Movie Taco: September 2014

2 September 2014 Movie Taco
REVIEWS
04 The Fault in Our Stars

06 22 Jump Street
07 How To Train Your Dragon 2
08 A Million Ways to Die in the
West
FEATURES
10 THE 100 BEST FILMS OF ALL
TIME
12 NORTH BY NORTHWEST
14 BEDKNOBS & BROOMSTICKS
16 THE INCREDIBLES

18 FINIANS RAINBOW
20 INCEPTION
22 NATIONAL TREASURE,
HARRY POTTER, BEDKNOBS &
BROOMSTICKS
24 LEMONY SNICKETS A SERIES
OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
25 FUNNY PEOPLE
16 THE FULL LIST
ON THE COVER:
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT)
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS,
MARY POPPINS, FUNNY PEOPLE, THE
DARK KNIGHT, NATIONAL TREASURE:
BOOK OF SECRETS, FINIANS RAINBOW,
THE SEARCHERS, THE AVENGERS, FORREST
GUMP, THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS, STAR
WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES,
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS,
VERTIGO, ON THE TOWN, HARRY POTTER
AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, THE
INCREDIBLES
Movie Taco www.buzzhub.info 3
FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome to this landmark issue of
Movie Taco. Please, come inside!
For the first time in our history, this
months issue is dedicated to counting
down our 100 Best Films of All Time.
You may be able to guess some of the
entries from our beautiful, exclusive
cover (and you may have guessed our
No.1 film from our Subscribers Cover),
but theres a whole lot more awesome-
ness inside this issue. We have huge
photo spreads for some of the greatest
motion pictures ever to hit the silver
screen, and some more huge features!
Also this month, in our Reviews section,
you can find out what our critic thought
about The Fault in Our Stars, 22 Jump
Street and more!
Enjoy, and see you next month when we
go INTERSTELLAR!
The fact that a film about two athiest, existentialist teenagers reading a philosophy
book and travelling halfway across the world to meet its alcoholic author topped the
US box office in its opening weekend, making almost $50m over three days, is not a
sign of how many people are interesting in seeing this kind of film- its a sign of how
many people dont understand John Greens The Fault in Our Stars, nor the (admittedly
misleading) marketing for the highly-anticipated film adaptation. Neither Greens book
nor Josh Boones film should be one-tenth as popular in the mainstream as they are,
considering how surprisingly intelligent the themes they explore turn out to be.
Granted, Boones film is, for the most part, shot and edited like a Nicholas Sparks
adaptation- all bright colour and unnatural beauty (out-of-focus shots of potted plants
whilst characters converse)- and the poster, featuring two unrealistically attractive
young actors smiling foolishly as they lie in some sort of meadow (this at no point
occurs in the film), suggests a far more clichd romantic film. Since Boone isnt really
helping to combat this problem with his unambitious direction, its left to the cast and
the script to carry the weight of Faults near two hours of down-to-Earth drama. In
the lead role of Hazel Grace Lancaster, Shailene Woodley is truly excellent, completely
outdoing her frankly underwhelming work in Divergent and The Spectacular Now, and
THE FAULT IN OUR
STARS
TROPIC OF CANCER
Theres more going
on at a deeper level
if youre interested
enough to look...
returning to the kind of internally strug-
gling but relatable role she portrayed
in Alexander Paynes The Descendants.
Onscreen, especially alongside Ansel
Elgort and Laura Dern, she is almost
luminescent, bringing a rich positivity
to even the darkest moments, whilst the
filmmakers attempt to translate Greens
first-person narration for Hazel into a
Woodley voiceover isnt as successful as
one might have hoped.
Ansel Elgort. What a pleasant surprise.
The handsomeness of Robert Pattinson.
The intensity of Nick Nolte. The like-
ability of Clark Gregg. Hes the complete
package, and has a long, long career
ahead of him if his work as delightful
Manic Pixie Dreamboy Agustus Waters,
whom Hazel meets at a church Cancer
Support Group (taking place in the lit-
eral heart of Jesus) is anything to go
by! Together they are a delight to watch
slowly fall in love, he a buzzing hive of
energy and enthusiasm, her a giggling,
wide-eyed bag of innocence with a con-
stant look of delighted shock on her face.
Also thrown into the mix are impres-
sive performances from Dern as Hazels
mother, Sam Trammell as her father (in,
if I remember correctly, an increased role
from the book) and, best of all, Willem
Dafoe in an expectedly brilliant turn as
Sartrean writer Peter van Houten.
