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The thing I appreciate most about The Babysitter is you know the tone and vibe almost immediately. It knows exactly what it is (shallow) and delivers a lot of pop culture references, blood, and jokes that are in no way subtle (It’s basically the movie version of somebody revving their car for 90 minutes). Director McG (Charlies’ Angels, This Means War, Chuck) has done enough brightly colored romps to know they need to be breezy, fun and smart about how dumb they are. Initially, I was surprised at its 75% Tomatometer score but after watching I can totally see why the brisk 85-minute movie would get favorable reviews. It is a refreshing little thing that knows what it is and goes about its business in a fun and unpretentious manner.
The Babysitter focuses on a twelve-year-old kid named Cole (Judah Lewis) having to battle his beautiful babysitter and her crew of teenage demonic cultists after he catches them murdering a kid in his house. Cole initially thinks he hit the babysitter jackpot with his long-time babysitter Bee (Samara Weaving) because of her perfect looks and knowledge of all things science fiction. While she babysits the two talk about movies, eat pizza, swim in his pool (gratuitous bikini shot) and dance around the house listening to Foghat.
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Being that this is a horror comedy full of violent death and blood we soon learn that Bee isn’t perfect and she plans on drugging Cole, murdering a random teenager she invited over to the house (while Cole sleeps) and using their blood in a ritual. The problem is Cole didn’t drink the drugged shot of booze she gave him earlier in the night so he calls the cops after the first murder and things go crazy from there, as Bee and her cultist friends try and fail to kill Cole. What follows feels like a combination of Home Alone and Scream that features impaled necks, stabbed heads, explosions and a breast with a bullet wound.
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The standout of the film is Samara Weaving who after Mayhem, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Ash vs. Evil Dead has proven herself to be a game performer who brings something interesting to each role. She always has chemistry with the other actors and her various roles have proven she can be good in any genre. Weaving has a lot of fun here and I like her Eva Green/Margot Robbie vide. The rest of the cast seems to be having blast and I enjoyed the cultists’ various interactions with Cole and you can tell they enjoyed spouting cheeky dialogue and playing vapid bad guys who die violently.
The Babysitter is a fun and shallow little horror comedy that was made to entertain and has no intention of rising above its trashy roots. There is something refreshing about watching a movie that knows what it is and despite its clunkiness, it makes for a solid background watch that is fun if you let it.
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The Florida Project: An Absorbing Film That Features A Fantastic Performance From Willem Dafoe
The Florida Project is a fantastic film that stays with you because it finds warmth and heart in a place that everyone avoids. I grew up on the west coast of Florida in a small town called Hudson that was more country than a tourist trap. I wasn’t in a situation like the kids in Florida Project but I do remember spending my days riding around on my bicycle through the empty streets and hanging out in the wooded areas around my house. I was basically a free-range kid and seeing the areas around Orlando that aren’t dominated by Disney felt very familiar to me. I would say two of the most authentic “Florida” movies are The Florida Project and Spring Breakers. They are completely different and Spring Breakers has a very heightened aesthetic but I love how they were able to shine a different light on spring break and Orlando.
The Florida Project focuses on the denizens of The Magic Castle Inn & Suites. The Inn is located just outside the Disney parks and is home to townies and the occasional very confused tourist. The Inn is run by the kindhearted yet stern Bobby Hicks (Willem Dafoe) who has to deal with a litany of issues due to the collection of people that make their home at the Inn, and the fact that it is summer and bored kids have nothing better to do than cause trouble and annoy him. The main character is a tiny six-year-old dynamo named Moonie (Brooklynn Prince) who spends her days spitting on cars, exploring abandoned homes, mooching free ice cream and hanging out with her friends. She lives with her single mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) in a one-bedroom hotel suite and is occasionally called into action to help her mom sell stolen cologne, Disney wristbands, and other tchotchkes that help them pay their weekly rent.
The many abandoned homes provide fun for the kids.
The beauty of The Florida Project is that Moonie is still young and doesn’t know she is poor or her mom is loving but incapable of holding down a job, and makes money in dubious and destructive ways. The world is open to her and the backwoods of Orlando provide her and her friends room to explore and be kids. I won’t say her behavior is good because her mom lets her get away with murder, however, since she is so young her actions aren’t malicious or mean. She is an unsupervised kid who is being a kid and I really liked that director Sean Baker (Tangerine) films her without judgment or snobbery. The Florida Project showcases a slice of life in a very tiny area of Florida and it feels organic, kind and real. There is no judgment aimed at the characters and in the end, they all come across as likable and broken people who show real love and compassion while still being incredibly messed up.
