Spoiler: The rest of my list... 1. Jack Reacher (C+) 2. The Help (B+) 3. The Silver Linings Playbook (A-) 4. Kramer vs. Kramer (A-) 5. Super 8 (B+) 6. Hugo (B+) 7. Zero Dark Thirty (A) 8. Miss Bala (A-) 9. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 10. Trainspotting (B+) 11. True Grit (A) 12. Casino Royale (A-) 13. Le Mepris (D) 14. On the Road (B) 15. Barbara (B+) 16. Side Effects (B+) 17. Tom Jones (B+) 18. Les Miserables: Part 1: Tempest in a Skull (A-) 19. Les Miserables: Part 2: The Thenardiers (A-) 20. Les Miserables: Part 3: Liberty, Sweet Liberty (A) 21. Rust and Bone (B) 22. GoldenEye (A+) 23. Argo (A) 24. Cool Hand Luke (B+) 25. The Wild Bunch (A) 26. Quantum of Solace (B-) 27. Contact (B+) This used to run on TBS a lot, so I saw it a few times, but this was my first watch in several years. If nothing, it reminds one how good it is to have Robert Zemeckis back making live action movies, after a squandered decade, because few directors would attempt a movie like this (or get the money for it). All the same, not a perfect movie by any means. The idea to focus on the real-world political/societal conflicts around first contact is a good one, but some aspects are seriously oversimplified; notably, the science/religion dichotomy more or less treats religion as a monolith, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Drumlin wins the initial job by making a big show of his belief in God, by which he presumbly means the Christian God, but you would think this would raise a huge interfaith controversy that the movie totally ignores (it's a bit unfair, I guess, but one tends to be more rigourous with movies that obviously have a brain in their head). As well, the "realistic" explanation proposed by James Woods' character at the end of the movie is so transparently preposterous that it's very hard to see why anyone would believe it. That said, it's quite an interesting piece of work, featuring an amazing lead performance from Jodie Foster. Matthew McConaughey is a really odd choice for the sort of role he plays; he's not bad, by any means, but it's weird. The whole thing also makes a very interesting time capsule of mid-1990s culture and concerns (and technology). Cinema: 7 Home Video: 19 (+1) Computer: 1
Academy Award Consideration Screeners: Silver Linings Playbook Les Miserables Flight Promised Land Looper Skyfall The Dark Knight Rises Wreck-It Ralph End of Watch Lincoln Django Unchained Argo At the Theater: Django Unchained A Good Day To Die Hard Phantom Netflix DVD Rental: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows The Legend of Zorro Terminator Salvation Love and Other Drugs W. Emma Quantum of Solace Insomnia The Incredible Hulk The Avengers Wonder Woman Iron Man The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn, Part II
Spoiler: The rest of my list. January 1. You Again (✩✩½) - Live TV 2. Vanishing Point (✩✩✩½) - DVD 3. Cyrus (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 4. The Thing (✩✩✩) - Blu-ray 5. Zero Dark Thirty (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 6. Django Unchained (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 7. Inglourious Basterds (✩✩✩) - Live TV 8. American Splendor (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 9. Soul Surfer (✩✩✩) - DVD 10. 30 Minutes or Less (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 11. To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 12. Moby Dick (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 13. Just Go With It (✩✩✩) - Live TV 14. Battle Los Angeles (✩) - Download 15. Mama (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 16. Gangster Squad (✩✩✩½) - Theatre February 17. The Lucky Ones (✩✩✩) - Live TV 18. The Tourist (✩✩½) - Live TV 19. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (✩✩) - Live TV 20. The Watcher (✩✩✩) - Live TV 21. After Sex (✩✩✩) - Download 22. Sex and Breakfast (✩✩✩) - Download 23. Textuality (✩✩✩½) - Download 24. I Am Number Four (✩✩½) - DVD 25. Waiting for "Superman" (✩✩✩✩) - Blu-ray 26. A Good Day to Die Hard (✩✩✩) - Theatre 27. Dorian Gray (✩✩✩) - DVD 28. Cougars Inc. (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 29. Tasmanian Devils (✩) - Live TV 30. Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (✩✩✩½) - Blu-ray 31. The Promotion (✩✩) - DVD 32. Barney's Version (✩✩✩½) - DVD 33. The Best and the Brightest (✩✩½) - Download 34. Upside Down (✩✩✩✩) - Download March 35. Seven Psychopaths (✩✩½) - Download 36. Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle (✩✩✩½) - YouTube - This film was released to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Super Sentai, the Japanese version of Power Rangers. This is the first time I've seen the Japanese version (it was also the first time I watched anything on YouTube on my television). It was nice to see how differently they do things. Most noteable is a more mature tone that wouldn't be too kid friendly in the west. If I'm not mistaken, this movie will become part of the current season of Power Rangers called Power Rangers Megaforce. Theatre: 5 Blu-ray: 3 DVD: 10 Live TV: 10 Netflix: 0 Download: 7 YouTube: 1