There are 85 minutes straight of purely
enjoyable fuzz, with the odd thought-
provoking, lightly philosophical line from
the novel thrown in (sometimes so unnec-
essarily its grating), until the Very Bad,
Very Emotional Stuff begins, and the film
gets bogged down by its own emotional
manipulation, Sparks-level clichs and a
final Sad Montage that Boone should be
ashamed of. Woodleys voiceover slowly
gets more and more irritating until the
film reaches a point at which it might fall
of the wagon completely had Green not
written such a good last act (even if it is
adapted in a less-than-pleasing manner).
The Fault in Our Stars has all the tropes
of a traditional, mediocre, emotional-
ly manipulative rom-dram, because in
essence it is. Theres more going on at a
deeper level if youre interested enough
to look for it, but for the millions who go
to this film looking for The Feels, theyll
get what theyre looking for. Maybe the
film is wasted on this audience, or maybe
its John Greens novel thats wasted on
this film. Whatevers going on, Woodley +
Elgort = Superb.
Earlier this year, Muppets Most Wanted did a spectacular job of parodying the modern studio sequel/
franchise, with an opening song about how it would never live up to the previous film, and constant
meta references about its storyline and selection of characters. Now, The LEGO Movie directors Phil
Lord and Chris Miller have done pretty much the same thing, with the sequel to their surprise 2012 hit
reboot of the classic Johnny Depp TV show. 22 even begins with a clever Previously on 21 Jump Street
montage, and it ends with (we wont spoil it) the funniest meta montage this side of NBCs Community!
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum both return as the loveable cop duo of Schmidt and Jenko, both actors
having become substantially more famous since the first entry thanks to films like The Wolf of Wall
Street and Magic Mike, and their bromance- the undisputed USP of the first film- is the absolute focus
of the sequel. They have typical rom-com breakup conversations about their partnership, replacing
relationship with investigation, and even attend a couples councillor- all to hilarious comic effect, of
course.
Thats the films main problem. Like with Anchorman 2, even the most unobservant viewer can tell when
the filmmakers expect them to laugh, and when they decide they dont need to audience to laugh. In the
case of 22 Jump Street, they decide to stop writing jokes about 70 minutes into the 115 minute running
time, and spend the rest of the bloated film throwing violence, sex and mildly interesting supporting
characters at the screen and seeing what sticks (hint: not much of it does!)
Lord and Millers ambition is astounding (and is highlighted in several scenes of Ice Cubes police com-
mander discussing budgetary concerns) and is to be respected. Despite an unfortunate lack of jokes (and,
as they seem to acknowledge, originality) throughout, Hill and Tatum are consistently watchable, and
22 Jump Street is one of the most substantial and well-structured stories weve seen in cinemas so far
this Summer.
21
JUMP STREET
HOW TO TRAIN
YOUR DRAGON 2
DreamWorks Animations best film since Megamind, this long-awaited sequel to the surprisingly
excellent 2010 adventure arrives so long after its predecessor that anyone who was in the first films
target audience at the time of its release is now no longer in that films target audience! So, what
has director Dean DeBlois done to combat this issue? The easy option would have been for him to
merely make another film for 7-8 year olds, hoping that enough kids would have seen the original on
DVD in the meantime to justify the $175m budget. However, DeBlois and his team have taken the far
riskier route of ageing up the young heroes of the first film to match the tween/teen target market.
Jay Baruchels Hiccup and America Ferraras Astrid are now a couple (they have a fervent make-out
session towards the end), but despite living in a Viking community, she has (somewhat unrealistically)
yet to bear children! Hollywood sacrificing realism for the sake of protecting children? Unheard of!
The film is littered with (and excels in) the fast-paced 3D Dragon Flight sequences that made the
first film so popular following its release (which was unfortunately timed around the same period as
Toy Story 3, resulting in a lack of awards recognition), but its in the more poetic moments that it truly
becomes great. As soon as Hiccups estranged Dragon Queen mother Valka turns up, Roger Deakins
involvement as Visual Consultant becomes apparent, with long, beautifully animated shots of the
kingdoms red sky; hundreds of dragons flying together- its a genuine treat to behold!
