Martha Marcy May Marlene ★★★ 1/2 The title will make sense if you watch the film, I swear. Elizabeth Olsen delivers a great performance that will stay with you for a while. It's an odd little film about a woman running away from a cult, but one I enjoyed. If you rent the movie, make sure to watch the short film included.
Spoiler: The rest of my 2012 list of movies Kicking off my 2012 list: 1. Edge of Darkness: A 2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: B+ 3. Repo Men: B- 4. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: B- 5. Underworld: Awakening: B 6. Lost City Raiders: C+ 7. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist: B+ 8. Contraband: B+ 9. Kick-Ass: B+ 10. Hereafter: A- 11. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance: B 12. Act of Valor: C+ 13. John Carter: B Based on the Edgar Rice Burrough's novel Princess of Mars I found this movie to be fun and entertaining. I was a bit impressed with how the Friday Night Light's actor Taylor (whatever) handled the lead role. Well worth seeing this on the big screen. I felt it did drag a bit in the middle but was pleased with the CGI and action sequences. You can clearly see how Lucas is among the biggest plagiarists that has worked in the business. I enjoy Star Wars it's just plain that ERB's John Carter was one of a few sources Lucas used when whipping up his Saga. Worth seeing in 2-D for sure on the big screen.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. 1. My Week With Marilyn (B-) 2. Fantasia 2000 (B+) 3. Blade Runner (B) 4. The Hidden Fortress (A-) 5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (B+) 6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (A+) 7. The Descendants (A-) 8. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 9. The Prestige (A+) 10. Blood Simple (A-) 11. The Big Lebowski (B+) 12. West Side Story (A-) 13. The Hours (A-) 14. Lady and the Tramp (B) 15. An Officer and a Gentleman (B) 16. All Quiet On The Western Front (A) 17. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (B-) 18. Spellbound (B+) 19. Seven Samurai (A+) 20. X-Men: First Class (A) 21. Do The Right Thing (N/A) 22. Martha Marcy May Marlene (B+) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. LA Confidential (A) 25. Young Adult (B+) 26. Children of Men (B+) 27. Gaslight (B+) 28. North By Northwest (A+) 29. American Beauty (A-) With that I've got an unbroken line of Best Picture winners running back more than twenty years, and I've seen close to 75% of the total. I was a little skeptical going into this, because the whole "deconstruction of the surburban family" has become so tired these days (though I'm also planning to finally see Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road soon, which carries the extra cliche bonus of being set in the 1950s) - it's almost revolutionary in literary circles to suggest that maybe the average family is not, on the whole, deeply dysfunctional. But the movie won me over, between the strong performances, quotable lines, and, in the end, an outlook that's more than just misanthropic. Cinema: 7 Home Video: 18 (+8) Computer: 4
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January & February Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission This past Friday, I decided to see a movie before my shift started, and settled for FwK because it would end in time for me to get on the clock & work and it has Jon Hamm in it, who I like from Mad Men. Pretty good story, which focusses on three couples - the tolerant, lovin' couple with kids, the passionately lovin' couple that gets a kid, and the two best friends who decide to have a kid together, without committin' to one another. Some good laughs, and a bit of a zig when ya expect a zag, but eventually there's a happy endin'. And Edward Burns shows up...pretty sure he's under contract to appear in every movie that films in NYC, isn't he? After the movie, it was nothin' but work & sleep - logged thirty-two hours in three days. There was a plan to see Silent House tonight, but that fell through. May see John Carter before my shift on Tuesday...
37. The Blind Side It's probably best described as a "feel good" film, but for me it was a bit too much that (and when they tried to show a little conflict near the end, it wasn't very believable). But Bullock was good and there were a nice number of funny moments to make it more enjoyable.