I wish he won the Oscar
My favorite part of The Florida Project is Willem Dafoe. His performance is all heart and as the film progresses you begin to like him more and more. I don’t know why he puts up with the 24/7 job but he does his best to look after the tenants while having the patience of a saint. It seems like he loves the Inn and feels like it’s his duty to fight a losing job in order to protect a few people. Whether it be getting rid of bedbugs, fixing the ice machine and keeping the little children safe from gross predators he is always working and always likable. I think it is my favorite performance of 2017 and I can’t think of the last time that I’ve liked a character more.
The Florida Project is a beautiful film that showcases a tiny slice of life in a massive city and I think it is a must watch.
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Based on the popular Japanese Manga series and directed by Takashi Miike (his 100th film) Blade of the Immortal is an epic experience that starts with a massive sword battle and ends with another massive sword battle. Words can’t describe all the carnage inflicted and that is a testament to Takashi Miike who throughout his 100 film career has learned to direct on a massive scale while still creating likable characters and non-repetitive slaughter. His 2010 movie 13 Assassins is one of my favorite action movies because it takes a stock concept (13 against many) and finds ways to keep you invested with its likable characters, horrible villain and a finale that leaves you breathless. He does the same with Blade of the Immortal and I love how he is able to blend immortality, limb loss, revenge, political intrigue, mysticism and epic battles into a cohesive two-hour film.
Blade of the Immortal revolves around a samurai named Manji (Takuya Kimura) who receives immortality after wiping out about 100 ronin who are looking for a bounty on his head. The huge battle left him only one eye and a lot less blood, but he is “saved” by a mystical nun who grants him immortality via sacred bloodworms that keep him young and repair his wounds. The movie then fast-forwards to 50 years later and focuses on a renegade group called Itto-ryu lead by a badass named Kagehisa Anotsu (Sota Fukushi) attacking a fencing school and killing everyone in it except for a young girl named Rin Asano (Hana Sugisaki). Rin vows revenge and teams up with Manji in a quest to become a warrior and take out the Itto-ryu.
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My favorite moments in Blade of the Immortal feature Manji engaging in one-on-one combat with members of the Itto-ryu after he becomes Rin’s bodyguard. Each of the encounters are different and the movie starts to feel like a video game where the bosses keep getting tougher-and-tougher. Manji has to make his way through a guy with decapitated heads on his shoulders, a badass female samurai and an immortal who is older than he is. Throw in several other cool-looking killers and an army at the end and you have enough blood and violence to satiate you until the next Takashi Miike film. There is a bit of carnage fatigue and there are so only so many henchmen that can be murdered before tedium sets in, but I was never bored and the experience left me happy and wanting to watch 13 Assassins again.
If you are looking for a fantastic action film that features lots of carnage and cool characters you should check out Blade of the Immortal.
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Mute: An Interesting Miss by Director Duncan Jones
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Mute is worth watching because director/writer Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) took a massive swing and missed. I like that Jones went down swinging and didn’t strike out by watching pitches fly past him as he stood motionless. Mute is dripping with earnestness and I think it was hurt by the recent releases of the better Blade Runner: 2049 and Altered Carbon because it felt way too familiar when compared to them. I think this film was such a passion project for Jones (16-years in the making) that he never took a step back to reread the script or take any advice from Netflix or other producers/writers. Thus, we get a spiritual sequel to Moon that doesn’t successfully build a new world or tell an interesting story but you can still feel the love behind the camera.
Mute revolves around a mute bartender named Leo (Alexander Skarsgard) searching for his missing girlfriend in a futuristic Berlin. Due to his Amish upbringing and beliefs, he was never able to have surgery to fix his voice after a childhood injury. Thus, he lives a simple life that involves pouring drinks in a club owned by criminals which often gets him involved in altercations with people he shouldn’t be messing with. Things go south when his girlfriend Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh) goes missing and it starts him on a noirish mission to find her and protect her from some very dangerous people.
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While Leo is searching for his girlfriend we are introduced to a pair of black market surgeons who specialize in fixing up mobsters who have been injured while on the job. Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux) are AWOL from the American army and they are hiding out in Berlin making a lot of money via illegal surgery and working a side-hustle involving performing cybernetic surgery on children. Bill is desperate to get out of Berlin with his daughter and is waiting for the papers to come through so he can get out of town. While he is waiting, he has to keep Duck in check because of Duck’s interest in young children (it gets weird) is getting too extreme and could risk both of their freedom.
Eventually, all the puzzle pieces fit together and it leads to an underwhelming conclusion that doesn’t justify the two-hours of setup. There could’ve been more detective work and it felt like the chess pieces moved around with no regard for a checkmate. Mute needed a tighter script or more time to establish the world, relationships and reason for villainy. When the movie ended I hadn’t felt like I wasted two hours and I didn’t have the vitriolic response that many critics had. I just wished it featured the quality of Moon and Source Code and showcased the heart they had.
