Film 362/365, Day 365/365 – Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Easily the best of the three newer Star Wars films and finally something to rival the original trilogy.  This is a dark and sinister tale which ultimately sets up things for the start of the original film, so without spoiling too much a lot of people are not going to make it.  Brilliant.

Synopsis:  The Clone Wars is heading towards a conclusion, however Anakin Skywalker is troubled by visions of Padme dying.  Desperate to stop it he seeks guidance from Senator Palpatine who claims to be able to help him but it will mean using the dark side of the Force.

Film 361/365, Day 364/365 – Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

Much better than the Phantom Menace but still not to the standard of the original three.  There is some excellent action and fantastic fight scenes throughout especially when Yoda steps up which both incredible and oddly funny.

Synopsis:  Many years after the Phantom Menace Anakin Skywalker is now grown up and continuing his training to become a Jedi Knight, he is also having a secret relation with Queen Amidala who is now the senator for Naboo.  The Empire is under considerable strain as the mysterious Count Dooku is leading a group of separatists.

Film 311/365, Day 333/365 – Shaft

Shaft is one smooth and cool, whilst also being violent and actually quite angry, but then it is Samuel L. Jackson and he does it so well.  There is a fair bit of action, lots of baddies that couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo from two paces yet Shaft can pick them off without really paying attention.  Good but not that good.

Synopsis:  New York detective John Shaft is investigating a racially motivated murder which could have been committed by the son of a wealthy real estate tycoon.  Shaft is determined to get to the bottom of things whilst everything seems to be going against him.

Film 310/365, Day 332/365 – Snakes on a Plane

This is a stupid film, but to go in thinking anything other than that is stupider.  The story is exactly as you would expect and whilst there are some big names, obviously Samuel L. Jackson, it doesn’t do enough to make this more than some gratuitous fun that cannot and should not be taken seriously.

Synopsis:  A kid witnesses a murder by a notorious gangster who now wants him dead, especially as he’s in FBI custody and is heading to LA to testify against him.  Determined to make sure that that never happens he has arranged for a special package to go on the same plane, a crate containing hundreds of deadly snakes.

Film 251/365, Day 271/365 – Jumper

It’s a pretty good concept followed by some great applications of the ability to teleport, it is also a pretty decent action film.  But that’s it, it’s just decent and nothing special.  Worth watching if you’ve got a bit of time to kill.  Good but could have been better.

Synopsis:  At a young age David discovers that he is different from other people, he has the ability to teleport.  With this newly discover power he is able to do pretty much whatever he wants.  But there are people that don’t think man should be able to wield that sort of power and will make sure David can’t use it by any means necessary. 

Film 213/365, Day 228/365 – Pulp Fiction

Brilliant, it is now seventeen years old and it is still brilliant.  What a cast, what music and the characters are all excellent.  Not really a great deal more to say about it other than it’s great and if you haven’t seen it then this is definitely the next film you should watch.

Synopsis:  Four stories of violence and redemption are interwoven to create this cult film.  Two hit men on a routine assignment, a boxer and a mob boss who have unfinished business, a man who takes his bosses wife out on a date and two robbers who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Film 172/365, Day 177/365 – xXx

Explosive, extreme and exhilarating.  xXx is an extreme sports, heavy metal version of James Bond.  It is packed full of non-stop action, incredible stunts and yet more action.  I love it and as I am going to Prague tomorrow I thought I would check out the scenery.  ExXxcellent!

Synopsis:  Xander Cage is an extreme sports enthusiast and ends up in trouble after he pulls a stunt which involved stealing a senators car.  Rather than face prison he agrees to work for the NSA.  To regain his freedom he must infiltrate the Anarchy 99 organisation in Prague to find out what they’re up to.

Film 169/365, Day 174/365 – Unbreakable

Fantastic.  That is the only word necessary for this film and it doesn’t matter how many times I see it, it still has the same affect on me.  A stunning follow up to The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan, who sadly, has not been able to keep up these exceptionally high standards with his more recent films.  But this is absolutely brilliant.

Synopsis:  A man is the only survivor of a train wreck that killed over one hundred people, what’s more is that he hasn’t got a single scratch on him.  Soon he is contacted by a man who suffers from brittle bone who believes the man may be invincible.

Film 165/365, Day 169/365 – Deep Blue Sea

Still one of the best monster movies.  Obviously there are elements that are beyond stupid but that’s to be expected.  The things that makes this such a good monster movie is that the characters are all good, there is a fantastic atmosphere and it’s not just the danger from the sharks but the sinking underwater station as well.  Excellent fun.

Synopsis:  A group of scientists think they have finally found a cure for Alzheimer's by using sharks brain matter.  The only thing is they need to genetically alter the sharks to have large brains so that they could harvest enough.  Who would think that giving one of the most efficient killing machines on the planet a larger brain would be a problem?

Film 120/365, Day 128/365 – Die Hard: With a Vengeance

Explosive action and smart talking heroes.  When the villain in Die Hard 2 failed to live up to Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber, Die Hard: With a Vengeance stepped up to give us Jeremy Irons as Hans Gruber’s brother.  That alone would have been enough to make sure this was a success, but why stop there?  Throw Samuel L. Jackson in as well to make sure this is another action hit.  Excellent fun from start to finish.

Synopsis:  So far John McClane has done Los Angeles and Washington DC and now he’s about to play on his own turf, New York City.  After an explosion in a department store in New York, a mysterious man phone the NYPD and demands that John McClane follow his commands or he will set off another bomb.  John, currently suspended is reinstated and put to work following the mad man’s instructions.

Film 6/365, Day 4/365 – The Incredibles

When Mr Incredible saves a man who has jumped off of a building he doesn’t expect it to be the beginning of the end for the superheroes. Following a number of large lawsuits against the superheroes the government forces them to giveup their costumes and return to normal life. But can Mr Incredible really become mild mannered Bob Parr full-time?

The Incredibles has everything that we have come to expect from Pixar, a fantastic mix of action and comedy. Whilst the main characters are all excellent, it’s the smaller characters that seem to steal the show from the utterly brilliant Edna E’Mode fashion designer for superheroes to Samuel L Jackson’s Frozone. This film is Incredible (sorry)!