With the multiple layers of storytelling and the seemingly endless stream of villains (one of whom
sounds disturbing like Cookie Monster) HTTYD2 has to offer, Hiccups relationship with his now Fully
Trained pet dragon Toothless does take a back seat amongst the action, but the promise of a complete
trilogy for these deeply engaging characters guarantees more exploration of this very intriguing two-
hander (or is it a hand-wing-et?)
Not as funny or as fun as the original, but with far superior visuals and more subtle character devel-
opment, Dragon 2 is a masterclass in mature but simple storytelling and sets a benchmark for future
similarly dark animated properties (get your act together Pixar!) Forget Godzilla, Toothless is the best
Dragon youre going to see in cinemas this Summer, and Valka gets more screen-time that Emilia
Clarkes Khalessi did in all of Game of Thrones fourth season!
A MILLION WAYS
TO DIE IN THE WEST
Joel McNeelys score for A Million Ways to Die in the West shares many qualities with the film itself: its old-
fashioned, ambitious, bombastic and very enjoyable. Is it anything new, inventive or unique? Not at all. Is it a fun
way to spend two hours of your life listening to/watching? Yes, yes it is.
A Million Ways, Seth McFarlanes second directorial feature film following 2012s brilliant Ted, is as its writer/direc-
tor describes it, a modern R-rated comedy in the guise of a classic western. In order to create that classic western
feel, McFarlane has been handed a budget almost as big as that of his (overpriced) debut, the budget of which
mostly went towards designing McFarlanes motion-capture teddy bear and into Mark Wahlbergs back pocket.
In order to save the expense of hiring another big-name lead (or, more likely, out of vanity), McFarlane has cast
himself in the lead role of A Million Ways, as smart-ass sheep farmer Albert who gets by in Old Stump, Arizona by
making crude jokes and chatting up attractive women, most notably Amanda Seyfrieds Louise. The film begins
with Louise dumping Albert for Foy, the owner of the local moustachery, played enthusiastically but underwhelm-
ing by the great Neil Patrick Harris, who in his first post-How I Met Your Mother role even quotes Barney Stinson
(he even says challenge accepted at one point) and participates in the films most utterly disgusting gross-out
scene. Despite not being his usual unpredictable self, Harris still manages to add a lot to the films more surreal
moments, particularly a Ted-standard last-act drug-fuelled trip-out scene.
Luckily, McFarlanes Albert isnt without a beautiful girl on his arm for long, as Charlize Theron (along with outlaw
husband Liam Neeson) turns up, ready to take some names and kick some ass. She and McFarlane work incredibly
well together as a romantic/comic duo, and makes one wish it was she and not Amanda Seyfried who will take
the lead female role in 2015s Ted 2. Theron saves many a comedically underdeveloped scene, and as for Neeson
he certainly tries a lot harder in his role than he has in other recent films, and should be given credit for that!
Amidst all the Blazing Saddles-influenced mockery of standard western tropes, there are some fresh comic
ideas, such as Sarah Silvermans prostitutes refusal to have pre-marital sex with her boyfriend (Giovanni Ribisi)
because were Christians and a surprisingly fun musical sequence involving a VERY catchy song about a mous-
tache.
It is a Seth McFarlane joint, and hence there is many a star cameo. The good: Bill Maher and the we-wont-
spoil-it-for-you star of a recent western. The bad: Ryan Reynolds. The obvious: Christopher Lloyd. However,
token present day pop cultures references like these cameos do nothing to lessen the impact of what a good
western McFarlane has produced. The set design, costumes and even cinematography are all on a par with the
best 21st-century entries in the genre (and are far superior to anything in The Lone Ranger). As we mentioned
earlier, Joel McNeelys score is a joy to listen to, and there isnt a soul in the audience who wont feel nostalgic
about the stuff Seth McFarlane is trying to make you nostalgic about. Is the film funny enough? No. Ted was one
of the most laugh-out-loud comedies of the century, and this comes nowhere close, but wed be lying if we said
we didnt laugh between 25 and 30 times during the film. More than anything, A Million Ways is fun, which is
certainly more than could be said for The Lone Ranger, and it manages to remain entertaining without resorting
to (a) nudity or (b) jokes about modern-day celebrities (Jane Austen and Mark Twain do get shakedowns).
Heck, McFarlane even says the name of the film at one point (and not in the context you would necessarily
expect)!