The best parts of Mute are the committed performances of Skarsgard, Rudd, and Theroux. You can tell they trusted Jones and they went all-in with his weird little vision. I’d love to see more bad Rudd because with his recent Ant-Man bulking up and nice guy mannerisms he could totally be a solid villain, Also, Skarsgard went out on a limb and committed himself to his silent and unshowy performance which forced him to be totally different from his Tarzan, True Blood and Big Little Lies characters.
If you are a fan of Duncan Jones I recommend Mute because it needs all the support it can get and I still think he has a lot of quality stories to tell.
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Only the Brave: A Fantastic Film That is Full of Emotion, Depth and Solid Performances
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I really wish I would’ve watched Only the Brave in the theaters. It looks amazing and under the direction of Joesph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion) the $38 million budgeted movie hits above its weight and delivers a memorable gut-punch of an experience. I can’t think of the last time that I became so engrossed in a story that I knew the ending to. I love how Kosinski let the story unfold and you can feel the influence of the screenwriters Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle) and Ken Nolan (Blackhawk Down) are all over the film. Only the Brave is a stirring fact-based story that features a stacked cast, lots of heart and some jaw-dropping shots.
Only The Brave tells the behind the founding, certification, and training of an elite group of firefighters called the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Founded by Eric “Supe” Marsh (James Brolin – fantastic as always) the crew became an elite collection of brave men who battled massive fires in Arizona and the surrounding states. The journey to getting a Type 1 certification (badass status) was a long and arduous process that took years but their hard work and forward-thinking leaders created a solid crew including Jesse Steed (James Badge Dale), Chris Mackenzie (Talor Kitsch) and Brendan “Donut” McDonough (Miles Teller). The catch-22 is their new certification put them on the front lines where they battled massive ground fires that were unpredictable and deadly. Thus, everything leads to a gut-punch of an ending that feels earned because of the care it spent to make you cry like a baby.
I would’ve loved more backstory for some of the characters (because I like the actors) but I understand why the plot focuses mainly on Josh Brolin and Miles Teller’s characters. The highlight of Marsh’s story is his relationship with his wife Amanda (Jennifer Connely). The two actors have fantastic chemistry and I appreciated how Connely broke free of the stock “wife” role and was able to play Amanda as a headstrong, fierce and understanding woman who challenges her husband and can take care of herself. You won’t see any “phone wife” in her performance and Only the Brave reminded me of how awesome she was in Requiem for a Dream, Beautiful Mind, Little Children, and Dark City.
The casting of Miles Teller was very inspired and I loved his performance of a drug addict who realizes he needs to grow up when an ex-girlfriend tells him she is pregnant and doesn’t want him in her life. Teller’s performance feels naturalistic and every twitch seems organic and not like an actor throwing around fake twitches in an effort to appear like a recovering addict. Teller finds a way to underplay the role while still making him feel real. It’s the kind of performance that is so good that nobody realizes how good it is because it isn’t showy or grandiose (think of Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies).
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It hurts my soul that it only made $28 million domestically because it is a crowdpleaser that features likable people and real heart. The approach to the material felt fresh and immediately after the movie I read everything I could about the making of it and how Kosinski was able to make it look so great on a smaller budget. The talent behind the camera was as stacked as the cast, and once you get into the film you will be very impressed with the CGI, camera work by cinematographer Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and editing by Billy Fox (The Crazies, Straight Outta Compton).
Only the Brave is one of my favorite films to be released in the last couple years and it is worth a watch. I recommend you watch it and share how awesome it is to your friends.
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The MFF Podcast #118: Predicting the 2008 Academy Awards
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back and we are predicting who would win the 2008 Academy Awards! We know they happened 10 years ago but we wanted to go back and see who would win today. With 10 years behind us, we look at the nominees and see if opinions have changed and whether or not they still hold up in today’s world. In this pod, you will hear us answer some very important questions about the nominees and 2007 movies.
- Would No Country for Old Men still beat out There Will be Blood?
- Does anyone remember Michael Clayton?
- Why wasn’t Hot Rod nominated for anything?
- Would Roger Deakins win?
- Does Live Free or Die Hard feature the most property destruction caused by one man?
- Does Hot Fuzz feature the best mustaches of 2007?
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As always, we answer random listener questions and discuss Rod’s massive mountain fall in Hot Rod. If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the pod!