1) This Is 40 - C+ 2) Easy A - A- 3) The Bounty Hunter - B+ 4) Crazy, Stupid, Love. - B- 5) What To Expect When You're Expecting - B+ 6) Contagion - C 7) Identity Thief - A 8) We Bought A Zoo - A- 9) The Ides of March - B+ 10) Top Gun - C+ Sure, it's the prototypical guy movie, but god this has no plot. Tom Cruise is brash, Tom Cruise has traumatic moment, Tom Cruise hits his low point, Tom Cruise is redeemed. It's a popcorn flick, nothing else. 11) It Could Happen To You - B+ This is an old Nicolas Cage film and it was on the Family Channel, so you can tell it's going to be a good family movie. Cage's beat cop meets a down on her luck waitress played by Bridget Fonda and offers to split the winnings of a lottery ticket when he doesn't have a tip for lunch. He wins $4 million dollars and being the upstanding man he is, keeps his word. His wife, who is written over the top, is less than impressed and of course Cage and Fonda fall in love. But somehow it makes you care.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January & February Playback - Netflix Instant Parenthood (1989) - DVD Young Adult - Netflix Instant Django (1966) - free admission Django Unchained (2012) - free admission Housesitter - DVD The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - YouTube The Sting - free admission This is 40 - free admission The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3D/HFR - free admission/free admission Parental Guidance - free admission The Sting II - Netflix Instant Abduction - Netflix Instant Dial M for Murder 3D - free admission Gangster Squad - free admission Zero Dark Thirty - free admission Treasure Planet - Netflix Instant The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption - Netflix Instant Commando - Netflix Instant Battle Royale II - Netflix Instant The Invisible War - Netflix Instant Texas Chainsaw 3D - free admission Lawrence of Arabia - free admission Ron White: A Little Unprofessional - DVD Valkyrie - DVD Our Man Flint - DVD Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap - Netflix Instant Margin Call - Netflix Instant In Like Flint - DVD Purple Rain - free admission Mama - free admission The High and the Mighty - DVD Dave Chappelle's Block Party - DVD Black X-Mas (2006) - DVD Bad Teacher - DVD They Live - free admission Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 3D/2D - free admission/free admission Inglourious Basterds - DVD The Last Stand - free admission The Night of the Hunter - free admission Warm Bodies - free admission P.S. I Love You - DVD The Lake House - DVD Alonzo Bodden: Who's Paying Attention? - Netflix Instant Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 - Netflix Instant Side by Side - free admission Pennies from Heaven - free admission Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid- DVD The Lonely Guy - DVD Batman: The Dark Knigth Returns, Part Two - DVD Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt - DVD Side Effects - free admission Funny Girl - free admission Christopher Titus: Neverlution - YouTube Ralphie May: Just Correct - YouTube Top Gun 3D - IMAX Fourplay: Tales of Sexual Intimacy - free admission 'Salem's Lot(2004) - DVD Body of Lies - DVD 2013 Oscar-Nominated Shorts, Animated - free admission 2013 Oscar-Nominated Shorts, Live Action - free admission A Good Day to Die Hard - free admission Last Chance Harvey - DVD Paul Williams Still Alive - free admission The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - DVD Invasion of the Blood Farmers - free admission Safety Not Guaranteed - Netflix Instant One Life - free admission Identity Thief - free admission The Switch - Netflix Instant John Dies at the End - free admission Singin' in the Rain - free admission Benny & Joon - free admission Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater - Netflix Instant I'm No Dummy - Netflix Instant The Adventures of Tintin - Netflix Instant Beautiful Creatures - free admission Snitch - free admission Dark Skies - free admission The Queen - USA Network A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III - free admission Safe - DVD The Mechanic - DVD Jack the Giand Slayer 3D - free admission Happy People: A Year in the Taiga - free admission The Wiz - free admission I went into work early Sunday night to see JtGS 3D show. I didn't care for it much...yeah, its an update of a fairy tale, so the villians are obvious, the endin' is telegraphed, and the story is pretty simple all the way through. But that's no excuse for bad CGI and a cash grab for 3D upcharges. I did like Ewan McGregor's captain of the guard, though. He was a fun character. Went to the Ritz last night for a couple of movies. HP:AYitT is a Werner Herzog documentary about a village in the middle of Siberia. Herzog basically follows a hunter around from spring to winter, while also pickin' out a few others in the village to highlight, like the WWII veteran, the guy who makes dugout canoes, the local drunks who do menial labor, and so on. I thought it was an interestin' look at a way of life that would kill me. So, of course, afterward, I overheard a couple of guys talkin' in the restroom about how they could live like that, givin' the proper skill set. Assholes. I followed that up with my first viewin' of The Wiz, the urban update of The Wizard of Oz with Diana Ross, Michael Jackson & Richard Pryor. That must have been the easiest payday for Pryor, ever. It was silly and over the top and it took me forever to figure out the thing on Michael Jackson's nose was a peanut butter cup wrapper! Got a plan to attend the employee screenin' of Wrong, the next movie from Drafthouse Films, tonight.