100
THE
GREATEST
100
OF ALL TIME
GREATEST
MOVIES
NORTH WEST
1
NORTH WEST
NORTH BY
When?: 1959
Who?: Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, James Mason,
Eva Marie Saint, Martin Landau, Bernard Hermann
Why?: Nobody does it better than Hitch, and this
somewhat underrated romp is the original action
blockbuster film. Without it, there would be no
Bond, Bourne, Die Hard or Indiana Jones. Cary
Grant and Eve Marie Saint star opposite a fabu-
lously evil James Mason in an epic chase picture
whose every second and frame is perfect.
BROOM STICKS
When?: 1971
Who?: Robert Stevenson, Angela Landsbury,
David Tomlinson, Roddy McDowall, Richard &
Robert Sherman
BROOM STICKS
BEDKNOBS &
2
INCRE DIBLES
3
THE
INCRE DIBLES
When?: 2004
Who?: Brad Bird, Pixar, Craig T Nelson, Holly
Hunter, Jason Lee, Samuel L Jackson, Michael
Giacchino
RAINBOW
When?: 1968
Who?: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Astaire, Petula
Clarke, Tommy Steele, Keenan Wynn, Yip Harburg
FINIANS
RAINBOW
4
INCEPTION
5
INCEPTION
5
When?: 2010
Who?: Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page,
Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Hans Zimmer,
Wally Pfister
NATIONAL
TREASURE
HARRY POTTER
6
7
8
BELL, BOOK
& CANDLE
LEMONY
SNICKETS
A SERIES OF
UNFORTUNATE
EVENTS
9
FUNNY
PEOPLE
FUNNY
PEOPLE
10
1. North by Northwest
2. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
3. The Incredibles
4. Finians Rainbow
5. The Harry Potter Series
6. Inception
7. National Treasure/National Treasure: Book of
Secrets
8. Bell, Book and Candle
9. A Series of Unfortunate Events
10. Funny People
11. Mary Poppins
12. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
13. The Godfather Part II
14. The Sound of Music
15. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
16. The Dark Knight Trilogy
17. On The Town
18. Star Wars Saga (1977-2005)
19. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1959)
20. Brigadoon
21. Doctor Dolittle (1967)
22. Vertigo
23. The April Fools
THE FULL LIST
24. Groundhog Day
25. The Godfather
26. The Polar Express
27. The Band Wagon
28. Pulp Fiction
29. Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang
30. Rear Window
31. 12 Angry Men (1957)
32. The Graduate (1967)
33. State Fair
34. Finding Nemo
35. The Clock (1945)
36. The Third Man
37. Gigi
38. The Apartment
39. Citizen Kane
40. Pinocchio
41. The Big Sleep
42. Kismet (1955)
43. Barefoot in the Park
44. Ratatouille
45. Forrest Gump
46. The Maltese Falcon
47. The Matrix
48. Bells Are Ringing
(1960)
49. The Cat in the
Hat (2004)
50. Enchanted
51. X-Men Franchise
(2000-2014)
52. The Help
53. The Birds
54. Rushmore
55. Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939)
56. Spider-Man Trilogy (2002-2007)
57. The Shop Around The Corner
58. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
59. The Wizard of Oz
60. The Avengers (2012)
61. Odd Man Out
62. The King of Comedy
63. Indiana Jones Trilogy
64. Back to the Future
65. Ted (2012)
66. Hannah & Her Sisters
67. Dumb & Dumber
68. Gravity (2013)
69. Die Hard
70. The Social Network (2010)
71. Tootsie
72. Psycho (1060)
73. Hot Fuzz
74. Man of La Mancha
75. Chinatown
76. The Devil & Miss Jones (1941)
77. 2001: A Space Odyssey
78. The Searchers
79. Wall.E (2008)
80. Elf (2003)
81. To Kill A Mockingbird
82. The Prestige (2006)
83. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
84. The Bicycle Thieves
85. The Conversation (1974)
86. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
87. The Royal Tennenbaums
88. 23 Paces to Baker Street
89. To Catch A Thief
90. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
91. Little Miss Sunshine
92. Star Trek Reboots (2009-2013)
93. Casablanca
94. Fargo
95. The Shawshank Redemption
96. Toy Story 3 (2010)
97. Easy A
98. The Truman Show
99. Anchorman (2004-2013)
100. King Kong (2005)
IN NEXT
MONTHS ISSUE
IN NEXT
MONTHS ISSUE
FOLLOWING
MEMENTO
INSOMNIA
BATMAN BEGINS
THE PRESTIGE
THE DARK KNIGHT
INCEPTION
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
INTERSTELLAR

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