Spoiler: Rest of List 1. Holy Rollers (B-) 2. The Kids Are All Right (B) 3. History of the World, Part 1 (C-) 4. Blazing Saddles (A+) 5. Scarface [1932] (B-) 6. The Purple Rose of Cairo (A) 7. Rampart (B+) 8. We Need To Talk About Kevin (A+) 9. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (B+) 10. They Live (B-) 11. Darling Companion (D) 12. A Dangerous Method (B-) 13. Haywire (C+) 14. Mission: Impossible (B+) 15. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (B+) 16. Twixt (C+) 17. Burn After Reading (B+) 18. Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (B-) 19. Drive (A) 20. Crazy Stupid Love (A) 21. The Omega Man (D) 22. The Adjustment Bureau (B+) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. Lady and the Tramp (B) 25. Hugo (A-) 26. The Secret World of Arrietty (B) 27. Twelve Angry Men (A) 28. Act of Valor (F) 29. Walker (A) 30. Lonely Are The Brave (A-) 31. Executive Action (C) 32. Three Colors: Blue (A) 33. Bright Leaves (A) 34. Photographic Memory (A) 35. The People Vs. George Lucas (C-) 36. Avatar (B-) 37. The Life of Reilly (A-) 38. Limitless (B-) 39. Star Wars (A) 40. The Empire Strikes Back (A) What more can be said about these films? It's been a little while since I've seen them, and they were still simple, well-made fun, pulpy sf movies. Here I was watching the fan-made "de-specialized" versions; a friend downloaded them off the internet and burned them to a disc. Not bad, given the source elements. A shame Lucas just won't release the damned things on Blu-Ray. I'd get them. Theatres: 15 Home Video: 23 +1 Computer: 2
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January & February Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant Last summer, I started to watch The Lincoln Lawyer while my sister had an appointment, but missed the beginnin' & the second half of it. Finally got around to watchin' it today, via my friends' Netflix account. I especially like William H Macy's investigator. Followed that up with the Gabriel Iglesias stand-up special. Austin has a comedy radio station that plays bits of a variety of comics, and I've been laughin' at some of his stuff. His special was pretty good, too. Other than those two, I've just been usin' Netflix for episodes of Life and Wolverine and the X-Men...
38. MirrorMask This film is really fantastic. It may lack a big budget, but it more than makes up for it in imagination. It was written by Neil Gaiman and directed by Dave McKean (who made the Sandman comic covers) and it actually feels like it could be an untold story from Sandman.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. January 1. Daddy Day Care (✩✩✩½) - TV 2. Wild Child (✩✩) - TV 3. Fling (✩✩✩½) - DVD 4. Arthur 2: On the Rocks (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 5. Havoc (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 6. Contagion (✩✩✩✩½) - On Demand 7. The Blind Side (✩✩✩½) - TV 8. Batman: Under the Red Hood (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 9. The Andromeda Strain (✩✩✩½) - TV 10. The Last Man on Earth (✩✩✩✩) - TV 11. Network (✩✩½) - TV 12. Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2 (✩) - DVD 13. Starsky & Hutch (✩✩½) - TV 14. The Rundown (✩✩✩½) - TV 15. Mallrats (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 16. My Sister's Keeper (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 17. Valkyrie (✩✩✩½) - TV 18. The Anderson Tapes (✩✩✩) - TV 19. Jack Goes Boating (✩✩✩½) - DVD 20. Margin Call (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 21. Away We Go (✩✩✩½) - TV 22. Girl Fight (✩✩✩½) - TV 23. Superman & Batman: Apocalypse (✩✩✩✩) - TV 24. Pandorum (✩✩½) - TV 25. Paper Man (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 26. In Like Flint (✩✩½) - TV 27. Blood Diamond (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 28. The Invisible Man (✩✩✩✩) - TV 29. Frankenstein (✩✩✩½) - TV 30. The Dilemma (✩✩✩½) - DVD February 31. That One Night (✩✩✩½) - Internet 32. Sex Drive (✩✩½) - DVD 33. Chronicle (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 34. Couples Retreat (✩✩✩) - DVD 35. RV (✩✩✩) - TV 36. Chaos Theory (✩✩✩✩) - TV 37. Black Swan (✩✩✩✩✩) - DVD 38. One Missed Call (✩) - DVD 39. Kramer vs. Kramer (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 40. When in Rome (✩✩½) - TV 41. Love to Kill (✩✩✩) - TV 42. Possession (✩✩) - TV 43. Sex and the City 2 (✩✩✩½) - DVD 44. Little Fockers (✩✩✩½) - DVD 45. Breach: (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 46. Broken Flowers (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 47. Bronson (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 48. Edge of Darkness (✩✩✩½) - TV 49. In & Out (✩✩✩) - TV 50. Secrets of Eden (✩✩½) - TV 51. Shooter (✩✩✩½) - TV 52. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (✩✩✩½) - TV March 53. 10 Items or Less (✩✩✩½) - DVD 54. The Old Man and the Sea (✩✩✩✩) - TV 55. The Reader (✩✩✩✩✩) - TV 56. The Stunt Man (✩✩) - TV 57. Nine (✩✩✩✩) - TV 58. Untraceable (✩✩½) - DVD 59. The Quiet (✩✩✩½) - DVD 60. My Mother's Secret (✩✩½) - TV 61. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (✩✩✩½) - DVD 62. Sex and Death 101 (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 63. The Human Contract: (✩✩✩✩) - DVD - After 10 Items or Less, I wanted to see something else with Paz Vega and found this. It's about Julian, an advertising executive who's under pressure to get a multi-billion dollar contract, who meets a well off free-spirited woman played by Vega. I don't want to spoil any twists, so I'll just say that this was written and directed by Jada Pinkett Smith and deals with a subject matter that she and Will Smith have dealt with in their own lives. In fact, Jada actually wrote Paz's role for herself. This movie didn't score high, but I enjoyed it and found it to be a pretty good first effort for Pinkett Smith. And if you like Paz Vega, check this one out. 64. The Craigslist Killer: (✩✩✩) - TV - A Lifetime TV movie about Philip Markoff, the engaged medical school student who seemed to have it all, but had a secret life where he'd find women on Craigslist, meet with them and rob them. Then one day, things go too far and he accidentally kills one of them. It's what you've expect from Lifetime, but it was engaging and fun to watch. 65. Life As We Know It: (✩✩✩½) - DVD - A young couple dies in a car accident and leaves their baby to be looked after by their best friends played by Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. One problem though... They aren't a couple and don't even like eachother, but have to put aside their differences to raise the baby together in the big house that was also left behind. I don't know if such an arrangement is possible in real life, but the movie did an alright job of bringing everything together to make it somewhat believable. In the end, I quite liked this one. It deals with heavy subject matter, but still manages to make you forget the bad stuff and enjoy the lighter more comedic side of things. It also makes raising a kid with Katherine Heigl quite appealing. 66. She's the Man: (✩✩✩) - TV - Amanda Bynes stars as a girl who's good at soccer and wants to play, so she poses as her brother at his new boarding school after he skips and takes off to Europe. Wacky hijinks ensue as she excels at soccer and tries to keep her secret. Typical teen comedy fare, but it was fun to watch Bynes play a guy. 67. Witchslayer Gretl: (✩½) - TV - A really bad TV movie I only watched to see Shannen Doherty. It's about a man/woman duo that hunts witches in the middle ages. Shannen plays Gretl, but she's not the lead or even one of the main duo, making this an oddly titled movie. 68. The Adjustment Bureau: (✩✩✩✩) - DVD - Matt Damon plays a polititian who meets and falls for an attractive woman played by Emily Blunt. Unfortunately, an organization of supernatural beings, who believe that they're responsible for keeping others' lives on the correct path, are trying to keep them apart. It's a basic Hollywood love story, but the Adjustment Bureau and what they can do is quite fascinating, making this a compelling movie. Obama didn't seem to like it, so I went in with a bit of caution. Loved it though. I posted a few thoughts in this thread.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January & February Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant John Carter 2D - free admission Silent House - free admission Used my employee perks for two movies yesterday... First up, John Carter, which I liked quite a bit. It was a fun adventure story with some good effects. Made me wish I had my sister's boys with me while watchin' it, 'cause I think they would have liked it, too. The "don't talk in the theater" PSA was from Taylor Kitsch himself, where he says he'll just rip someone's throat out & drag the body out of the theater if they talk durin' one of his movies. I am plannin' to see John Carter again, but in 3D, when I get some time off. Second movie of the day was Silent House starrin' Elizabeth Olsen. As with Martha Marcy May Marlene, she carries this movie...and it was actually pretty good, 'til the last ten minutes of it. And then the whole damn thing fell apart, and I hate it when movies do that.