Spoiler: The rest of my list... 1. Jack Reacher (C+) 2. The Help (B+) 3. The Silver Linings Playbook (A-) 4. Kramer vs. Kramer (A-) 5. Super 8 (B+) 6. Hugo (B+) 7. Zero Dark Thirty (A) 8. Miss Bala (A-) 9. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 10. Trainspotting (B+) 11. True Grit (A) 12. Casino Royale (A-) 13. Le Mepris (D) 14. On the Road (B) 15. Barbara (B+) 16. Side Effects (B+) 17. Tom Jones (B+) 18. Les Miserables: Part 1: Tempest in a Skull (A-) 19. Les Miserables: Part 2: The Thenardiers (A-) 20. Les Miserables: Part 3: Liberty, Sweet Liberty (A) 21. Rust and Bone (B) 22. GoldenEye (A+) 23. Argo (A) 24. Cool Hand Luke (B+) 25. The Wild Bunch (A) 26. Quantum of Solace (B-) 27. Contact (B+) 28. Wooden Crosses (A-) The other movie that came in the Criterion Eclipse collection of Raymond Bernard's early sound films, this is a 1932 war epic following soon on the heels of All Quiet on the Western Front, to which it makes a good companion piece. Like that movie, it's about a newcomer to the First World War, and his loss of ideals; it's less character-centred than the earlier movie, and, as with Les Miserables, Bernard has a tendency to lose his characters for long stretches in the middle of big sweeping scenes with crowds (battles, in this case). But those battle scenes are truly stunning -- literally decades ahead of their time. The effects, editing, and camerawork are amazing. Cinema: 7 Home Video: 20 (+1) Computer: 1
Spoiler: 2010 viewed movies I didn't start in the thread till August that year, partial list Piranha 3D: C+ Book of Eli: B Lethal Weapon: A Lethal Weapon 2: A- Lethal Weapon 3: B Lethal Weapon 4: C+ The Crow: A Clash of the Titans: B+ Prince of Persia: B The Fountain: D Resident Evil: A- Resident Evil: Apocalypse: B Resident Evil: Extinction: B- Resident Evil: Afterlife: B Resident Evil: Degeneration(animated): B Bad Boys: B+ Zombieland: B The Evil Dead: B- R.E.D.: B 30 Days of Night: Dark Days: B+ Conviction: A- Crazies(2010): A- Paranormal Activity: A+ Paranormal Activity 2: A Shutter Island: B- Gamer: F Last House on the Left(orig): D+ Thirst(asian film): C- The Hills Have Eyes: B When In Rome: B- Dr.Horrible Sing-A-Long: A Expelled No Intelligence Allowed(doc): B Zombie Strippers: D Mammoth: D+ Everyone Else: D Dark Ages(doc): A Batman vs Dracula(anim): A- Independence Day: A Robin Hood(2010-Crowe): B Taken: A Only You: B- Momma Mia: C High Plains Drifter: C Joe Kid: A- Tron Legacy: B Voyage of the DawnTreader: B+ Tourist: B Duchess: B Blade Runner: B+ Men In Black: A Jumper: B- Interview with the Vampire: A- Brideshead Revisted: B Wizard of Oz: A Gone With the Wind: A True Grit: A Spoiler: 2011 viewed movies 1. The Fighter: B- 2. Batman(90's saga): A-,B-,C-,D 3. Star Wars OT-Special Edition: B+, A, B 4. The Green Hornet: B 5. True Grit(1969): C+ 6. Lord of the Rings saga: (A,A,A) 7. The Machinist: A- 8. Season of the Witch: B 9. Frozen: A- 10. Due Date: B+ 11. Planet of the Apes(2001): B- 12. Faster: C 13. Romance: D (French film, subtitled) 14. YPF: C- (YPF=Young People F*&^ing) 15. The Beautiful Truth: B- 16. Strictly Sexual: C+ 17. DOOM: C 18. Brothers: B+ 19. Men In Black II: B- 20. The Crow: Wicked Prayer: C- 21. The Soloist: C 22. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love: C+ 23. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: B- 24. Battle in Heaven: C+ (Mexican film, subtitled) 25. Legion: B- 26. Battle: LA: B+ 27. Righteous Kill: B 28. Dracula II: Ascension: B- 29. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: D 30. You Don't Mess With the Zohan: C+ 31. Finding Bliss: C 32. Dracula III: Legacy: B- 33. Tangled: B+ 34. Paul Blart Mall Cop: C- 35. Chloe: B 36. Kung Fu Panda: B- 37. Centurion: B 38. The People I've Slept With: C 39. Grown Ups: B- 40. The Conspirator: A- 41. XXX: State of the Union: C+ 42. Fast Five: B+ 43. THOR: A- 44. Priest: D+ 45. The Fourth Kind: B+ 46. POTC: On Stranger Tides: B- 47. Turtles Forever: A- 48. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story: B+ 49. Easy A: A 50. Inception: B 51. #1 Cheerleader Camp: D 52. Freakanomics: C+ 53. Green Lantern: C 54. The American: C- 55. Super 8: A 56. Green Lantern: First Flight: B 57. Transformers: Dark of the Moon: B- 58. 9 Songs: F 59. Kings Speech: A- 60. Whiteout: C+ 61. Passion Play: D+ 62. Captain America: The First Avenger: A- 63. Marley & Me: A 64. Date Night: C+ 65. Frantic: B+ 66. Presumed Innocent: A 67. Invictus: A 68. Rocky: A 69. Hurt Locker: A+ 70. Rocky II: C+ 71. Rocky III: B+ 72. Rocky IV: A 73. Cowboys & Aliens: B 74. Wonder Woman (DC Animated): B+ 75. Rocky V: B- 76. Conan The Barbarian('11): B- 77. Dinner for Schmucks: D 78. Nothing But the Truth: B 79. Snow Angels: B+ 80. Everybody's Fine: C- 81. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: A+ 82. Fragments: C+ 83. Fright Night ('11): A- 84. Cold Comfort Farm: D 85. Machete: C- 86. The Queen: A 87. Public Enemies: B+ 88. Drive Angry: D 89. Red Riding Hood: C+ 90. Fright Night ('85): B 91. Love & Other Drugs: B 92. X-Files: I Want to Believe - B+ 93. Source Code: A- 94. Paranormal Activity 3: A 95. Rachel Getting Married: C 96. Love Guru: F 97. Funny People: C- 98. Win Win: B+ 99. Everything Must Go: B 100. Scott Pilgrim vs The World: D+ 101. American Ninja: D 102. Revenge of the Ninja: D 103. Lonesome Dove: A 104. Black Swan: B 105. Westworld: B 106. Fireproof: A- 107. Mission Impossible(4):Ghost Protocol: A 108. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A 109. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: A- 110. Belly: D- 111. Despicable Me: B+ Spoiler: 2012 viewed 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 14. Hunger Games: B+ 15. Wrath of the Titans: C 16. Cabin In the Woods: B+ 17. The Rum Diary: C 18. The Eagle: C+ 19. The Avengers: A+ 20. The Adjustment Bureau: A 21. Sucker Punch: B- 22. Knight & Day: C+ 23. Mechanic: B 24. Devil: A 25. Dark Shadows: C+ 26. Men In Black 3: B- 27. Columbiana: B 28. Haywire: C 29. Snow White and the Huntsman: B- 30. Meet the Parents: A- 31. Meet the Fockers: B 32. Prometheus: B 33. Chernobyl Dairies: B- 34. Little Fockers: B- 35. Halloween III: Season of the Witch: B+ 36. Winters Bone: B+ 37. Battleship: A- 38. Much Ado About Nothing: B+ 39. Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs: B 40. Beauty & the Beast: A+ 41. Bambi: A- 42. Sex & the City 2: D+ 43. Top Gun: B 44. Abraham Lincoln-Vampire Hunter: B- 45. Brave: B+ 46. Kill Bill vol.1: A- 47. Kill Bill vol.2: B 48. The Amazing Spider-man: B- 49. Virgin Territory: C- 50. 21 Jump Street: B+ 51. The Dark Knight Rises: A- 52. Sicko: C 53. Capitalism A Love Story: C 54. Seven Pounds: B 55. Hot Fuzz: B 56. Total Recall (2012): A- 57. Total Recall (1990): B+ 58. Hardware: D+ 59. The Bourne Legacy: A- 60. Once Upon A Time in the West: B- 61. Expendables 2: B+ 62. Hangover 2: C 63. Moneyball: A- 64. Adventures of Tin Tin: B- 65. 2016 Obama's America: A- 66. Unknown: B 67. No Strings Attached: B+ 68. Megamind: A- 69. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies: A- 70. Halloween 4:Return of Michael Myers: A- 71. Halloween 5:Revenge of Michael Myers: B+ 72. Halloween The Curse of Michael Myers: B 73. Halloween H2O: A 74. Halloween Resurrection: C+ 75. The Day the Earth Stood Still(2008): B 76. Looper: A- 77. Smart People: C- 78. Atlas Shrugged-Part One: B 79. Dredd: A- 80. Bridesmaids: C- 81. Taken 2: B 82. Atlas Shrugged-Part Two: C+ 83. Alex Cross: A- 84. RockNRolla: B- 85. Paranormal Activity 4: B 86. Argo: A+ 87. Skyline: F 88. Cop Out: D 89. Skyfall: A 90. Red Dawn (2012): B- 91. Dracula (1979): B 92. Dracula (2009): C+ 93. Slither: B- 94. Your Highness: F 95. Goldeneye: A 96. Whistleblower: B+ 97. The Town: A+ 98. Ted: A 99. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: B+ 100. Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: A 101. Jack Reacher: A- 102. Django Unchained: B+ Spoiler: Movies viewed first time in 2013 The 2013 list: 1. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas: C- 2. Les Miserables(2012): B 3. Lincoln: A+ 4. Parental Guidance: C+ 5. Warm Bodies: B 6. Waiting for Superman: B 7. Grindhouse: Planet Terror: B- 8. Grindhouse: Death Proof: C+ 9. Zero Dark Thirty: A 10. Last Stand: B 11. Red Tails: A- 12. Hansel & Gretel-Witch Hunters: C- 13. Parker: B- 14. Bullet to the Head: B+ 15. Judge Dredd(1995): C 16. The Mist: B+ 17. A Good Day to Die Hard: B- 18. Fired Up: C+ 19. Fling: C 20. Ask the Dust: D+ 21. Mulan: A- 22. The Lovely Bones: B 23. The Initiation of Sarah: D Wow, just WOW, this had to have been either DDVD or a TV movie tele-film cause it's pretty bad. It came up in Netflix as a recommendation cause of other Summer Gleau films I'd seen. I read the description and thought, ok, competing witch covens disguised as sororities both seeking the powerful "one". It also has Jennifer Tilly(house mistress of the "good" coven) representing Gaea an the Earth goddess and Morgan Fairchild--let that sink in--who is the "mother" of the twin girls, of which Summer is one, that might be "the one". Summer(I