Spicer's 2020 Movie Rankings

 1. Palm Springs: One of the most inventive takes on the "Groundhog Day" formula in which a man must keep reliving the same day over and over and in this one there is a twist that brings another person into the same loop. The results are hilarious and heartwarming. Fun ride from start to finish.

2. The Invisible Man: Leigh Whannell creates an impressive jolt back into the monster movie universe with this contemporary classic that will make viewers squeamish and blown away at the same time. 

3. Bill and Ted Face the Music: Yes it was slim pickings for movies this year but for me this one stood out as one that brought back old faces doing new and fun things at the right time. It had a good story and was inventive on introducing new pieces to the trilogy. 

4. Tenet: Christopher Nolan's movies always deliver but this one was so naïve and creative that it was hard to ignore it's artistry. It was really hard to follow but it is one you can re-watch over and over again to pick up little things that make this a movie standout just for that. 

5. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Sometimes getting to laugh at movies is fun! The new Borat is a lot of fun and Sacha Baron Cohen does such a good job with this character and introduces a new one as well with Maria Bakalova who steals the movie as Borat's daughter Tutar. 

6. The Way Back: This movie is not your ordinary movie about a coach helping a team and having a happy ending. This movie goes deeper into the Ben Affleck's character and makes some choices that may not follow your normal sports movie blueprint. It has a lot to say about alcoholism and how sometimes it can ruin your life. 

7. Bad Boys for Life: This movie was so much fun and was the closest thing to a summer blockbuster at the movie theaters we got the whole year. Luckily it came out in January. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence light up the screen and the movie introduces some new characters that help promise a bright future for the franchise. 

8. Host: 6 friends inviting a demonic presence in their homes via an online séance during quarantine- what could go wrong? This movie is a little over an hour long but it get's really creepy really quick. The last 10 minutes or so will make it hard for you to keep your jaw off the floor. 

9. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga: Probably the most unexpected fun I had watching something this whole year. Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams are so funny in this movie about two people chasing their dreams by winning a singing competition. 

10. The Call of the Wild: A lot of critics complained about the CGI on this movie but I didn't mind it and the creators do some fun stuff with the dog they do create. It was a fun story that brought me back to White Fang when I was a kid. It has a lot of action and keeps you engaged in the movie the whole time. 

The Change-Up (No Spoilers)

The Change-Up (No Spoilers)

            My new favorite body switch movie. The plot is easily overdone but the sell and pitch to this movie is that it is rated R. It did it for me and the results were hilarious. Critics have been harsh to this film but this has been a summer of raunchy R movies and at the end of summer; I am sure some of the critics are tired of it but don’t let them faze you because The Change-Up is really funny.

            Growing up together, Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) were inseparable best friends, but as the years have passed they've slowly drifted apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met a responsibility he liked. To Mitch, Dave has it all: beautiful wife Jamie (Leslie Mann), kids who adore him and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. To Dave, living Mitch's stress-free life without obligation or consequence would be a dream come true. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave's worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other's bodies and proceed to freak the &*#@ out.
Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other's lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. Further complicating matters are Dave's sexy legal associate, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde) and Mitch's estranged father (Alan Arkin). With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other's lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.

            I am a big fan of Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman so I was 100 percent on board with casting these two to switch bodies and it worked out great. Since Van Wilder I’ve been waiting for Reynolds to do something this funny again with exception of waiting; he hasn’t. But with this he is back to his comedic form. There are some scenarios in this that will keep you laughing at the edge of your seat that you don’t see coming. Of course Leslie Mann like has been doing for the last few years steals almost every scene she is in as the foul mouthed wife Jamie. But what really makes this movie is the interaction between Bateman and the twin babies…hysterical. This does have its downfalls biting into familiar territory with the whole body switch thing but will keep you entertained the whole time. Definitely a good date movie; but make sure they are into the Apatow type of comedy that is raunchy and witty.

3 out of 4 stars.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (No-Spoilers)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (No-Spoilers)

            This is a monkey to go bananas over! Once again when I first heard of this film getting made I kind of rolled my eyes but the sooner this movie was to getting released with all the trailers and the good buzz; my interest tipped and began to get excited. I am pleased to say that this film was one of the best movies of the year! Definitely a good popcorn movie that you can easily get lost into from start to finish. The best part was that America agreed with me; raking in over 50 million through opening weekend finishing well over 20 million ahead of what industry experts predicted. In today’s standards; that number is astonishing achievement and well deserved.