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
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MFF Special: Analyzing the Similarities Between Ernest Goes to Jail and Paddington 2
Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love Paddington 2 and think it earned its 100% Tomatometer rating. I also think its the most charming thing since Paddington and I’m not writing this post to be provocative or say Paddington 2 ripped off Ernest Goes to Jail (how crazy would that be though?). I just noticed some similarities and wanted to share them with the world because as somebody who was borns in the 1980s and grew up in the 1990s I am a big fan of Ernest P. Worrell movies despite their less-than-stellar quality. I’ve probably written too much about Ernest Scared Stupid and I can name off the Ernest films like Forrest Gump’s Bubba names off different ways you can cook shrimp.
If you’ve been reading MFF for some time you know that I write about a lot of random topics and enjoy embracing things that nobody else would care to think about. Thus, don’t take this post too seriously because I am drawing loose comparisons in an effort to add more random things to the internet.
1. They Make Money by Cleaning Things
Ernest P. Worrell works as a night janitor at the Howard County Bank in hopes that one day he will become a bank teller. Paddington cleans windows so he can buy his aunt Lucy a sweet pop-up book of London. Both consider these jobs to be stepping stones to bigger and better things.
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2. They Use Toothbrushes Uniquely
Paddington shoves toothbrushes into his ears to clean out gunk and Ernest creates a toothbrushing invention that shoves about six toothbrushes into his mouth to cut down on brushing time.
The clip of Paddington meeting the electric toothbrush is cued up below.
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3. Ernest and Paddington Aren’t Great at Their Jobs
Both Paddington and Ernest are totally earnest about doing great work, but they always find ways to magnetize themselves, destroy a dude’s hair, or cause lots and lots of property destruction.
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4. Both Have Iconic Hats
When you think about Ernest and Paddington, it’s almost impossible to imagine them without their iconic and familiar hats. They are on full display in both movies.
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5. The Main Characters Get Stuck in Prison Even Though They are Innocent.
Neither character did anything to be put in jail, but for various reasons they are stuck in the slammer and need to get out to prevent a robbery and clear their names. Ernest is in jail because his doppelganger Felix Nash switched places with him when he was visiting a prison for a jury duty assignment. Poor Paddington was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was blamed for a robbery.
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6. Mistakes Made While Doing Their Jobs Come Back to Help or Haunt Them
Paddington gets an insane prison sentence partly because he destroyed the hair of the judge presiding over his trial. Ernest survives the electric chair because he was magnetized earlier in the film when he was cleaning the bank.
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7. The Bad Guys Plan on Getting Rich While The Heroes are Imprisoned.
Hugh Grant pursues lost treasure in Paddington 2, while Nash plans on robbing the bank that Ernest works at.
You need to listen to the How Did This Get Made episode where they cover Ernest Goes to Jail. I love that June Diane Raphael thinks “evil” Ernest oozes sexuality.
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8. Security Guards From the Previous Films are Working for Different Companies
The MVPs of both films are Chuck (Gailard Sartain), Bobby (Bill Byrge), and Barry (Simon Farnaby). They provide legit laughs and there is just enough of them to make you want more.
Sidenote: Watch Mindhorn. It is hilarious and Simon Farnaby wrote it.
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9. Disguises are Worn
Both Ernest P. Worrell and Phoenix Buchanan love dressing up in order to fool authorities, bystanders, and security guards.
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10. Paddington and Ernest are Terrible at Washing Things
Whether it be Paddington turning all the prisoner’s clothes pink or Ernest almost killing himself in his homemade washing machine, the two characters just can’t get the cleaning done successfully.
Take a look at the clip below because Jim Varney was a very good physical comedian.
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11. People in the Prison Wear Pink
The prison guards wear pinkish uniforms in Ernest Goes to Jail and the prisoners in Paddington 2 have to wear pink outfits because of Paddington being terrible at washing clothes.
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12. The Heroes Win Over the Prison’s Most Dangerous Criminals
Paddington winning over the incredibly scary Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson) made me really happy and I love their relationship. Also, I really like Ernest’s relationship with Lyle (Randall “Tex” Cobb) because it started off rough, but Ernest eventually wins over Lyle and they became best buds.
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13. They Escape From Prison to Prevent Heists
The escapes are much different, but the fact remains that both characters escaped prison to stop a robbery.
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There you have it! Paddington 2 and Ernest Goes to Jail are totally different films that have many similarities.
If you like this random post make sure to check out the rest of my random data.
- Jet Ski Action Scenes Are the Worst
- Zara the Assistant and Jurassic World Had a Bad Day
- Breaking Down The Mariner vs. Sea Beast Battle in Waterworld
- How Long Did it Take The Joker to Setup the Weapon Circle in Suicide Squad?
- Michael Myers Hates Blinkers
- How Far Does the Creature From It Follows travel?
