46. Salami Aleikum A pretty standard love story (guy lies to a girl - in this case about the profession of his father - because he wants her to love him, but we're still supposed to root for him) with some funny moments. For the most part I found it quite boring, only the actor playing the father of the boy impressed me, because so far I've known him mostly for acting in short sketches and being a guest in panel shows.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March 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/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission My plan to see Hunger Games this mornin' got postponed, wound up seein' Wrath of the Titans 3D again with my friend Maeby. Went to see Titanic in 3D afterward...haven't seen that movie all the way through since I went to see it with high school friends back in '97. Same story & all, the 3D really doesn't add much to the movie itself. Worth seein' for free, of course. My job is so awesome.
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-) 31. Being There (B) 32. Coriolanus (C+) 33. To Catch A Thief (B+) 34. A Separation (A+) 35. The Hunger Games (B+) 36. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (A) 37. Saturday Night Fever (A-) 38. The Tree of Life (A-) 39. Hero (B-) I got this DVD back in about 2003, and I think this is the first time I've watched it since then. Anyway, Zhang Yimou sells out and loves it, producing one of the more prominent entries in the post-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon wave of wuxia films that attracted notice in the West. It's a little ponderous, and overuses slo-mo (the lack of blood also becomes a bid risible), but the production design and photography are excellent, and the performances all have their moments. It's pretty easy to read this as propaganda for why China should be allowed to conquer Tibet and Taiwan, but the "ends versus means" question is a universal one, so the movie's stance isn't really that unusual. Cinema: 10 Home Video: 24 (+1) Computer: 5
Was trying to think of what I saw this year. I think Ghost Protocol was the last flick I saw in theaters and that was last year. I think I watched Lincoln Lawyer, Limitless and Warrior on Blu-ray this year though.
This is one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen. The action, color and cinematography are all fantastic. It's like a moving painting at times. I don't remember the slo-mo offhand, but the scene where Jet Li cuts through the water sticks in my mind.
47. The Pirates! Band of Misfits The latest stop-motion picture from Aardman Animations and it's hilarious. I loved pretty much every moment of it and there were times I wished I could use freeze frame, because so many gags were hidden in each scene I couldn't catch them all. Also: Since this is based on a series of books, I'm really hoping they'll do a sequel to this one.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March 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/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission The Hunger Games - free admission Mirror, Mirror - free admission American Reunion - free admission Justice League: Doom - DVD Had a staff meetin' yesterday mornin' at the theater, wound up stayin' all day 'til my shift last night. Saw The Hunger Games with one of the cooks, and Mirror, Mirror on my own. I liked THG - very cool movie, with an interestin' story and quite a bit of action. Not at all like Battle Royale, though both share the central theme of kids killin' kids in a fearful future. Went to see it again today with a friend of mine, and it was still good the second time. M,M was gawd awfully dumb. Julia Roberts looked good, of course, but she always does, she's Julia Roberts. But the movie was too tongue in cheek/meta for me, and the outdoors scenes were too painfully obvious stage sets. Sadly, I'll be seein' it again tomorrow with another friend of mine. Got into an evenin' show of AR after today's viewin' of THG. Pretty funny & consistent with the theatrical releases, if not the direct to DVD spinoffs. Not sure if I'll see another movie later tonight or not... - edit, to add - Wound up nappin' for a couple of hours instead of goin' to a late night movie. Watched a DVD instead. The latest from DC Animated was pretty good - I especially liked that they used previous voice cast for the major heroes, though a bit disappointed that Teen Titan talent didn't voice Cyborg. Ah, well... I thought it was a bit short - only 77 minutes. Could have been a bit longer. Worth pickin' up on a sale price, which I did, but not a full $15 to $20 I've seen it priced at.
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-) 31. Being There (B) 32. Coriolanus (C+) 33. To Catch A Thief (B+) 34. A Separation (A+) 35. The Hunger Games (B+) 36. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (A) 37. Saturday Night Fever (A-) 38. The Tree of Life (A-) 39. Hero (B-) 40. Boogie Nights (A+) I saw There Will Be Blood when it came out, but other then that I never got around to the rest of Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography. But he's got a new film out this year, after a five-year gap, so I figured it was time to get on that. In this case, there was a three-pack of this, Magnolia and (for whatever reason) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on Blu-ray for $35. I'd seen that last one already, but I wouldn't mind seeing it again. This sprawling story set in the 70s/80s porn industry (I kept waiting for AIDS to come up, but it never did) features by far the best Mark Wahlberg performance I've seen to date, and a bevy of prominent supporting roles (the film made me realize that it's been years since I saw a new film with William H. Macy in it), with special honours going to Julianne Moore. I liked Anderson's story approach, which becomes dark as it goes on, but never descends into utter nihilism, and he has a great sense for black humour in places. In some ways this feels like a weird companion piece to Ed Wood, which also featured a close-knit filmmaking crew pursuing artistic dreams in spite of circumstance and serious delusions about their talent. Cinema: 10 Home Video: 25 (+1) Computer: 5
Went to see Wrath of the Titans last night. What a terrible fucking movie, it honestly seemed like the script was about fifteen pages with the effects padding it out to a two hour movie.