don't even recall the characters names other than Sarah cause I don't know that actress) plays the daughter whose always bent over backward or been forced to comply to things cause Sarah was unusual. They had a dorky nickname in high school and Summer's character is ready for a fresh start and their "mother" has told them all about how great the "evil" sorority is. The evil sorority is of course tied in with demons and it seems the blood of "the one" is required by the demon to grant the women of the sorority their power and pseudo immortality. If the demon can't have "the one" the blood of a virgin always buys time and it seem Sarah's new love interest is one and they capture him to force her hand. Once she and him escape she promptly does what needs to be done to save him....she has sex with him. We find out that both twins contain the blood power the demon wants and the evil coven turns on Summer and are going to sacrifice her. Sarah stops them and the film ends with the good coven marching down the street of soroity row in their cloaks, in the dark with leaves blowing while a rock ballad plays. Pretty bad but saved from an outright F grade cause it was, unintentionally, funny enough and the affects weren't quite Art Asylum bad. It was such a state of bizarre that I kinda kept watching to see if it would redeem itself or just get cheesier.
Updates in Bold: Batman: The Mystery of the Batwoman (7) Bleach Movie 4: Hell Verse (9) Blood-C: The Last Dark (6) Broken City (7) Bullet to the Head (7) Dragon Lord (6) Fairy Tail: Priestess of the Pheonix (8) Gangster Squad (8) A Good Day to Die Hard (7) The Grey (8) The Illusionist (10) The Last Stand (8) Library War: Wings of Revolution (9) Metal Skin Panic: Madox 01 (6) Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion-Theatrical version (9) Operation Condor (7) Operation Condor 2: Armour of God (5) Parker (8) Rurouni Kenshin (2012) (8) Tripping the Rift: The Movie (6) Tucker and Dale VS Evil (6) Twin Dragons (7) Current Total: 22
Spoiler: The rest of my list... 1. Jack Reacher (C+) 2. The Help (B+) 3. The Silver Linings Playbook (A-) 4. Kramer vs. Kramer (A-) 5. Super 8 (B+) 6. Hugo (B+) 7. Zero Dark Thirty (A) 8. Miss Bala (A-) 9. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 10. Trainspotting (B+) 11. True Grit (A) 12. Casino Royale (A-) 13. Le Mepris (D) 14. On the Road (B) 15. Barbara (B+) 16. Side Effects (B+) 17. Tom Jones (B+) 18. Les Miserables: Part 1: Tempest in a Skull (A-) 19. Les Miserables: Part 2: The Thenardiers (A-) 20. Les Miserables: Part 3: Liberty, Sweet Liberty (A) 21. Rust and Bone (B) 22. GoldenEye (A+) 23. Argo (A) 24. Cool Hand Luke (B+) 25. The Wild Bunch (A) 26. Quantum of Solace (B-) 27. Contact (B+) 28. Wooden Crosses (A-) 29. American Graffiti (A-) Damn, George, what happened? How did you go from this to the painfully unreal inhabitants of the Prequel Trilogy? Cinema: 7 Home Video: 21 (+1) Computer: 1
Spoiler: The rest of my list... 1. Jack Reacher (C+) 2. The Help (B+) 3. The Silver Linings Playbook (A-) 4. Kramer vs. Kramer (A-) 5. Super 8 (B+) 6. Hugo (B+) 7. Zero Dark Thirty (A) 8. Miss Bala (A-) 9. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 10. Trainspotting (B+) 11. True Grit (A) 12. Casino Royale (A-) 13. Le Mepris (D) 14. On the Road (B) 15. Barbara (B+) 16. Side Effects (B+) 17. Tom Jones (B+) 18. Les Miserables: Part 1: Tempest in a Skull (A-) 19. Les Miserables: Part 2: The Thenardiers (A-) 20. Les Miserables: Part 3: Liberty, Sweet Liberty (A) 21. Rust and Bone (B) 22. GoldenEye (A+) 23. Argo (A) 24. Cool Hand Luke (B+) 25. The Wild Bunch (A) 26. Quantum of Solace (B-) 27. Contact (B+) 28. Wooden Crosses (A-) 29. American Graffiti (A-) 30. The Silence of the Lambs (A) It was all downhill from here for Hannibal Lecter: next up is a TV series on NBC. I recall seeing large pieces of this before, mainly on TV, but I don't think I've ever sat down and watched the whole thing before. Watched from two decades' remove, the movie holds up, though many of the things that were novel at the time have become quite familiar, as Silence's DNA has seeded the vast majority of Hollywood crime movies and TV made since in one way or another. Foster and Hopkins carry the movie, obviously (though it's easy to overlook how little Hopkins is actually onscreen 31. Gone Baby, Gone (A) Fresh off Ben Affleck's ultimate triumph at the Academy Awards, time to revisit his first film, which I had considered his best work still. Affleck seems to have settled into casting himself as the lead, which makes this seem retroactively somewhat uncharacteristic; though it's just Casey Affleck, so maybe close enough. This is a pretty terrific modern noir, and the most effective character piece of Affleck's three films so far (it's not as tightly plotted as the others, but that's the nature of the genre). I think Michelle Monaghan's character could have used a bit more development, to give the ending weight. Cinema: 7 Home Video: 23 (+2) Computer: 1