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. January 1. Daddy Day Care (✩✩✩½) - TV 2. Wild Child (✩✩) - TV 3. Fling (✩✩✩½) - DVD 4. Arthur 2: On the Rocks (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 5. Havoc (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 6. Contagion (✩✩✩✩½) - On Demand 7. The Blind Side (✩✩✩½) - TV 8. Batman: Under the Red Hood (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 9. The Andromeda Strain (✩✩✩½) - TV 10. The Last Man on Earth (✩✩✩✩) - TV 11. Network (✩✩½) - TV 12. Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2 (✩) - DVD 13. Starsky & Hutch (✩✩½) - TV 14. The Rundown (✩✩✩½) - TV 15. Mallrats (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 16. My Sister's Keeper (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 17. Valkyrie (✩✩✩½) - TV 18. The Anderson Tapes (✩✩✩) - TV 19. Jack Goes Boating (✩✩✩½) - DVD 20. Margin Call (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 21. Away We Go (✩✩✩½) - TV 22. Girl Fight (✩✩✩½) - TV 23. Superman & Batman: Apocalypse (✩✩✩✩) - TV 24. Pandorum (✩✩½) - TV 25. Paper Man (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 26. In Like Flint (✩✩½) - TV 27. Blood Diamond (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 28. The Invisible Man (✩✩✩✩) - TV 29. Frankenstein (✩✩✩½) - TV 30. The Dilemma (✩✩✩½) - DVD February 31. That One Night (✩✩✩½) - Internet 32. Sex Drive (✩✩½) - DVD 33. Chronicle (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 34. Couples Retreat (✩✩✩) - DVD 35. RV (✩✩✩) - TV 36. Chaos Theory (✩✩✩✩) - TV 37. Black Swan (✩✩✩✩✩) - DVD 38. One Missed Call (✩) - DVD 39. Kramer vs. Kramer (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 40. When in Rome (✩✩½) - TV 41. Love to Kill (✩✩✩) - TV 42. Possession (✩✩) - TV 43. Sex and the City 2 (✩✩✩½) - DVD 44. Little Fockers (✩✩✩½) - DVD 45. Breach: (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 46. Broken Flowers (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 47. Bronson (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 48. Edge of Darkness (✩✩✩½) - TV 49. In & Out (✩✩✩) - TV 50. Secrets of Eden (✩✩½) - TV 51. Shooter (✩✩✩½) - TV 52. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (✩✩✩½) - TV March 53. 10 Items or Less (✩✩✩½) - DVD 54. The Old Man and the Sea (✩✩✩✩) - TV 55. The Reader (✩✩✩✩✩) - TV 56. The Stunt Man (✩✩) - TV 57. Nine (✩✩✩✩) - TV 58. Untraceable (✩✩½) - DVD 59. The Quiet (✩✩✩½) - DVD 60. My Mother's Secret (✩✩½) - TV 61. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (✩✩✩½) - DVD 62. Sex and Death 101 (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 63. The Human Contract (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 64. The Craigslist Killer (✩✩✩) - TV 65. Life As We Know It (✩✩✩½) - DVD 66. She's the Man (✩✩✩) - TV 67. Witchslayer Gretl (✩½) - TV 68. The Adjustment Bureau (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 69. Young Adult: (✩✩✩½) - On Demand - Directed by Jason Reitman, written by Diablo Cody and starring Charlize Theron as a 37 year old divorced writer who returns to her home town to try and rekindle things with her married ex. The movie is highly rated, but I found it boring. It only gets better at the end. I would have given it two stars but Charlize Theron, who's the epitome of class and beauty does a fantastic job playing a woman who drinks, eats junk and doesn't have her act together. The movie's title has a double meaning... 1) Theron's character is a writer of young adult books and 2) she's not a full adult herself. 70. My Silent Partner: (✩✩) - TV - TV movie starring Joanna Going and Greg Evigan. Going's character is a cop who leaves her husband (Evigan) and finds herself fighing for custody of they're teenage son. Typical TV movie fare, decent enough to leave on while you're at the computer. Theatre: 1 DVD/Blu-Ray: 25 TV: 39 On Demand: 4 Internet: 1
I've seen Paz Vega in two movies and she was indeed striking. She was in Triage, as Colin Farrell's wife/Christopher Lee's granddaughter. It was a good performance and she was certainly attractive, but it wasn't the lead. She shared lead with Simon Baker in a thriller called Not Forgotten. She was nicely theatrical in that one, but I don't think Sarah Bernhardt could really have sold that character. John Carter was fairly entertaining. There is a really bungled up wrap-around story, which gives us about four starts to the movie. That's worse than four false ending, by far. Poor old Bryan Cranston has the thankless role playing the Yankee antagonist in Carter's stupid backstory. This was apparently added to give the hero requisite