Yeah, I don't hand out the term "got bored" during a movie lightly and I did during Wrath of Titans. So, let down by that film.
48. Singin' in the Rain Well, another film about a film star during the change from silent films to "talkies". Funnily enough, the parts I liked best about it were the ones where they didn't talk (like the vaudeville inspired dance and slapstick numbers), but otherwise I didn't like it that much.
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) 42. Machete (C+) 43. Unmasking The Idol (D-) 44. Alien (A+) 45. The Raid: Redemption (B-) 46. Attenberg (B) 47. 21 Jump Street (C+) 48 Piranha 3D (C+) Piranha (3D): Stupid, but fun (intentionally so, on both counts). Like the original Piranha films, this is in many ways a cheap knock-off of Jaws, so it's appropriate it begins with a brief cameo from Richard Dreyfuss, more or less playing Hooper again. It's telling that many of the actors cast in the movie are known for playing comedy; happily, the film doesn't take this nonsense at all seriously. Still, it has plenty of truly awful CGI effects, and in 2D the gotcha 3D moments are even dumber than usual. The movie also falls a part a bit with the characters; even the ones who are supposed to be smart can be pretty dumb at times (the elaborate rescue scenario that closes the film makes little to no sense, even in light the film's tone). There's a sequel coming, although I can't imagine it will have much ground to add that this hasn't already covered (besides the title, Piranha 3DD, which is as crass as it is fitting). Theatres: 18 Home Video: 28 +1 Computer: 2
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March 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/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission The Hunger Games - free admission Mirror, Mirror - free admission American Reunion - free admission Justice League: Doom - DVD W. - DVD Night of the Running Man - Netflix Instant Watched Oliver Stone's W. on DVD early this mornin' since I couldn't sleep. The movie absolutely terrified me. Still, a pretty good look at the first term of the second Bush White House. Saw Mirror, Mirror for the second time today, this time with my friend Barbara...I think I liked it more 'cause I was ready for how bad it would be. Hangin' out with my friends, and Angie picked Night of the Running Man on her Netflix Instant Queue. She picked it 'cause of Andrew McCarthy, and it also has Scott Glenn & John Glover. Seemed like a basic cable sort of movie, except for all the nudity, swearin' & violence. And I could have gone my whole life without seein' Scott Glenn in a sex scene. And that POS movie was the 100th new to me movie I've seen this year! Watchin' Lethal Weapon now, not countin' it on the list, though, since I've seen it before...but Angie hasn't, so its new to her.
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-) 31. Being There (B) 32. Coriolanus (C+) 33. To Catch A Thief (B+) 34. A Separation (A+) 35. The Hunger Games (B+) 36. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (A) 37. Saturday Night Fever (A-) 38. The Tree of Life (A-) 39. Hero (B-) 40. Boogie Nights (A+) 41. Magnolia (A-) Anderson's second big film. Too flawed to really be a magnum opus, but you could certainly argue for it as a singular artistic statement. It contains many scenes of incredible artistry and power; however, the connective tissue doesn't always hold together, and gradually you realize various things that didn't come together at the end (most notably the entire murder plot). Fascinating, nonetheless. I do wonder whether Tom Cruise will be leading the protests against The Master, though. Cinema: 10 Home Video: 26 (+1) Computer: 5
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) 42. Machete (C+) 43. Unmasking The Idol (D-) 44. Alien (A+) 45. The Raid: Redemption (B-) 46. Attenberg (B) 47. 21 Jump Street (C+) 48. Piranha 3D (C+) 49. The Hunger Games (C-) The Hunger Games: I haven't read the books, nor do I have much inclination to, but friends wanted to see the movie, so I went along. There are really three major problems with this one. The first is plausibility; the world the film presents doesn't make any sense, and while I'm sure the books have more detail, I have a hard time believing that it could explain away this nonsense. The second is exposition; characters are constantly telling each other things that both should know. This is most evident with Stanley Tucci's announcer (He must say "As you well know" at least half a dozen times), but it's not limited to his character. The third is the PG-13 rating; there's little blood and handheld photography is often employed -- not on aesthetic grounds, but to prevent the audience from seeing minors engaged in violent, lethal acts against one another. On top of that, Katniss gets out of killing other characters at every possible opportunity (it was the bees, another tribute did it, etc.). For a movie that's about kids killing other kids, this one sure doesn't have any teeth. Don't get me wrong. Outside of some shoddy CGI (the movie did come in at $75 million), the film is technically proficient and well acted (Lawrence is exceptional; I should really see Winter's Bone). But...it's little more than that. Theatres: 19 +1 Home Video: 28 Computer: 2