Spoiler: The rest of my list. January 1. You Again (✩✩½) - Live TV 2. Vanishing Point (✩✩✩½) - DVD 3. Cyrus (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 4. The Thing (✩✩✩) - Blu-ray 5. Zero Dark Thirty (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 6. Django Unchained (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 7. Inglourious Basterds (✩✩✩) - Live TV 8. American Splendor (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 9. Soul Surfer (✩✩✩) - DVD 10. 30 Minutes or Less (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 11. To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 12. Moby Dick (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 13. Just Go With It (✩✩✩) - Live TV 14. Battle Los Angeles (✩) - Download 15. Mama (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 16. Gangster Squad (✩✩✩½) - Theatre February 17. The Lucky Ones (✩✩✩) - Live TV 18. The Tourist (✩✩½) - Live TV 19. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (✩✩) - Live TV 20. The Watcher (✩✩✩) - Live TV 21. After Sex (✩✩✩) - Download 22. Sex and Breakfast (✩✩✩) - Download 23. Textuality (✩✩✩½) - Download 24. I Am Number Four (✩✩½) - DVD 25. Waiting for "Superman" (✩✩✩✩) - Blu-ray 26. A Good Day to Die Hard (✩✩✩) - Theatre 27. Dorian Gray (✩✩✩) - DVD 28. Cougars Inc. (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 29. Tasmanian Devils (✩) - Live TV 30. Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (✩✩✩½) - Blu-ray 31. The Promotion (✩✩) - DVD 32. Barney's Version (✩✩✩½) - DVD 33. The Best and the Brightest (✩✩½) - Download 34. Upside Down (✩✩✩✩) - Download March 35. Seven Psychopaths (✩✩½) - Download 36. Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle (✩✩✩½) - YouTube 37. Oz the Great and Powerful (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre - I talk more about the movie here. It was colorful, touching and funny in spots and I thought the ending was brilliant. Williams and Weisz did very well, but I had issues with Franco and Kunis. Franco was good actually, but his character felt too contemporary. And Kunis, though stunning and good as Theodora, couldn't totally pull off the Wicked Witch. 38. And Soon the Darkness (2010) (✩✩½) - DVD - Two college-aged girls travel Argentina by bicycle and one of them gets kidnapped. It's a whodunit story that involes a guy the girls met at a bar, another mysterious but non-creepy guy they met and a police officer. Stars Odette Yustman, Amber Heard and Karl Urban. It's a remake of a 1970 film. I liked the actresses and the small town backwoods scenery, but the story was pretty weak. There was little sense of mystery, urgency or dread. They almost had something but didn't hit the target. 39. And Soon The Darkness (1970) (✩✩✩✩) - Download - I watched the 1970 version right after. Two young English women travel the French countryside by bicycle and one of them gets kidnapped. The whodunit aspect this time involves a mysterious man who's also been roaming the countryside on his moped, the town's police officer, an elderly teacher in the area, a farmer and a lady who runs a café. This movie was a vast improvement over the 2010 version. It really captured a sense of mystery, fear and dread and did so in broad daylight. Makes you wonder why the remake couldn't do this. 40. Jack (✩✩✩½) - Live TV - The story of Canada's NDP leader Jack Layton. I liked the all-star cast that included Sook-Yin Lee, Wendy Crewson and Erin Karpluk. And I was especially impressed with how well they made up Rick Roberts to look like Jack. Theatre: 6 Blu-ray: 3 DVD: 11 Live TV: 11 Netflix: 0 Download: 8 YouTube: 1