            The Planet of the Apes franchise gets the origin treatment in this 20th Century Fox production from director Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist). Man‘s arrogance sets off a chain of events that leads to intelligence in apes and a challenge to our place as the dominant species on the planet. Caesar, the first intelligent ape, is betrayed by humans and rises up to lead his species‘ spectacular race to freedom and the ultimate showdown with Man. In Caesar, WETA – the Oscar–winning visual effects team behind Avatar – have created a CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence. James Franco stars, with Freida Pinto and John Lithgow heading up the rest of the cast.

            Andy Serkis is the real star in this film; as the main monkey Caesar. But because we rarely get to see his face on film; his fame and talent come off un-noticed to some. Serkis is a motion- capture icon; he played Gollum from the lord of the rings films and he also played King Kong in the recent remake. I read one critic calling him a modern day Boris Karloff or Bella Lugosi from the days when they played all kinds of monsters in the Universal picture heydays. I could not agree more; he transforms his body into whatever is asked out of him using facial acting as well as realistic movements that mimic whatever he is trying to copy. But what comes off the best about this film is the flow and pace of this movie. Everything from the opening to the end comes off very planned out and intricate to the whole storyline. The movie is billed as a planet of the apes movie but easily stands out as its own film that easily could have been titled something different. When we first see Caesar; he is a baby that comes off cute and cuddly like curious George but in time you can see things coming together for a grander plan. The best use of telling the audience this is how the score is done and using sounds and music to give us a vibe that this is no normal monkey without screaming it out to the audience. Rise of the planet of the apes excels on keeping you interested not only by visuals but almost all other element you can think of but smell with ease and preciseness. This is not James Franco’s best performance but is what was needed from him because the apes are the stars of the film. The cast was great and I thought it was interesting that Tom Helton; the actor who played Malfoy in the Harry Potter films was even more unlikable in this movie alone in contrast to an 8 film span of being the bad boy. I really don’t want to spoil anything but I strongly recommend this movie to anyone. I cannot believe this film got made in the first place but will easily be a part of my top ten films of 2011. Grab a friend, spouse, family member or anyone and go see this movie now!

4 out of 4 stars.

30 Minutes or Less (No-Spoilers)

30 Minutes or Less (No-Spoilers)

            30 minutes is an enjoyable ride. Fresh off of an academy award nomination; Jesse Eisenberg dabbles back into comedy and is almost the opposite kind of a character that he played in the social network. In this one; Eisenberg plays a loser pizza boy that drives like he’s auditioning for the next fast and furious movie. With that being said; the movie has its moments that are hilarious and at times came off a bit rushed. But what really sells this movie is by far the cast!

            In the action-comedy '30 Minutes or Less,' Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Aziz Ansari). As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

            By far; Aziz Ansari steals this movie as Chet! It seems like he is a star on the rise and definitely showcases his comedic talents in this film. The movie clocks in less than an hour and a half but seemed like it was longer because of all the stuff going on. I mean that in a good way too because the pace of the movie went along very smoothly and kept you in it the whole time. Eisenberg has come a long way and watching him pick projects like Zombieland, The Social Network and now 30 minutes or less; it seems like he is definitely on his way to big things. This definitely a crowd pleaser but nothing too special; if it seems like something you would like than you probably will. This is not the type of movie to rush out to; I’d give this a matinee or an easy rental.

3 out of 4 stars.