baggage and add an element of reluctant hero, even redemption, to the story line. Just being on another planet should make someone a reluctant hero, it being perfectly sensible to get into what you don't understand. As for needing redemption, being a Confederate provides enough need for redemption without any witless drivel about evil Yankees burning your wife and child alive, which is what the idiot backstory implies. There is also a basic problem with airplanes and other advanced tech combined with swords and muskets. Plus, we know Mars isn't someplace a man can breathe. Willing suspension of disbelief can be hard to come by, but SF fans are usually desparate, and the Edgar Rice Burroughs nostalgie factor helps. Taylor Kitsch seems like a man who really would try to help someone in danger right before their eyes, which is all this movie needs from John Carter. He is the butt of enough humor to take some of the edge off the Mighty Whitey trope (and again, the ERB nostalgie factor helps, unfair though this might be.) Lynn Collins is quite fetching. Mark Strong has the hapless task of representing the pointlessly evil villains. I think overall the best way to think of this is that someone for once tried to make a sow's ear into a wallet, instead of a silk purse. That may be damning with faint praise, but this was better than movies like Thor, Green Lantern (which I thought unengaging but not a bit awful,) X-Men (pick any sequel,) Transformer movies, etc.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. 1. My Week With Marilyn (B-) 2. Fantasia 2000 (B+) 3. Blade Runner (B) 4. The Hidden Fortress (A-) 5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (B+) 6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (A+) 7. The Descendants (A-) 8. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 9. The Prestige (A+) 10. Blood Simple (A-) 11. The Big Lebowski (B+) 12. West Side Story (A-) 13. The Hours (A-) 14. Lady and the Tramp (B) 15. An Officer and a Gentleman (B) 16. All Quiet On The Western Front (A) 17. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (B-) 18. Spellbound (B+) 19. Seven Samurai (A+) 20. X-Men: First Class (A) 21. Do The Right Thing (N/A) 22. Martha Marcy May Marlene (B+) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. LA Confidential (A) 25. Young Adult (B+) 26. Children of Men (B+) 27. Gaslight (B+) 28. North By Northwest (A+) 29. American Beauty (A-) 30. Revolutionary Road (A-) Mendes vs. The Suburbs, Round 2: Fifties Edition (or, alternatively, Part 1 of Leonardo DiCaprio's Crazy Dead Wife Trilogy). In which Jack and Rose reunite in a decidedly less optimistic setting (and considering their earlier setting saw a few thousand people die, that's saying something). Winslet and DiCaprio have aged a decade or so (though in Leo's case, of course, he's still got that boyish look) and are even better actors than they were on the their first pairing together. Winslet is better here than the film she won the Oscar for the same year; DiCaprio should have been nominated, but then, that's been the case a number of times. The scenario the film presents is impressively complex, and it's hard to say precisely how things should have been done differently (well, April should definitely have gone to therapy). Cinema: 7 Home Video: 18 Computer: 5 (+1)
39. The International An average action film with a nice set piece in the middle and a really good ending. It's not a big twist, but quite realistic which actually made it surprising.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. January 1. Daddy Day Care (✩✩✩½) - TV 2. Wild Child (✩✩) - TV 3. Fling (✩✩✩½) - DVD 4. Arthur 2: On the Rocks (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 5. Havoc (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 6. Contagion (✩✩✩✩½) - On Demand 7. The Blind Side (✩✩✩½) - TV 8. Batman: Under the Red Hood (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 9. The Andromeda Strain (✩✩✩½) - TV 10. The Last Man on Earth (✩✩✩✩) - TV 11. Network (✩✩½) - TV 12. Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2 (✩) - DVD 13. Starsky & Hutch (✩✩½) - TV 14. The Rundown (✩✩✩½) - TV 15. Mallrats (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 16. My Sister's Keeper (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 17. Valkyrie (✩✩✩½) - TV 18. The Anderson Tapes (✩✩✩) - TV 19. Jack Goes Boating (✩✩✩½) - DVD 20. Margin Call (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 21. Away We Go (✩✩✩½) - TV 22. Girl Fight (✩✩✩½) - TV 23. Superman & Batman: Apocalypse (✩✩✩✩) - TV 24. Pandorum (✩✩½) - TV 25. Paper Man (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 26. In Like Flint (✩✩½) - TV 27. Blood Diamond (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 28. The Invisible Man (✩✩✩✩) - TV 29. Frankenstein (✩✩✩½) - TV 30. The Dilemma (✩✩✩½) - DVD February 31. That One Night (✩✩✩½) - Internet 32. Sex Drive (✩✩½) - DVD 33. Chronicle (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 34. Couples Retreat (✩✩✩) - DVD 35. RV (✩✩✩) - TV 36. Chaos Theory (✩✩✩✩) - TV 37. Black Swan (✩✩✩✩✩) - DVD 38. One Missed Call (✩) - DVD 39. Kramer vs. Kramer (✩✩✩✩½) - TV 40. When in Rome (✩✩½) - TV 41. Love to Kill (✩✩✩) - TV 42. Possession (✩✩) - TV 43. Sex and the City 2 (✩✩✩½) - DVD 44. Little Fockers (✩✩✩½) - DVD 45. Breach: (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 46. Broken Flowers (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 47. Bronson (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 48. Edge of Darkness (✩✩✩½) - TV 49. In & Out (✩✩✩) - TV 50. Secrets of Eden (✩✩½) - TV 51. Shooter (✩✩✩½) - TV 52. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (✩✩✩½) - TV March 53. 10 Items or Less (✩✩✩½) - DVD 54. The Old Man and the Sea (✩✩✩✩) - TV 55. The Reader (✩✩✩✩✩) - TV 56. The Stunt Man (✩✩) - TV 57. Nine (✩✩✩✩) - TV 58. Untraceable (✩✩½) - DVD 59. The Quiet (✩✩✩½) - DVD 60. My Mother's Secret (✩✩½) - TV 61. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (✩✩✩½) - DVD 62. Sex and Death 101 (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 63. The Human Contract (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 64. The Craigslist Killer (✩✩✩) - TV 65. Life As We Know It (✩✩✩½) - DVD 66. She's the Man (✩✩✩) - TV 67. Witchslayer Gretl (✩½) - TV 68. The Adjustment Bureau (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 69. Young Adult (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 70. My Silent Partner (✩✩) - TV 71. Middle Men: (✩✩✩✩) - DVD - Fictionalized, but based on a true story... Luke Wilson stars as a family man who joins with two guys to build a billing company that caters to porn sites. Pretty soon, he finds himself in over his head with murder, wealth, the Russian mob, the FBI and a porn star. Great story, well acted, entertaining and funny. 72. The Rebound: (✩✩) - On Demand - Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as a 40 year old mom who leaves her cheating husband and starts a relationship with a 24 year ood guy. I can see why this movie didn't get a wide release and has been delayed on DVD. It's pretty bad. It's unpolished and tries to be funny but the humor is pretty awkward. Jones is as striking as ever, but that's about it. 73. The Descendants: (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand - George Clooney stars as a man who has to deal with his two daughters, a real estate empire, a comatose wife who has to be taken off life support, and the guy she was having an affair with. As I started watching, I thought the movie was overrated, but it grew on me and I came to like it. It had a lot of heart and wasn't totally predictable. It didn't wow me as much as last year's Up in the Air, but this was still pretty good. Shailene Woodley, who I've been watching for years on The Secret Life of the American Teenager really stole the show as his unruly daughter. It's nice to see her profile rising. Theatre: 1 DVD/Blu-Ray: 26 TV: 39 On Demand: 6 Internet: 1
40. John Carter I have never read the books this was based on (I have to do that when I find the time), but I enjoyed this film a lot. That's how you do a big budget, effects spectacle. I think it could have done without Strong's character, but if there is going to be a sequel they can develop him more.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January & February Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant John Carter 2D - free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Had passes to see 21 Jump Street for free last night. Guessin' the crowd wasn't too bad because it opened durin' the film portion of South by Southwest. My friend Maeby came out & saw it with me, and we both enjoyed it. While the premise of the show wasn't about bein' a comedy, the movie takes that route, and pokes fun at itself along the way for doin' so. And the cameos by Johnny Depp & Peter DeLuise make the whole thing worthwhile. As for the latest from Will Ferrell, the Spanish-speakin' comedy is over the top silly, and the whole story is there in the trailer. So, if ya like Will Ferrell and subtitles, go check it out. Was hopin' to see Battle Royale tonight, but the show already sold out. Gotta come up with a new plan...
