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Total Recall

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Total Recall: John Cusack's Best Movies (101 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Tuesday, Nov. 10 2009, 01:40 PM

For much of the 1980s, John Cusack was one of Hollywood's most dependable go-to guys for affable leads in teen romantic comedies -- typecasting that led to some great films (Better Off Dead, Say Anything...) as well as some rather forgettable efforts (Hot Pursuit, One Crazy Summer). But beneath that guy-next-door exterior lurked the heart of a thespian, and over the last 20 years, Cusack has assembled one of the more eclectic filmographies in the biz, starring in action flicks (Con Air), quirky dramas (Being John Malkovich), and even dabbling in horror (1408). With his starring turn in Roland Emmerich's latest big-budget disaster epic, 2012, arriving in theaters this weekend, could there be a better time to give Mr. Cusack's collected works the Total Recall treatment?

Total Recall: George Clooney's Best Movies (96 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Tuesday, Nov. 03 2009, 04:41 PM

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. We hear it all the time, but George Clooney is living proof that perseverance pays off: Despite the inauspicious beginnings of a career that threatened to pigeonhole him as a Ted McGinley-style supporting player on fading sitcoms, he's risen to the ranks of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, and has appeared in some of the last decade's most critically and commercially successful films. This fall, Clooney surfaces in three major releases: Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, Jason Reitman's Up in the Air, and The Men Who Stare at Goats, opening this weekend. If that kind of star power doesn't deserve the Total Recall treatment, what does?

Total Recall: Our Favorite Rock 'n' Roll Movies (110 comments)

by RT Staff on Monday, Oct. 26 2009, 03:37 PM

Rock music has been a big part of the movies since Blackboard Jungle made Bill Haley a legend in 1955, and although the marriage of the two mediums hasn't always been a happy one (see: Elvis Presley in Harum Scarum and Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street -- or better yet, don't), it's also produced some cinematic classics. With Pirate Radio hitting theaters, we thought it would be a good time to share our staff's favorite rock 'n' roll movies -- flicks that will get your toes tapping and your hands strumming the old air guitar. Hey, RT users, what are your faves?

Total Recall: The Best-Reviewed Coen Brothers Films (114 comments)

by RT Staff on Monday, Oct. 19 2009, 04:01 PM

For more than two decades now, Joel and Ethan Coen have been thrilling critics -- and, here and there, audiences -- with their distinctive blend of dark humor, colorful violence, and singular visual flair. Not all of the Coens' films have been critical darlings (alas, poor Ladykillers), but with lifetime Tomatometers above 80 percent, the brothers are easily two (or is that one?) of the most respected directors in the business. Their latest effort, A Serious Man, is another winner, currently riding high with 86 percent on the Tomatometer, and to celebrate, we've freshened up our previous look at their filmography, Total Recall style! After branching out into broad espionage comedy with Burn After Reading, the Coens went back to their roots for A Serious Man -- quite literally, in fact: It takes place in an ordinary Jewish home in the suburban Midwest of the late 1960s, leading many critics to proclaim Serious the brothers' most personal film to date.

Total Recall: RT's Favorite Gunfights (195 comments)

by RT Staff on Monday, Oct. 12 2009, 02:04 PM

We at Rotten Tomatoes abhor violence -- in the real world, anyway. However, expertly-staged gunplay is one of the reasons we love going to the movies -- there's nothing like the catharsis of cinematic shootouts. Thus, we've compiled a list of our favorite movie gunfights -- scenes that left our ears ringing and our pulses quickened. However, these are just our faves -- this list is by no means definitive. RT users, chime in -- what are your favorites?

Total Recall: Vince Vaughn's Best Movies (88 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Wednesday, Oct. 07 2009, 02:45 PM

Vegas, martinis, and the words "baby" and "money" helped launch Vince Vaughn's film career -- and helped established him as an extraordinarily compelling cinematic scoundrel, a role he's played repeatedly over the last decade and change. But that isn't all Vaughn can do, as he's proven while assembling an admirably eclectic filmography, moving from comedy to horror to action thrillers and back again, and sharing screens with everyone from Richard Attenborough to Jennifer Lopez in the process. This weekend, Vaughn reunites with his old partner Jon Favreau in Couples Retreat, and to celebrate, we decided to revisit his best-reviewed films, Total Recall style! As always, we let the Tomatometer do the sorting for us, and although it did the easy work, tossing out the obvious rotten flicks (bye bye, The Break-Up), we still had to make a few judgment calls on roles that, though memorable, still amounted to cameos (adieu, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Into the Wild, and Anchorman).

