BadAss Movies of BadAssness: Burlesque, Moon, 007: Casino Royale

 It's been a goddamn movie marathon at my house ever since I organized the physical media collection. I began work, creating a spreadsheet and alphabetizing/cataloguing the collection. So far going through loose discs, I have over 400 movies and television shows. Without counting the stuff that's in cases, this collection could be almost at 1000 by the time I'm done organizing. The living room/movie theater is looking great and coming along nicely. With all that said, we gotta talk about some fucking movies. And not just any movies...BadAss movies!

First up is Moon. Moon stars Sam Rockwell as a guy named Sam. It's a bit of a stretch, I know, but he knocks it out of the park with this one. It's like Sam Rockwell has a good idea on how to play a guy named Sam. Sam happens to be a miner on the moon. The only one in fact. Apparently, in the far future, we've got moon mining down to a science and only one guy working a 3-year contract is needed. That and a robot voiced by Kevin Spacey. 

Yes, the once canceled Kevin Spacey, but now back in movies again, you can Google it if you want all the deets. That Kevin Spacey also puts on a pretty good performance. It's just his voice. There's an A.I. that runs everything, much like a Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Only Gerty, the A.I. in Moon isn't as sinister. Yes, he is in on the shenanigans of the company. Yes, he does comply with the shenanigans of the company but, he does also feel for Sam and genuinely cares for him and wants him to succeed even at the cost of disobeying his programmed orders. 

Moon is badass because it's a visually striking film filled with great performances, a dark and dreary science fiction setting, and overall, a though-provoking plot that will keep you thinking about the films themes long after the credits have rolled. You can check out more info, trailers, and even find out where to stream this badass film here. 

Next up we have 007: Casino Royale. Daniel Craig as James Bond is and will always be, badass. This dude fucking got some great scripts to work with. Casino Royale saw Martin Campbell, the guy who directed 007: Goldeneye, to return to the franchise and make magic happen once more. Broccoli needed her all-star stud to come back and make James Bond fucking relevant again and he said, yeah, I got another one in the tank. This movie kicks fucking ass. 

Released in 2006, just one year after Batman Begins, the producers of James Bond thought...origin stories are in huh? Ok, how about we do one for James Bond. He's rougher around the edges. He's a bit more brutal than previous James Bonds. He's a weapon primed to go off and he's been unleashed on the world to find his own targets. 

From the black and white opening where our favorite British super spy gets his 00 status all the way to the very end in the soaking wet streets of Venice, this film will leave you breathless and wanting more. It is high octane action and suspense in beautiful, exotic locations filled with stunts and spectacle on a scale that James Bond hasn't been able to reach before. He's always been a smarmy British super-spy with a license to kill, but the action in this film is much more visceral and fast paced, filled with more practical effects than cheesy special effects. There is a charm to the older films that I still love to this day, but if you want to watch a James Bond flick that's on par with modern day action icons like Jason Bourne and John Wick, then this is the Bond for you. 

Casino Royale introduced me to one of my favorie actors, Mads Mikkelsen as the villain Le Chiffre. He's a banker for terrorists who plays games with his clients' money. Since he has a habit of winning poker and playing the stock markets, he always tends to be ahead but when James Bond sullies his plans and puts a dent in his bank account, well...the terrorists want their money, and now Le Chiffre is playing a most dangerous game to stay alive, and Bond is playing a most dangerous game to discover what kind of man he truly is in a world full of secrets, spies, and sexy women. 

Casino Royale is a badass film from start to finish. You can find more about it here.

Last but not least, is a badass movie filled with sexy women singing sultry music, and did I mention it was filled with sexy women? Burlesque is a damn fun time at the movies. Released in 2010 and starring Cher and Christina Aguilera, Burlesque tells the story of a small-town girl who winds up working at a Burlesque bar in L.A. After some shenanigans back stage at the club, she finally gets her big break and everybody wants a piece of the new girl. This movie is filled with stars up and down the block. 

Cher is a national treasure. This beautiful, statuesque woman can light up a room and sing her ass off and she does a great job of it here. Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice and is so damn sexy in this movie. She plays sweet and innocent well, but Ali also has a smart head on her shoulders, and she's always finding ways to outsmart others or get her voice heard. Eric Dane is awesome in this. In a movie that doesn't actually have a villain, he's about as close to one as you'd get. 

The thing I like about Burlesque the most is that where most movies try to transport you to a world that feels lived in, Burlesque just does that. It's a world that feels lived in by these characters and the stories of their lives aren't Avengers level threats, it's just normal people with normal shit like bills and bank loans. They deal with their shit like everyone else and just drink and then get up the next day hungover and start tackling problems. 

My favorite actor though, and really, I think most everyone could agree, is the real reason any film they're in is badass, is Stanley Tucci. He's so great in this movie. Every scene he's in he just nails and makes it better.

Burlesque is a badass film about sexy women dancing on a stage and singing music while during the day they have to figure out how to pay bills and shit. It's not fucking Oppenheimer, so grab some popcorn and just turn your brain off for a bit and have a good time. If you want to find out more about this movie and or find a place to stream it, check it out here.