - ie, mopping up bodily fluids and disinfecting.

He's set up when he's hired to clean a murder scene and unwittingly remove evidence.  With the help of his former partner, Ed Harris, he starts tracking down the murderer and trying to clear his name.

This could have been much, much better - both Samuel L. and Ed Harris are brilliant with the right script.  Unfortunately, it turns out to be a bit boring and obvious.

Eva Mendes is hot as the widow of the murdered millionaire though.

My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.1 / 10
Running time: 88 mins
IMDB link

4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

[Movie 127 / Day 110]


Pretty average comic book movie. Jessica Alba is smoking hot, Ioan Gruffudd still seems miscast as her husband-to-be. Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis are both good as the final Fantastic team members, the Human Torch and the Thing respectively.

The story line is pretty much standard comic book fair - alien thing threatens to destroy the earth, only the Fantastic Four have a hope of stopping it. It's nice that the action isn't just confined to America though, with a sizeable set-piece in London and another in Germany.

Watchable - and the kids enjoyed it.

My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.9 / 10
Running time: 92 mins
IMDB link

The Incredibles (2004)

[Movie 126 / Day 109]


Possibly my favourite Pixar movie, it's a brilliant comedy revolving around a family of superheros. It's clever and it stands up to repeat viewings. Love it.

My rating: 8.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.1 / 10
Running time: 115 mins
IMDB link

Titanic (1997)

[Movie 122 / Day 103]


Long, soppy love film that became the biggest film ever and gave the world yet another hateful Celine Dion song.

Rewatching it, the soppy love story is a bit crap. The ship sinking sequence is still ace though - even if some of the CGI is looking dated. Plus Kate Winslet gets naked, which is never going to hurt.

My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.3 / 10
Running time: 194 mins
IMDB link

The Meaning of Life (1983)

[Movie 110 / Day 76]


The Meaning of Life is not really a movie in the traditional sense, but more a collection of Monty Python's surreal sketches loosely gathered together to follow the journey from birth to death.

The movie opens with a movie-within-the-movie, which is a bizarre pirate parody based in an insurance company - the building weighs anchor and sails off onto the 'accountant sea'. After this 16-minute short, we get to the movie proper and take a trip through the minds of some of the greatest comedians this country has ever produced.

My favourite bits include not just the infamous Mr Creosote scene and Eric Idle singing The Galaxy Song (the lyrics are brilliant) but also the fantastic animated title sequence (just brilliant) and even some of the transitions between sketches are genius.

It's not the best Python movie, but it's pretty good nonetheless.

My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.4 / 10
Running time: 107 mins
IMDB link

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)

[Movie 108 / Day 75]


Relatively amusing, especially the Tourette's woman.

My rating: 5.5 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.6 / 10
Running time: 88 mins
IMDB link

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

[Movie 100 / Day 64]


Escape From Alcatraz is based on the true story of some inmates escaping from Alcatraz, oddly enough.

Stars Clint Eastwood as one of the inmates that escapes.

It's OK, acting is pretty good, but everything moves at a fairly slow pace and really, not that much happens.

My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 112 mins
IMDB link

Mississippi Burning (1988)

[Movie 81 / Day 49]


Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe are two FBI agents with very different personalities that head the investigation into the disappearance of three voting rights activists from a small town in Mississippi.

Before long, they're fighting with the KKK and struggling to make a case in a town where nobody wants to speak out.

It's a pretty good film and well acted.

My rating: 7.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.7 / 10
Running time: 128 mins
IMDB link

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

[Movie 78 / Day 46]


A few really fun set pieces (car chase, motorbike chase, jumping off a big building etc). Brosnan is pretty good as Bond and it hasn't dated quite as badly as Goldeneye (yet). Michelle Yeoh is also pretty good.

The thing that annoys most is the baddies. Jonathan Pryce is a TERRIBLE super-villain, he just seems like he can't be bothered with the role - you'd think he'd never seen a keyboard in his life from watching the way he pretends to type, he literally just slaps the keyboard like a mong. Every time I see it I find it massively annoying - how much effort would it have taken to actually make it look like he was typing? The guy that plays henchman Stamper is OK, but Stamper himself looks and sounds like a member of a German Take That tribute band.

Still, it's not a bad movie, if you can put up with Pryce.

My rating: 6.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.4 / 10
Running time: 119 mins
IMDB link

Goldfinger (1964)

[Movie 72 / Day 43]


This is another of my favourite Bond movies. Sean Connery has relaxed into the role and is looking ultra-cool. It introduces THE Bond car, the Aston Martin DB5, along with its gadgets and tricks. It shows us the inside of Q's workshop for the first time, and reveals some of the tests undertaken there. Auric Goldfinger is an excellent baddie with one of the best lines ever ("Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die!") and Oddjob is probably the best sidekick ever - I mean, the guy throws a hat. All of this and Honor Blackman's husky voiced Pussy Galore?

It's ace.