Total Recall: Bruce Willis' Best Movies (122 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Wednesday, Sep. 23 2009, 08:30 AM

How lucky is Bruce Willis? Not only did he go, seemingly overnight, from tending bar to starring in ABC's hit Moonlighting, marrying Demi Moore, and scoring a Top 10 single, but he also made the transition to movie megastardom -- and then survived the Great Action Hero Purge of the 1990s, jumping to smart indie features (and the occasional blockbuster) while the Stallones and Schwarzeneggers of the industry were left grasping at past glories. And if all that weren't enough, the Planet Hollywood co-founder -- and star of Jonathan Mostow's sci-fi thriller Surrogates -- is also the subject of this week's Total Recall! As always, we left our personal biases out of the mix and simply set the Tomatometer for "awesome," letting the world's greatest film critics do the heavy lifting for us. By limiting our list to only the 10 best-reviewed movies from Willis' extensive filmography, we're undoubtedly courting controversy (sorry, fans of The Player and Grindhouse -- cameos don't count), but hey -- sorting that stuff out is what the comment section is for, isn't it? Let's get the countdown started!

Total Recall: Offbeat Romantic Comedies (11 comments)

by Yasmin Vought on Wednesday, Sep. 16 2009, 01:09 AM

This week's (500) Days of Summer isn't the first film to mess with our rom-com expectations. So, to mark its release, we've gathered together what we think are 10 of the most original films to challenge the conventions of the genre. Some have happy endings, some end in tears or confusion -- yet all work an unfamiliar, offbeat magic on the romantic comedy. There's no Hallmark rubbish to be found here...

Total Recall: Iconic Movie Romances (168 comments)

by RT Staff on Monday, Sep. 14 2009, 11:55 AM

What makes a truly great movie couple? It's nearly impossible to define, but you know one when you see one. Great onscreen romantic pairings usually have some elusive combination of idiosyncratic chemistry, ribald wit, and emotional complexity. With Love Happens hitting theaters this week, RT takes a look at some of our favorite cinematic love affairs.

Total Recall: Chill Out With These Antarctica Movies (47 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Wednesday, Sep. 09 2009, 08:30 AM

Unless you happen to be overly fond of snow, Antarctica probably isn't a place you think about very often -- and for the most part, filmmakers have always been the same way. For all the movies based in New York, Chicago, and L.A., we've had precious few take place in the wintry tundra at the bottom of the globe -- but director Dominic Sena is doing his part to help bring some Antarctic love to a theater near you with Whiteout, the Kate Beckinsale-led thriller opening this weekend. Seeing it on the release schedule got us to thinking about other movies based in Earth's southernmost continent -- and naturally, we decided to turn it into a Total Recall, one in which we give you a taste of what you can expect on a trip to the South Pole (short answer: penguins and aliens).

Total Recall: Best Stalker Movies (95 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Wednesday, Sep. 02 2009, 08:30 AM

In the real world, stalking is a crime that tends to be taken pretty seriously -- and from Hitchcock to Tarantino, Hollywood's finest filmmakers have always taken it pretty seriously too, albeit for different reasons. Simply put, whether you're looking for laughs or chills, the irrational, dogged pursuit of one human being by another tends to make for a good story. This weekend's entry in the stalker genre, the Sandra Bullock/Bradley Cooper comedy All About Steve, looks to add to that tradition -- so we thought now would be a good time to take a fond look back at some of the most memorable stalkers in movie history.

Total Recall: Respectable Horror Sequels (132 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Wednesday, Aug. 26 2009, 08:29 AM

Ah, sequels. These days, they pop up everywhere -- theaters, television, video store shelves -- but once upon a time, they were viewed as an undignified exercise, suitable mainly for pulpy matinee flicks. Like horror movies, for instance -- which is why, as Rob Zombie's sequel to his Halloween reboot, the fittingly titled Halloween II, arrives in theaters this weekend, we decided now would be a great time to give the Total Recall treatment to some of the more noteworthy second installments in the history of good old-fashioned eye-coverin', goose-pimplin', edge-of-your-seat cinema. Pull the shades, dim the lights, and join us as we count down 10 of the most critically respected horror deuces a film fan could ask for!

Total Recall: Brad Pitt's Best Movies (240 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Thursday, Aug. 20 2009, 08:30 AM

Today he's one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood, and one of the few actors audiences will pay no matter what sort of role he's playing -- whether it's action, drama, or comedy the script calls for, having Brad Pitt's name above the title is about as close as anyone can come to a guarantee for a hit film. Not so long ago, however, Pitt was just another good-looking dude with enough gumption to work his way into a steady stream of TV shows and bit parts in movies. He's come a long way, for sure, and to celebrate his latest starring role -- in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, opening this weekend -- we decided the time was right for a Brad Pitt edition of Total Recall.