Spoiler: Rest of List 1. Holy Rollers (B-) 2. The Kids Are All Right (B) 3. History of the World, Part 1 (C-) 4. Blazing Saddles (A+) 5. Scarface [1932] (B-) 6. The Purple Rose of Cairo (A) 7. Rampart (B+) 8. We Need To Talk About Kevin (A+) 9. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (B+) 10. They Live (B-) 11. Darling Companion (D) 12. A Dangerous Method (B-) 13. Haywire (C+) 14. Mission: Impossible (B+) 15. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (B+) 16. Twixt (C+) 17. Burn After Reading (B+) 18. Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (B-) 19. Drive (A) 20. Crazy Stupid Love (A) 21. The Omega Man (D) 22. The Adjustment Bureau (B+) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. Lady and the Tramp (B) 25. Hugo (A-) 26. The Secret World of Arrietty (B) 27. Twelve Angry Men (A) 28. Act of Valor (F) 29. Walker (A) 30. Lonely Are The Brave (A-) 31. Executive Action (C) 32. Three Colors: Blue (A) 33. Bright Leaves (A) 34. Photographic Memory (A) 35. The People Vs. George Lucas (C-) 36. Avatar (B-) 37. The Life of Reilly (A-) 38. Limitless (B-) 39. Star Wars (A) 40. The Empire Strikes Back (A) 41. Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (A) Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story: As a former political science major, the name Lee Atwater was familiar to me, but 21 years after his death it seems that his political legacy, rather than his name, is what lives on. This documentary films is certainly concerned with Atwater's political legacy -- he's considered by many to be the father of the modern Republican Party's school of dirty electoral tricks -- but it's also interested in the man as an individual. And what a charming, scary, funny, and frightening man he was -- all at the same time. Atwater valued winning at any cost, and he regretted that attitude on his deathbed, famously apologizing for the Willie Horton ad which he had secretly authorized, among many other things. This is a well-made, fascinating documentary; worth seeing. Theatres: 15 Home Video: 24 +1 Computer: 2
1) The Artist (2011) - A+ 2) Midnight in Paris (2011) - B 3) Tree of Life (2011) - F 4) The Descendants (2011) - B 5) Drive (2011) - B 6) Hanna (2011) - C 7) Take Shelter (2011) - A- 8) 50/50 (2011) - B 9) Baby Mama (2008) - B- 10) United 93 (2006) 11) Rango (2011) - B I went into this movie not really expecting much. Yeah it won best picture in the animated category at this year's Academy Awards, but for some reason I get leary of animated films that are not done by Pixar. For the most part, with some various exceptions, I find them lame and corny, trying to hard to be funny and falling on it's face. Well, I got a little bit of that in this movie, starring Johnny Depp as the Lizard Rango, but as the movie went on, I actually started to get into it. Probably when he first arrives in the town of Dirt (Love that by the way given the context of the movie), the movie improved significantly and actually became really good. It's not the best animated film I've seen and there are a few fun bits, but for what it was I enjoyed it and the message it had at the end. Theatre: 2 BluRay: 4 (+1) On Demand/TV: 1 Itunes: 4
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January & February Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant John Carter 2D - free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant Hangin' out at Angie & Ted's place today, 'til I gotta go to work and found the James Garner western comedy to watch. I've seen Support Your Local Sheriff plenty of times, and this one has virtually the same cast, but its a completely different set of characters, settin' & story. Not quite done with this one yet, but I can say I like ...Sheriff more.