My rating: 7.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.9 / 10
Running time: 110 mins
IMDB link

Live and Let Die (1973)

[Movie 70 / Day 42]


This is one of my favourite 'classic' Bond movies. It was Roger Moore's first outing as the British super-spy, and EON Productions seem to have pulled out all the stops to make it a good one. Yes, there is some one-liners in there, and yes, the storyline is a bit silly - but it also features several classic Bond set-pieces; like the double-decker bus chase (hand brake turning a bus is cool), the speed-boat chase (including jumping across the road and 'driving' across dry land several times), the taxiing aeroplane chase and the running across crocodiles stunt.

On top of all of that, Moore is probably at his coolest (although he can't come close to Sean Connery at the height of his powers) and it features one of the baddest of bad ass baddies, Baron Samedi. Not to mention the best Bond theme tune ever.

'Tis ace.

My rating: 7.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.8 / 10
Running time: 121 mins
IMDB link

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

[Movie 69 / Day 41]


The Man With The Golden Gun marked Roger Moore's second outing as Bond. It's OK, Christopher Lee is a pretty good, if pretty unremarkable super villian; Britt Ekland is hot enough to be perfect for Bond girl Mary Goodnight. It's not as camply comedic as Moore's later Bond movies, in fact, it's less so than Sean Connery in Diamonds are Forever.

It does feature one of the best car stunts ever committed to film - the infamous barrel roll in the little red AMC car. It's only on screen for a few seconds, yet it's still impressive, thanks to being performed for real in the days of real stuntmen and no CGI.

Not the best Bond movie, but enjoyable nonetheless.

My rating: 6.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.7 / 10
Running time: 125 mins
IMDB link

Diamonds are Forever (1971)

[Movie 66 / Day 39]


Sean Connery's last (proper) Bond movie is also his worst (apart from the truly terrible Never Say Never Again, which isn't a proper Bond movie). By this time, Connery is looking a bit old and bored with the role, plus they'd started camping it up - and Connery is rubbish at delivering the double entendres that littered the movies during Roger Moore's tenure (and which suited him perfectly). Ernst Blofeld, the quintessential Bond baddie, even appears in drag at one point, for no obvious reason.

It's still enjoyable, but it seems to lack some of the things that are associated with a Bond movie. The pre-credit sequence is boring too. Apparently some of this was due to Connery's astronomically high fee eating into the budget of the movie.

Still, it brings back memories of childhood Christmases though!

My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.7 / 10
Running time: 120 mins
IMDB link

Tarantula (1955)

[Movie 63 / Day 38]


Scientists working in the desert inadvertantly unleash a 100-ft Tarantula upon the sleepy town of Desert Rock.

Very tame by todays standards, the special effects aren't too bad, considering the age of the movie.

Considering how short the film is, the fact it feels really slow reflects how thin the plot is.

A very young (and uncredited) Clint Eastwood appears as a pilot near the end of the movie.

My rating: 5.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.5 / 10
Running time: 80 mins
IMDB link

Turner & Hooch (1989)

[Movie 62 / Day 38]


Tom Hanks is an 'investigator' in a small town's police force. An old man is murdered and he inherits the old man's dog - a massive, slobbery brute called Hooch. As Hooch is the closest thing to a witness, he's important to cracking the case. Or something.

Anyway, as the film progresses, the two become closer and fall in love with the local vet (and her dog).

I used to love this movie as a kid, but it's fairly typical 80s blandness when you rewatch it now.

My rating: 5.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 5.5 / 10
Running time: 97 mins
IMDB link

Enchanted (2007)

[Movie 42 / Day 25]


Disney movie about a fairytale princess that gets banished to the real world by an evil witch. It was OK, lots of references to classic Disney cartoons. The only two bits that I found good were the CGI chipmunk acting out the evil henchman's evil plot and the evil henchman himself, Timothy Spall, who is in top form.

Otherwise, nothing special.

My rating: 6.3 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.6 / 10
Running time: 107 mins
IMDB link

Shooter (2007)

[Movie 34 / Day 19]


Mark Wahlberg plays a retired sniper who is asked to step up for his country one last time. Unfortunately, he's being set-up. Obviously, this double-cross doesn't quite work out as planned and the rest of the movie is spent following Wahlberg as he shoots his way to justice.

It's an enjoyable, switch-yer-head-off movie. Don't think about the plot holes too much, or whether it's realistic or not; just enjoy the ride. It's an action film and that's it.

I'm not sure whether it was the compression Sky use on their channels or not, but Danny Glover's voice in it sounded terrible. His character does lisp, but it sounded like my centre speaker had a hole in it at times. Odd.

My rating: 7.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.2 / 10
Running time: 124 mins
IMDB link

Big Daddy (1999)

[Movie 33 / Day 19]


I remember this movie as being pretty amusing. It's not. It's pretty rubbish. And the little boy in it has the most annoying accent. Harmless enough, but no real laughs to be had.

My rating: 5.0 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.0 / 10
Running time: 93 mins
IMDB link

Life (1999)

[Movie 28 / Day 14]


Comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence as a pair of 1930s bootleggers who get sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder they didn't commit. The film follows their life in prison (and their attempts to escape), although there are a couple of montages to skip forwards big chunks.

It's quite amusing, especially in the later years when the two of them are in old man makeup. Also features the late Bernie Mac in an excellent role.

My rating: 6.1 / 10
IMDB rating: 6.1 / 10
Running time: 108 mins
IMDB link