- Jason Voorhees Can’t Teleport?
- How Far Did the Merman Travel in The Cabin in the Woods?
- How Far Did Matthew McConaughey Jump in Reign of Fire?
- How Fast can Leatherface Run?
- Deep Blue Sea and Stellan Skarsgard
- How Far Did Michael Myers Drive in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
- How Did the Geologist Get Lost in Prometheus?
- People Love a Bearded Kurt Russell
- A Closer Look at Movies That Feature the Words Great, Good, Best, Perfect and Fantastic
- An In-Depth Look At Movies That Feature Pencils Used as Weapons
- Cinematic Foghat Data
- Explosions and Movie Posters
- The Fast & Furious & Corona
- Nicolas Sparks Movie Posters Are Weird
- Predicting the RT score of Baywatch
- The Cinematic Dumb Data Podcast
- What is the best horror movie franchise?
- How Fast Can the Fisherman Clean a Trunk in I Know What You Did Last Summer?
- It’s Expensive to Feature Characters Being Eaten Alive and Surviving Without a Scratch
- How Long Does it Take Your Favorite Horror Movie Characters to Travel From NYC to San Francisco?
- What was the Guy’s Blood Pressure in Dawn of the Dead?
- Why Were There So Many Lemons in National Treasure?
- How Far Does The Rock Jump in the Skyscraper Poster?
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The Snowman: A Bad Film Made By Talented People
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Many people run away from films like The Snowman because they don’t want to waste their time watching something that is incomplete, incoherent and disliked by its director. I totally get why people wouldn’t want to watch a movie that director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) admits isn’t complete because he couldn’t shoot 10-15% of the script due to a rushed shooting schedule and limited prep time. However, I ran towards The Snowman because I was intrigued by the drama, weird posters and behind the scenes talents like Martin Scorcese (executive producer), Thelma Schoonmaker (editor), Michael Fassbender (star) and Maria Djurkovic (production designer). I also am a big fan of Jo Nesbo’s books that feature the alcoholic/brilliant Norweigan detective Harry Hole (think Hole-eh) solving crimes while dealing with his demons. On paper, The Snowman should’ve been awesome but the end product turned out to be gloriously confusing.
I hate being here….
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The Snowman focuses on a maniacal killer who murders women, leaves a snowman at each crime scene, and harasses a brilliant detective named Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender). The super detective works in Oslo and occasionally finds himself in drunken stupors that force him to endure many cold nights because he is passed out in snow banks (this means he is very conflicted). During the investigation, he gets a new partner named Katrine Bratt (Rebecca Ferguson) and the two embark on a twisty investigation that involves fantastic actors like Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, Chloe Sevigny, Toby Jones, James D’Arcy, and J.K. Simmons engaging in moments that will make you scratch your head in confusion (because many scenes don’t go anywhere).
I’m not quite sure why the creators decided to introduce the Harry Hole character with this film because it skips ahead several books and features some silliness that only works on the page. When reading The Snowman I never considered the snowmen to be silly, but when watching the movie I couldn’t help but smile and think about Calvin & Hobbes’ cold creations. The pacing, acting, and lack of enough footage makes me think that nobody really wanted to be on the set and they all regretted signing on to the project. The immense amount of apathy is evident in Michael Fassbender’s performance. I’m not sure if the director wanted him to be constantly morose and lethargic or Fassbender saw the writing on the wall and just wanted it over. I don’t think he would torpedo any role but when The A.V. Club compares his performance to a “teenager forced to attend a family party” and a “sloth suffering from clinical depression” you know something is wrong.
At first, it seemed like people were unfairly dogpiling negativity onto the movie because of the cheeky snowman and that fact that main character is named Harry Hole. I couldn’t fathom a world where this much talent is wasted and the end product features Val Kilmer’s lines being totally redubbed by someone who sounds nothing likes Val Kilmer. Also, I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall when Oscar-winning editors Thelma Schoonmaker and Claire Simpson did everything in their power to make The Snowman as coherent as possible. Then, when they realized the finished film was nowhere near coherent due to a lack of footage they went ahead and turned it into a funky art project that confused everyone and probably made studio executives pull their hair out with stress.
If you are into watching very talented people creating a very confusing movie you will love The Snowman.
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The 18 Best Villains of the 21st Century
I have a weird taste in villains. They aren’t always the evilest or most celebrated and many of the jerks featured here won’t come anywhere near a normal list that supposedly features iconic bad people. The following 18 villains range from full-on evil to slightly maniacal and they encompass everything that villainy is. What I love about these characters is that there is so much more to them than an evil laugh or black hat. If you are looking for a mustache-twirling jerk you won’t find any on this list. What will you find? A cornucopia of three-dimensional people who harass innocent people for believable reasons.