Spoiler: 2010 viewed movies I didn't start in the thread till August that year, partial list Piranha 3D: C+ Book of Eli: B Lethal Weapon: A Lethal Weapon 2: A- Lethal Weapon 3: B Lethal Weapon 4: C+ The Crow: A Clash of the Titans: B+ Prince of Persia: B The Fountain: D Resident Evil: A- Resident Evil: Apocalypse: B Resident Evil: Extinction: B- Resident Evil: Afterlife: B Resident Evil: Degeneration(animated): B Bad Boys: B+ Zombieland: B The Evil Dead: B- R.E.D.: B 30 Days of Night: Dark Days: B+ Conviction: A- Crazies(2010): A- Paranormal Activity: A+ Paranormal Activity 2: A Shutter Island: B- Gamer: F Last House on the Left(orig): D+ Thirst(asian film): C- The Hills Have Eyes: B When In Rome: B- Dr.Horrible Sing-A-Long: A Expelled No Intelligence Allowed(doc): B Zombie Strippers: D Mammoth: D+ Everyone Else: D Dark Ages(doc): A Batman vs Dracula(anim): A- Independence Day: A Robin Hood(2010-Crowe): B Taken: A Only You: B- Momma Mia: C High Plains Drifter: C Joe Kid: A- Tron Legacy: B Voyage of the DawnTreader: B+ Tourist: B Duchess: B Blade Runner: B+ Men In Black: A Jumper: B- Interview with the Vampire: A- Brideshead Revisted: B Wizard of Oz: A Gone With the Wind: A True Grit: A Spoiler: 2011 viewed movies 1. The Fighter: B- 2. Batman(90's saga): A-,B-,C-,D 3. Star Wars OT-Special Edition: B+, A, B 4. The Green Hornet: B 5. True Grit(1969): C+ 6. Lord of the Rings saga: (A,A,A) 7. The Machinist: A- 8. Season of the Witch: B 9. Frozen: A- 10. Due Date: B+ 11. Planet of the Apes(2001): B- 12. Faster: C 13. Romance: D (French film, subtitled) 14. YPF: C- (YPF=Young People F*&^ing) 15. The Beautiful Truth: B- 16. Strictly Sexual: C+ 17. DOOM: C 18. Brothers: B+ 19. Men In Black II: B- 20. The Crow: Wicked Prayer: C- 21. The Soloist: C 22. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love: C+ 23. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: B- 24. Battle in Heaven: C+ (Mexican film, subtitled) 25. Legion: B- 26. Battle: LA: B+ 27. Righteous Kill: B 28. Dracula II: Ascension: B- 29. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: D 30. You Don't Mess With the Zohan: C+ 31. Finding Bliss: C 32. Dracula III: Legacy: B- 33. Tangled: B+ 34. Paul Blart Mall Cop: C- 35. Chloe: B 36. Kung Fu Panda: B- 37. Centurion: B 38. The People I've Slept With: C 39. Grown Ups: B- 40. The Conspirator: A- 41. XXX: State of the Union: C+ 42. Fast Five: B+ 43. THOR: A- 44. Priest: D+ 45. The Fourth Kind: B+ 46. POTC: On Stranger Tides: B- 47. Turtles Forever: A- 48. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story: B+ 49. Easy A: A 50. Inception: B 51. #1 Cheerleader Camp: D 52. Freakanomics: C+ 53. Green Lantern: C 54. The American: C- 55. Super 8: A 56. Green Lantern: First Flight: B 57. Transformers: Dark of the Moon: B- 58. 9 Songs: F 59. Kings Speech: A- 60. Whiteout: C+ 61. Passion Play: D+ 62. Captain America: The First Avenger: A- 63. Marley & Me: A 64. Date Night: C+ 65. Frantic: B+ 66. Presumed Innocent: A 67. Invictus: A 68. Rocky: A 69. Hurt Locker: A+ 70. Rocky II: C+ 71. Rocky III: B+ 72. Rocky IV: A 73. Cowboys & Aliens: B 74. Wonder Woman (DC Animated): B+ 75. Rocky V: B- 76. Conan The Barbarian('11): B- 77. Dinner for Schmucks: D 78. Nothing But the Truth: B 79. Snow Angels: B+ 80. Everybody's Fine: C- 81. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: A+ 82. Fragments: C+ 83. Fright Night ('11): A- 84. Cold Comfort Farm: D 85. Machete: C- 86. The Queen: A 87. Public Enemies: B+ 88. Drive Angry: D 89. Red Riding Hood: C+ 90. Fright Night ('85): B 91. Love & Other Drugs: B 92. X-Files: I Want to Believe - B+ 93. Source Code: A- 94. Paranormal Activity 3: A 95. Rachel Getting Married: C 96. Love Guru: F 97. Funny People: C- 98. Win Win: B+ 99. Everything Must Go: B 100. Scott Pilgrim vs The World: D+ 101. American Ninja: D 102. Revenge of the Ninja: D 103. Lonesome Dove: A 104. Black Swan: B 105. Westworld: B 106. Fireproof: A- 107. Mission Impossible(4):Ghost Protocol: A 108. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A 109. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: A- 110. Belly: D- 111. Despicable Me: B+ Spoiler: 2012 viewed 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 14. Hunger Games: B+ 15. Wrath of the Titans: C 16. Cabin In the Woods: B+ 17. The Rum Diary: C 18. The Eagle: C+ 19. The Avengers: A+ 20. The Adjustment Bureau: A 21. Sucker Punch: B- 22. Knight & Day: C+ 23. Mechanic: B 24. Devil: A 25. Dark Shadows: C+ 26. Men In Black 3: B- 27. Columbiana: B 28. Haywire: C 29. Snow White and the Huntsman: B- 30. Meet the Parents: A- 31. Meet the Fockers: B 32. Prometheus: B 33. Chernobyl Dairies: B- 34. Little Fockers: B- 35. Halloween III: Season of the Witch: B+ 36. Winters Bone: B+ 37. Battleship: A- 38. Much Ado About Nothing: B+ 39. Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs: B 40. Beauty & the Beast: A+ 41. Bambi: A- 42. Sex & the City 2: D+ 43. Top Gun: B 44. Abraham Lincoln-Vampire Hunter: B- 45. Brave: B+ 46. Kill Bill vol.1: A- 47. Kill Bill vol.2: B 48. The Amazing Spider-man: B- 49. Virgin Territory: C- 50. 