Updates in Bold: 47 Ronin (7) Bad Boys (8) Battle of Los Angles (9) Blade of the Phantom Master (8) Daybreakers (5) First Squad: The Moment of Truth (8) Gantz: Perfect Answer (7) Golgo 13: The Professional (6) Green Hornet (6) Heaven's Lost Property: The Angeloid of Clockwork (5) Hellboy: Blood and Iron (8) Hellboy: Sword of Storms (6) Hunger Games (4) John Carter (9) King of Thorn (9) Legend of the Millennium Dragon (7) Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid (9) Lupin the 3rd: Return of Pycal (7) Mardock Scramble: The First Compression (Director's Cut) (9) Negima!: Final (7) Nydenion (7) Redline (10) Robotech II: The Sentinels (6) Safe House (2012) (8) Salt (7) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (5) Underworld: Awakening (8) Wrath of the Titans (7)
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 72. The Rebound (✩✩) - On Demand 73. The Descendants (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand 74. Melancholia (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand 75. Walking the Halls (✩✩✩) - TV 76. Hoodwinked! (✩✩✩½) - TV 77. 21 Jump Street (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 78. Clerks II (✩✩✩½) - TV 79. Henry's Crime (✩✩✩½) - DVD 80. Hannah Montana: The Movie (✩✩✩½) - DVD 81. Chasing Amy (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 82. The Hunger Games (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 83. Like Crazy (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand 84. Newlyweds (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 85. Dear John (✩✩✩) - TV 86. Carriers (✩✩½) - TV 87. The Karate Kid (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 88. Vertical Limit (✩✩✩) - DVD 89. Killers (✩✩½) - DVD 90. Cyberbully (✩✩½) - On Demand 91. The Change-Up (✩✩✩) - On Demand 92. 50/50 (✩✩✩✩½) - On Demand 93. The Seven Year Itch (✩✩✩) - TV 94. Confined (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 95. Love Happens (✩✩✩) - TV April 96. La Jetée (✩✩✩✩) - TV 97. Some Like It Hot (✩✩✩) - TV 98. Starman: (✩✩✩) - DVD - An alien crash lands on Earth, takes the form of a woman's dead husband and gets her to take him cross-country to a landing site so that he can go home. Chasing them is a government agent. Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen star. A very average and predictable movie, but I'm glad I finally saw it. I used to watch the show in the 80s and wanted to see where it all began. The show picks up some years later when the alien returns to Earth. The same agent is on the show, but is played by a different actor. [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoISB8FK0vM[/yt] 99. Adam: (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD - A 20-something guy with asperger's syndrome, a condition that makes it difficult to socialize, meets a young lady and they have a relationship. Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne star. This was a fantastic movie. One of the best I've seen this year. Hugh Dancy's performance was great and the story is very gripping and sad in a way, given the main character's struggle through life. I highly recomend this one. A lot of us have had difficulty in social situations or in relationships, and that makes this a relatable movie even for those who don't have asperger's. 100. The Other Woman: (✩✩½) - DVD - I got this to see more of Natalie Portman. She plays a man's second wife, who also has to deal with his son, his ex and the fact that she recently lost a baby due to SID. Not a terrible movie, but not great either. 101. The Good Night: (✩✩✩) - DVD - A man who's having difficulty with a dead marriage turns to lucid dreaming to live out his fantasies with a woman in a dream he had. Sherlock's Martin Freeman stars. His wife is played by Gwyneth Paltrow, the woman in his dream is played by Penelope Cruz and the guy who runs the lucid dream workshop he goes to is played by Danny DeVito. It's a fascinating movie for those interested in lucid dreaming, but it doesn't delve too deeply into the subject matter. 102. The Spy Next Door: (✩✩) - TV - A single mom and her kids live next door to a boring man named Bob Ho, but little do they know that he's a spy. Stars Jackie Chan. This one's a barely watchable kiddy movie. 103. Paranormal Activity: (✩✩✩½) - TV - A "found footage" movie about a couple dealing with a ghost in their house. It's gripping and scary at times. Can't wait to see the sequels that I hear are actually prequels. 104. Breakaway: (✩✩½) - TV - A Canadian movie about a young guy from a sikh community who wants to play hockey against the wishes of his more traditional father. Stars unknown actor Vinay Virmani who also wrote it, but it was Russell Peters and Camilla Belle that got me to watch. Rob Lowe and Noureen DeWulf are also in it. Disappointing movie, but I liked the all-star cast. Theatre: 3 DVD/Blu-Ray: 36 TV: 51 On Demand: 13 Internet: 1
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March 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/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission The Hunger Games - free admission Mirror, Mirror - free admission American Reunion - free admission Justice League: Doom - DVD W. - DVD Night of the Running Man - Netflix Instant The Trial of the Incredible Hulk - DVD Second of two features on the $5 DVD I picked up last week, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk has David Banner (Bill Bixby) in New York City, accused of a crime he didn't commit, with Daredevil (Rex Smith) as his lawyer & the Kingpin (John Rys-Davies) as the bad guy. Watchin' it now, and the big question is, why doesn't the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) have a beard? David Banner has one...and they are sharin' the same body.
^ I heard that they wanted to do a whole series of Hulk movies that teamed him up with other Marvel heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man and She-Hulk. Too bad none of that came to pass. Might have been an interesting thing to see back then.