Scarecrow is my favorite villain in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Mason – Snowpiercer
Tilda Swinton was awesome in Snowpiercer. Her performance was wildly over-the-top but it created a memorable character who felt relatable and very unlikable. Mason was a shoe loving maniac who did the dirty work on a dirty train and you kinda understood her. I’ve always been a fan of bureaucratic villains who are doing their job because they have a boss who is much crazier than they are. She kept the train on its tracks and it couldn’t have been easy appeasing everyone on board. Mason made the list because she represents the middle-manager of villains who somehow makes a mastermind’s vision work.
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Violet / Colin – Cheap Thrills
Violet and Colin make for fantastic villains because they are smarter than they seem and expertly bring the pain to unexpected schmoes. Who are they? Are they really together? The mystery behind their characters is handled perfectly because I never cared about their end game and wasn’t worried about their backstories. It’s obvious they had participated in the sick game before and everything they do leads to a heartbreaking conclusion. Thus, they are straight up psychopaths who have become good at manipulation over the course of manipulating many other people. Koechner and Paxton’s performances are spot-on and it was a fantastic surprise watching Koechner channel something relatable and very scary.
Sidenote: Technically Colin and Violet are two people which makes it 19 villains on the list. However, look at them as one team.
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Kyung-chul – I Saw the Devil
I can’t recommend I Saw the Devil because it is way too insane for mass consumption. It is a draining experience that is anchored by an incredible performance by Min-sik Choi. His performance embodies evil and the character is so layered it’s terrifying because people this cinematically evil shouldn’t have layers. Choi is one of my favorite actors and I don’t think anybody else could pull off this performance because he is one of the few people who can blend sanity, insanity, melancholy and intelligence believably. If you are looking for something that will hurt your soul (in a good way) I totally recommend I Saw the Devil.
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Artemisia – 300: Rise of an Empire
Eva Green owned every second of 300: Rise of an Empire. She straight up went for it and seemed to be having a blast playing Artemesia. I love when actors own their roles and dive into absurdity with zero self-consciousness. Green gave us a fantastic villain who is way more textured than she had any right to be. Artemisia had something to fight for and earned her right to lead a massive army. While watching 300: Rise of an Empire I wanted her to win and eventually turn on Xerxes and conquer the world. Also, Eva Green is the best and her presence in a movie like this automatically lifts its quality and makes it much more enjoyable.
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Joe Cooper – Killer Joe
Before McC was winning Oscars he was staring in this batsh*t crazy film. Directed by William Friedkin (French Connection, Sorcerer, Exorcist) the movie allows McC to unleash his good looks and charm on the dumbest family alive. He oozes menace and should have won the Oscar for this instead of Dallas Buyers Club. I’d put Joe right next to Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) because they both manage to trick the world into thinking they are somewhat normal while being crazy beyond belief. If you are up for the insanity I guarantee the final shot will punch you in the gut and will renew your faith in the McConaissance.
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Amy Dunne – Gone Girl
Shea Serrano of The Ringer is one of my favorite writers, and I loved an article he wrote about Rosamund Pike crushing it in Gone Girl. Here is my favorite excerpt:
Pike, a British actress who is becoming an indispensable modern talent, was in 2014’s Gone Girl with Affleck, and she absolutely obliterated him (and everyone else) in it. She was a true force; she put together this very charged, very unnerving, expertly paced character that nobody had ever seen before. (It’s her eyes that pull the trick off. She made them look a million miles deep and also totally and entirely empty, which had an oddly unsettling effect. More on this in a moment.) It was, no arguing, one of the finest acting performances of the year, and it rightly earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. (The award went to Julianne Moore for her role in Still Alice. Moore is an unmistakable master, always, and even when she’s being silly she’s still remarkable, and I’m of course talking about her turn as a villain in the Kingsman universe. But Pike’s performance was an all-timer. That trophy belongs on her mantle.)
I agree that Pike’s performances is an all-timer and she did Amy Dunne proud.
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Rayna Boyanov – Spy
Rayna might be the biggest jerk on the planet. She is profane, deadly and has so much hair that it protects her when she falls to the ground. Rose Byrne is hilarious and I loved her caustic reactions and constant bickering with the equally funny Melissa McCarthy. I love how a woman who is planning on selling a nuclear bomb can come across as likable and redeemable while still being unlikeable. If you haven’t watched Spy do it now. You will love this loud kissing bad guy who dresses like a slutty dolphin trainer.