Total Recall: Hayao Miyazaki's Best Movies (125 comments)

by Alex Vo on Thursday, Aug. 13 2009, 09:04 AM

Hayao Miyazaki's last three films (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle) platformed in America to mild success. For his 10th and latest movie, Ponyo (the story of an ocean goldfish and her quest to become human), Disney will be granting it a more confident, nationwide release this Friday. Frankly, the more opportunity America gets to see a Miyazaki movie, the better: they expertly breach multiple genres and fulfill the visual promise of hand-drawn animation. But they also feel deeply personal. Always directing from his own scripts, Miyazaki can take any story and mold it to his likeness, creating across 10 films a thematically consistent, rich and rewarding universe. This week's Total Recall explores the career of Hayao Miyazaki, animation's grand auteur.

Total Recall: Our Favorite Fighting Teams (65 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Thursday, Aug. 06 2009, 09:01 AM

After all the months of anticipation, rumors, and debates over the merits of accelerator suits, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra finally storms into theaters this weekend, ready to rescue us from the late-summer movie doldrums. We don't know about you, but your pals at RT certainly appreciate the effort, and in honor of these real American heroes, we've decided to dedicate this week's Total Recall to our favorite Hollywood action teams, and all they've done to save us from decades of nefarious bad guys intent on stealing our crops, hijacking our planes, and just generally giving us a hard time.

Total Recall: Best Judd Apatow Productions (63 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Thursday, Jul. 30 2009, 09:10 AM

They may not have as much control over a film as they did during the days of Hollywood's studio system, but producers still wields a great deal of clout, and despite the behind-the-scenes nature of the job, a great producer can draw audiences to a movie just as powerfully as a name director or major star. One such current producer is Judd Apatow, whose name has become a signifier for a certain brand of smart (and thoroughly bankable) comedy; since producing Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy in 2004, he's been on an impressive roll, one he hopes to continue with this week's Funny People.

Total Recall: Evil Movie Kids (60 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Thursday, Jul. 23 2009, 09:30 AM

Kids say the darndest things -- we all knew it even before Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby turned wisdom from the mouths of babes into TV comedy gold. But some of Hollywood's most memorable tots have also done the darndest things, and by "darndest" we mean "illegal, immoral, and downright terrifying." This week's Orphan -- starring the undoubtedly sweet-in-real-life Isabelle Fuhrman as an adoptee lacking in the sugar, spice, and/or everything nice department -- adds to the rich cinematic legacy of kids behaving badly, so we thought now would be an excellent time to take a look back at 15 of the creepiest youngsters in film.

Total Recall: Best Movie Wizards (151 comments)

by RT Staff on Thursday, Jul. 16 2009, 10:01 AM

Class is back in session at Hogwarts, with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hitting screens this week. Since the academy is a place where young witches and wizards practice their craft, we at Rotten Tomatoes thought it would be a good time to count down some of the most spellbinding mystics who've ever graced the big screen. The entrants on our list of memorable movie wizards share many of the same attributes: musty spell books, magic wands, and unkempt beards, as well as prickly people skills and the ability to rouse the dead. However, they've also provided many a fantasy film with magical moments. Read on for a compendium of cinema's finest sorcerers! (And don't forget to check out all the reviews for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)

Total Recall: Mock Docs That Rock (64 comments)

by Tim Ryan on Thursday, Jul. 09 2009, 11:59 AM

Sacha Baron Cohen has made a career of blurring the lines between reality and fiction. The British-born Cohen gained a cult following in the states with his cult hit Da Ali G Show, then went on to big-screen fame with the gut-busting, wince-inducing gonzo mock doc Borat. This week he's back with another of his alter egos: the flamboyant Austrian fashionista Bruno. And since Bruno toys with narrative while tweaking real life, we at RT decided to run down a brief history of the mockumentary. Here, you'll find classics Like This Is Spinal Tap alongside some lesser-known but still important examples of the genre.

Total Recall: Johnny Depp's Best Movies (107 comments)

by Jeff Giles on Thursday, Jul. 02 2009, 11:47 AM

He once seemed destined for nothing better or worse than simple teen idolhood, but since escaping from 21 Jump Street in 1990, Johnny Depp has proven himself to be a brave (and mostly pretty astute) chooser of scripts, building an impressive filmography that encompasses everything from black-and-white arthouse fare (Dead Man) to blockbuster Disney trilogies (Pirates of the Caribbean). This weekend, he'll gun his way into theaters as John Dillinger in Michael Mann's Public Enemies, so we thought now would be a fine time to devote an installment of Total Recall to counting down the 10 best-reviewed releases of Depp's 25-year film career. As always, we let the Tomatometer do the heavy lifting, arranging our list according to the reviews written by the film critics we all know and love. With a lifetime Tomatometer rating of 63 percent -- not to mention a tendency to throw himself into some pretty far-flung roles -- there are bound to be some hotly contested omissions, but that's just part of what makes these things interesting, right?