I see a lot of movies every year. A ton. But this year I’ve decided I don’t see enough movies, so one of my New Year Resolutions was to simply see more. And to write about them. See, that’s the other half of the equation: I see a ton of movies, but I write about comparatively few of them. There are a lot of reasons, but they mainly boil down to the fact that I feel the need to do long form reviews, and sometimes – like in the midst of Sundance – I just don’t have the time.
And so was born this new blog! I aim to make an entry for every single movie I see in 2010. Some entries may be very short, some may be lengthy. Entries may take a couple of days to be posted. Let’s see how long this lasts.
One last thing: one of my main objectives this year is to rewatch more movies. I know this sounds like a strange goal, but there are films I haven’t seen since high school, which means it’s been almost a lifetime since I saw them. Recently I rewatched Black Christmas for the first time since the 1980s, and I might as well have been seeing the movie for the first time. I’m interested in getting a look at some movies I loved or hated twenty or even ten years ago and seeing how I feel about them now.
Let’s begin…
#1 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
2003
d: Peter Weir
It’s becoming more and more obvious that this movie is a masterpiece. Episodic and epic, fun and smart, Master and Commander is the kind of movie that should be winning audiences and Oscars, and instead it – and the hoped for franchise – sank into obscurity.
One of the great pleasures of watching the film is watching the actors running around a boat. A real boat. A big, real boat. Fuck CGI – your pixels will never give me the tactile beauty of the wood on the HMS Surprise.
One of the other great pleasures is watching Russell Crowe be good in something; the role of Captain Jack Aubrey is ideal for his manly charisma, and I’d say that no other part has ever capured the likability that I’ve heard the Aussie actor has in real life.
20 comments
Wow, you spent more time explaining the concept than actually talking about the movie… here is a notion, since you are on Facebook- use flixter on there and write these nugget things THERE
That doesn't help CHUD AT ALL. What the hell is your problem?
I'm starting to hear this more and more. I saw it in theaters but I'll be damned if I can remember a single thing. Thanks for bringing it up; I just put it on hold at the library.
Man I love the comments section! That being said, Master and Commander is excellent, and it's a shame it didn't merit a sequel. One of my all time favorite series is the Horatio Hornblower adaptations, and this sort of felt like a spiritual cousin.
Comment sections breed haters.
I like the comments enabled for the conversation factor, but why do these morons argue against Devin and others so inanely.
Write your comments on "Flixter?" WTF! Why run CHUD at all?!
If you hate articles from this site, leave. If you disagree, voice your opinion respectfully and intelligently.
Devin, thanks for your hard work in making this one of the best movie sites available – you really do a fantastic job.
Couldn't agree more. I LOVE Master and Commander, and have done since first viewing. I actually saw it in the cinema on the same day as my first viewing of Return of the King. I was almost sick with anticaption for the latter, and consequently didn't enjoy it as much as I should have (and subsequently enjoyed it more upon second viewing). Whereas with Master and Commander, I had little knowledge or expectation and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I used the word 'enjoy' three times there. Bad form. Must re-read more.
I derived great satisfaction from Master and Commander. There.
Hey, if enjoy is the right word never use another.
I love Master and Commander. I remember Crowe saying that people come out of the cinema feeling taller, which was actually true of me.
This movie was ok, but by no means a masterpiece. I totally see why there was no sequel. Awesomely tepid.
If I were to waste time doing a "best of the decade" list, this would top it.
Right, because developing a fan base via facebook that can interact with CHUD is just retarded… sheesh
if no one is going to read these nuggets anyway, why not do them else where
or and here is the CRAZY notion- give another audience a REASON to come here, but with this notion, if it takes more time to explain, why bother with the post at all… why not just twitter movie reviews?
I love this movie. Highlights for me include the wonderful music, Paul Bettany's performance, and the lesser of two weevils. The books are great, too. I've read the first 12 or so.
YES!!! I fucking love this movie, and I fucking love you, Devin. This is a great idea, I for one and always interested in your opinion even when I disagree with it, and am glad you're doing this on the site because I don't twitter that much at all. I go to CHUD for my movie news, not facebook or twitter, so keep it up! This is an ambitious column, but please don't neglect the devin's advocate. Those are still my favorite part of Chud, which is my daily newspaper and favorite website.
Master and Commander fucking RULES. Superb, brilliant film. Overshadowed by Jack Fucking Sparrow.
CHUD needs to hire pezme as a consultant. Or not.
All kinds of respect for Devin, even if he was kind of harsh on Avatar.
This is all you can say about Master and Commander? To me, this is a perfect movie. I could ramble for hours. Aubrey's relationship with Maturin is a thing of beauty. This isn't as much a movie about naval warfare as it is about friendship. This is a buddy movie at it's heart. When he calls off the chase for the Acheron and takes Stephen back to the Galapagos, essentially saving his life, it hits me like a ton of bricks every time. Everything about that movie is done perfectly. It's also one of those movies where it's a lot of fun to watch with the subtitles on, as it can teach you a ton of naval lingo. I don't use the term often, but Master and Commander is a flat-out MASTERPIECE.
It is a wonderful movie, the battle scenes kicked ass but I enjoyed every single dialogue and character interaction just as much if not more. It grows on repeated movies, something I cant say for many of this "epic" movie types.
I've seen this one like six or seven times, love it to death. It is a major shame the movie didn't take off and spawn sequels, I would've loved to seen more of Crowe and Bettany's characters.
I thought I was the only one. It's so good to know there are others. Master and Commander plays out like the best kind of star trek episode.
I hated the move the first time I saw it, but I used to be a fucking idiot. I want to see more of these characters….I hear the books are excellent.
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