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Phantom – You Don’t Mess With the Zohan
John Turturo is amazing in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. The reason The Phantom made the list is that of the sheer insanity of the performance. Turturo is one of my favorite actors and he dove into his performance of a Palestinian hitman with absolute aplomb. His performance is so good that whenever I think about the movie I smile and wonder why he didn’t win an Oscar for his reaction to punching a live cow during a training montage. You Don’t Mess With the Zohan is 100% bonkers, but it is original, funny and not self-conscious about its antics. Watch the clip below and tell me he isn’t the most likable “bad guy” ever.
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The Entity – It Follows
The reason the It Follows creature made the list is because it is absolutely terrifying. It never stops and has a one-track mind to kill and hunt. It will keep following you until you are dead and even if you pass along the curse it will always be coming for you. The thing is always walking and changing its rules which I like because it leaves room to explore and analyze what the heck it could be. The fact that it has the right amount of mystery surrounding it makes it more intriguing because you never know what it is doing or thinking. I just know that you never want this thing following you because it will travel very far distances (make sure to read my post about its travels).
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Goro Inagaki – 13 Assassins
I’m going to quote the great Roger Ebert when breaking down the Inagaki character:
13 Assassins has what many action pictures need, a villain who transcends evil and ascends to a realm of barbaric madness.
I agree with Ebert. The dude is the definition of a badass evil monster and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted the film’s hero to defeat a bad guy more. Inagaki represents evil unchecked and he is the perfect villain for an action film because you want to see him stopped. He is a guy who has been able to flourish and murder for years because his brother is the Shogun of Japan. He is nothing special and uses his protection to murder, rape and destroy people who can’t do anything about it. He is an evil creature that can only be stopped by people who will die in the process. This means the heroes must accept their fate and do what they have to do to stop an evil man. 13 Assassins is a great action film because you buy into the mission of the heroes.
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Anton Chigurh – No Country for Old Men
How dangerous is Anton Chigurh? That is really hard to quantify because he is the epitome of unstoppable and his brand of evil can only be compared to the bubonic plague. Whenever Chigurh is onscreen you are on-edge of your seat and when people call him “the ultimate badass” you don’t disagree. I love how Javier Bardem didn’t play Chigurh too broad and instead focused on exuding a quiet menace that you believed. When was the last time you looked at a bad guy and immediately knew they were legit? I love No Country for Old Men and a big reason for that is because it has an all-time badass bad guy.
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Dr. Jonathan Crane (AKA The Scarecrow) – The Dark Knight Trilogy
Cillian Murphy and his creepy intelligence provide a backbone to the series and a perfect representation of the Gotham villain. He is a survivor that will always be a thorn in the side of Batman and when you think he is done-and-dusted he comes back with more power. I love this type of villain because he is not all-powerful or consumed with revenge or anarchy. He is simply good enough to stay alive and prosper in the craziest city in the world without the usage of fighting skills, superpowers or face paint. Also, Cillian Murphy is awesome and seeing him reappear in each film was a big surprise and delight.
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The Joker – The Dark Knight
The reason The Joker made this list is that of one scene that features him throwing punches and kicks at Batman. I know he had a master plan and was able to rally an army of thugs who put Gotham in a headlock. However, none of that mattered to me and actually proved to be his demise because of the sheer insanity and scale of the plan. What matters most is how he got his hands dirty and lead by example via throwing punches (and using his henchmen as shields). I appreciate any human villain who tries to fistfight a superhero because it proves they aren’t scared to lead their troops.
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Baron Zemo – Captain America: Civil War
I knew I couldn’t kill them, more powerful people have tried. But, if I could get them to kill each other….
It was heartbreaking watching Zemo listen to voicemails that his deceased wife left him while superheroes tried to kill each other (which he caused) in the background during Captain America: Civil War. I love that one dude was able to create a civil war via intelligence, hate, and brutality. What Zemo did was terrible, but when he listens to those voicemails you begin to understand him and appreciate that Black Panther takes mercy upon him. I will never say what villains do is justifiable, however, I understand why Zemo went on his rampage and I’m impressed that he was able to accomplish carnage in a world full of superheroes.
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Danica Talos – Blade: Trinity
Parker Posey is transcendent (hair included) in Blade Trinity. She owns the role of a yuppy vampire who awakens a male model Dracula to battle Blade. Roger Ebert summed up her performance perfectly:
“Parker Posey is an actress I have always had affection for, and now it is mixed with increased admiration, for the way she soldiers through an impossible role, sneering like the good sport she is.”