Captain America: The First Avenger( No-Spoilers)

  Possibly the best super-hero movie of the year! It's definately a toss up between this and x-men: first class; but both are two different films. After watching the Green Lantern; it was a sweet surprise to see a origin tale done very well! The movie had me in from start to finish and always kept me entertained. I don't know how it looked in 3D but I gave up on that extra dimension shortly after Avatar was released. Let's just say I was pleased to see that it did very well at the box office over the weekend and that Marvel has alot of steam heading into the big Avengers movie next May!
  Marvel Studios brings their prodigious patriot to the big screen with this WWII-set adventure about a once-meek U.S. soldier-turned-hero (Chris Evans) who gains strength and agility far beyond that of a normal human being after taking an experimental super-serum. The Wolfman's Joe Johnston directs from a script by Chronicles of Narnia screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Hugo Weaving co-stars as the dreaded Red Skull, with Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones, Sebastian Stan, and Hayley Atwell rounding out the cast.
  Chris Evans character of Steve Rogers(Captain America) was defiantely someone you could defiantely root for. Unlike most Evans characters; he played it straight and without the side humor were use to seeing him play. It was pretty cool seeing him transform from scrawnny weakling into broad super tough man. One of the best plot points was that this was taking place during world war 2; so there was alot of Hitler references and nazi talk going on throughout the film. Another big plus for this film was the villain; Hugo Weaving as the villain red skull. They definately did a good job keeping some suspense of what he looked like until a little after the middle of the movie. Overall the supporting cast was great and the action was fun and entertaining. It was really a treat to see director Joe Johnston get back to his Rocketeer roots for this one because he tells a good action movie that can please the whole family! Even the Avengers tie-in was fun to watch( wait through the credits and watch The Avengers Trailer!....going to be awesome!). Although you have to wait through a good majority of the movie; you forget that this is a superhero movie until he sports the suit. But it is defiantely worth the wait and it all pays off. I recommend seeing this movie to everyone; exspecially the ones who enjoy Americans kicking Nazi ass! Go team America!

3.5 out of 4 stars.

Paranormal Activity 3 Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB1DVVPyQmA

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2( No-Spoilers)

   Harry Potter ends in a wimper! I know how well this movie has been doing at the box office but numbers don't help a finale that dosen't give the kind of climax a 8 movie finale should end with. I have seen all eight and can definately say that this is an improvement from the last film but still felt cheated. Mainly I guess the blame falls on J.K. Rowling but still someone should of stepped in and said something. Please don't think that i'm ripping completly on the movie because there are certain good parts that were fun to watch; but in general the epic conclusion lacked.
  The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.

  Here is where my main criteria comes from: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has by far set the bar in ending an epic journey between good and bad; now with that being said: this film does not even come close to ending such a long cinematic journey. The final battle is very unfelt and dull between Harry and Voldemort; it even seemed like most of it was in the trailers. Atleast in Revenge of the Sith; Anakin and Obi Wan gave us a show! Mainly the best parts of the film were the returning younger cast to whom we have had the joy of watching grow up on the big screen. The action prior to the finale was exciting at times and it was definately nice to see a Potter film closer to 2 hours long so that it can get to the climax sooner and move along the pace better. For huge Harry Potter fans this movie may hit the right spot for them but for a casual movie buff like myself that set the bar high for this film; may be a little bit under whelmed. I definately would wait to rent this movie but if you must see it right now; wait for the matinee!

2 out of 4 stars.

Horrible Bosses (No Spoilers)

Horrible Bosses (No Spoilers)

            Wouldn’t it be nice if Jennifer Aniston’s character got a spin-off? Basically horrible bosses is average. Not a lot of big laughs but just enough to keep you interested.  A great cast from top to bottom filled with Oscar winners, old sitcom stars, SNL rising stars and Charlie Day. With all the bad movies out there right now; it is nice to see something with genre actors trying comedy and actually pulling it off.

            For Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day), the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston) into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con (Jamie Foxx), the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers...permanently. There's only one problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.

            There are a couple of highlights for this movie and the one that stands out the most is definitely Charlie Day; he has this raspy voice and persona that help make his character come-off even more fidgety and comical than any of the three main characters. Day definitely steals the show but his antagonist (Jennifer Aniston) gives him a run for his money as the sexual harassing boss that he must put up with (poor guy). It is a turn from what we’re use to seeing Aniston in; but she shows no sign of aging anytime soon. Colin Farrell also takes a different turn as a dick coke-head boss into unfamiliar territory: comedy. Farrell doesn’t do to bad in comedy either and I hope he continues to make similar movies. There were a few good lines; which it seemed like a lot of them were in the trailer. But if you’re trying to pass the time by on a weekend afternoon then I definitely recommend checking out horrible bosses.

3 out of 4 stars.