Lake trout loving Posey soldiers on through a soul-crushing script and copious amounts of slow-motion walking. Without her, we never would have seen this kick (10-second mark) or heard the insult “c*ck juggling thunder c**t.” While watching I felt she was on another level of performance. She realized the production had its troubles (read this article) and she went full vamp. Her committed performance is one of the reasons Blade: Trinity has become a watchable bad movie staple
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Doc Ock – Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is one of my top three favorite superhero films (Unbreakable, X2) because of Alfred Molina’s performance. There is something very human about Doc Ock and that is why I was always engaged during his battles with Spider-Man. When Doc Ock met his inevitable fate it hurt my soul because he is a guy who suffered a terrible tragedy and continuously tries to do good despite the insane arms attached to him. A great hero needs a great villain and that is why Spider-Man 2 is one of the best comic adaptations ever made.
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Hans Landa – Inglorious Basterds
Christoph Waltz is one of the best actors on the planet and his portrayal of Hans Landa was perfect. He deserved to win the Academy Award and I guarantee you won’t find a better-acted villain this decade. I love how he is simultaneously smart, conniving, kind, brutal and ultimately weak. He is a man who has been given a lot of power and his downfall occurs because he never considered that other people might be smarter than him. His downfall is what makes him three-dimensional and so much more than his insanely large smoking pipe and interrogation methods. Christoph Waltz is the best.
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Stephen – Django Unchained
Stephen is a bad guy you need to watch because he is so much more than what he pretends to be. At first glance, you’d think he is the loyal right-hand man to Leonardo Dicaprio’s Calvin Candie character. However, as the movie progresses you begin to realize he is the one pulling the strings and might or might not be as fragile as he acts. My favorite moment of Django Unchained features Stephen calmly standing up without his cane and it proves he is a diabolical snake in the grass. The dude doesn’t need that cane and his entire act is a ruse to make people think he is a fragile man who is content playing second-fiddle to a powerful southern gentleman like Candie. Also, between Jumper, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kong: Skull Island as has a fantastic 21st-century villain resume.
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Honorable Mention
Red Lipstick Demon – Insidious
Insidious is a tour de force of beautiful low budget horror. The red lipstick demon is a massive jerk and the moment when he appears behind Patrick Wilson you are scarred for life. I love the Insidious trilogy and no other film series has stressed me out more. The Red Lipstick Demon represents true horror and evil because all it wants is to hunt and hurt people. When you look at the best horror films ever made they all have something in common. The best horror films feature memorable villains who pose a real threat and scare the shit out of you. Director James Wan created a villain that sticks with you and makes you think twice about the shadows in your home.
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Who are your favorite villains? We’d love to know.
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Accident Man is a very fun action-comedy that features legit brawls and Scott Adkins best performance yet. It helps that he adapted the screenplay from a popular comic book and brought in other big names like Ray Stevenson, Michael Jai White, Ray Park and David Paymer to act alongside. Adkins is best known for his amazing fight choreography in independent action movies and you might’ve seen him in supporting roles in larger films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Dr. Strange, and American Assassin. It makes me happy that he is fine-tuning his acting skills while perfecting his face kicking craft.
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Accident Man revolves around a hitman named Mike Fallon (Adkins) who earns his money by making his hits look like accidents. The dude is highly effective and only sees his victims as ways to buy himself more motorcycles and sweet leather jackets. He is part of a hitman collective that is run by Big Ray (Ray Stevenson – always good) and features various murderers like Mick & Mac (Michael Jai White, Ray Park), Jane the Ripper (Amy Johnston), Carnage Cliff (Ross O’Hennessy), Poison Pete (Stephen Donald) and Finicky Fred (Perry Benson). They all convene at a private watering hole called The Oasis where they drink, talk smack and learn about their next kills.
Things start going south when Mike is tasked by accountant Milton (David Paymer) to pick up the money from his latest hit. During the pickup, he is almost killed and things start to unravel from there as he also learns his ex-girlfriend was murdered by one of his hitmen buddies. This leads to a lot of drama because if Mike pursues the killers it means he will be out of The Oasis and have a hit order placed on his head. Things go predictably bad and we treated to showstopping brawls and a fun flashback that makes me wish that Ray Stevenson was in more movies. Check out the trailer to get a feel for the tone.
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I like that Scott Adkins went out of his comfort zone and took on a dialogue-heavy role that is reminiscent of Jason Statham in movies like Snatch or The Bank Job. He has already proved his physical prowess in movies like Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Boyka: Undisputed, Get the Gringo, and Hard Target 2, so it’s cool watching Adkins switch spin kicks for monologues. His hands are all over The Accident Man and I appreciate that he wrote, produced and brought in actors that could push him physically and help him be more comfortable when delivering dialogue. Accident Man proves that Scott Adkins is always looking to improve and I hope his brand of action becomes popular with the mainstream and we are able to get some huge Adkins action spectaculars in the future.
If you are a fan of Scott Adkins you need to check out Accident Man.
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