21 Jump Street: B+ 51. The Dark Knight Rises: A- 52. Sicko: C 53. Capitalism A Love Story: C 54. Seven Pounds: B 55. Hot Fuzz: B 56. Total Recall (2012): A- 57. Total Recall (1990): B+ 58. Hardware: D+ 59. The Bourne Legacy: A- 60. Once Upon A Time in the West: B- 61. Expendables 2: B+ 62. Hangover 2: C 63. Moneyball: A- 64. Adventures of Tin Tin: B- 65. 2016 Obama's America: A- 66. Unknown: B 67. No Strings Attached: B+ 68. Megamind: A- 69. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies: A- 70. Halloween 4:Return of Michael Myers: A- 71. Halloween 5:Revenge of Michael Myers: B+ 72. Halloween The Curse of Michael Myers: B 73. Halloween H2O: A 74. Halloween Resurrection: C+ 75. The Day the Earth Stood Still(2008): B 76. Looper: A- 77. Smart People: C- 78. Atlas Shrugged-Part One: B 79. Dredd: A- 80. Bridesmaids: C- 81. Taken 2: B 82. Atlas Shrugged-Part Two: C+ 83. Alex Cross: A- 84. RockNRolla: B- 85. Paranormal Activity 4: B 86. Argo: A+ 87. Skyline: F 88. Cop Out: D 89. Skyfall: A 90. Red Dawn (2012): B- 91. Dracula (1979): B 92. Dracula (2009): C+ 93. Slither: B- 94. Your Highness: F 95. Goldeneye: A 96. Whistleblower: B+ 97. The Town: A+ 98. Ted: A 99. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: B+ 100. Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: A 101. Jack Reacher: A- 102. Django Unchained: B+ Spoiler: Movies viewed first time in 2013 The 2013 list: 1. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas: C- 2. Les Miserables(2012): B 3. Lincoln: A+ 4. Parental Guidance: C+ 5. Warm Bodies: B 6. Waiting for Superman: B 7. Grindhouse: Planet Terror: B- 8. Grindhouse: Death Proof: C+ 9. Zero Dark Thirty: A 10. Last Stand: B 11. Red Tails: A- 12. Hansel & Gretel-Witch Hunters: C- 13. Parker: B- 14. Bullet to the Head: B+ 15. Judge Dredd(1995): C 16. The Mist: B+ 17. A Good Day to Die Hard: B- 18. Fired Up: C+ 19. Fling: C 20. Ask the Dust: D+ 21. Mulan: A- 22. The Lovely Bones: B 23. The Initiation of Sarah: D 24. Jack the Giant Slayer: C+ 25. Oz the Great and Powerful: B+ Saw two films from two directors whose work I generally enjoy, got mixed results this weekend. Jack the Giant Slayer: from director Bryan Singer and starring Ewan McGregor, Nicholas Hoult(XM:FC,Warm Bodies), Ian McShane and Stanley Tucci with a twist on the classic fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. My opinion on this, I admit, is largely due to not being a fan of what was likely the intended demographic's sense of humor. The Giants are given rather tween-ish types of behavior where picking your nose, eating what you find, farting, scratching & smelling and other hygiene esque bits of middle school humor would rule. I can't say I expected that going in but soon came to that realization. I wasn't expecting the darkness of Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters either though. The pacing felt fine and the romance didn't feel rushed or cheap. The CGI on the Giants didn't fully sell me either. I felt when focusing on Giant at a time the f/x felt sharper than when we saw an assembled group. Which is odd cause a grouped shot of Cybertronian Robots felt more real. While I didn't predict the exact sequence the ending is a bit predictable and most should see where it's headed by the midpoint of the film. I'd say a solid renter at least. Oz the Great and Powerful: by director Sam Rami and starring James Franco as Oz, Michelle Williams as Glinda, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Zach Braff about this prequel to the classic Wizard of Oz film/book. The visuals were top notch accompanied by Danny Elfman's score. It paid great homage by starting the film in b&w before becoming color once we reached OZ. It seems Richard 007 and I felt similar about Franco and Kunis. I was buying into Kunis' character right up until...the second act...is all I'll say. I kept trying to figure out if Franco's Oz was just a conman or if he had that heart of gold that Glinda insisted was there. I just couldn't decide if I wanted to like him and maybe that was indeed intentional. As a conman you are about misdirection so during the film it occurred to me that perhaps that was part of the characterization? Over thinking it? The fun of the heroics at the end is why I feel that perhaps I didn't over think it, really liked the ending. Williams and Weisz were also both really good in their roles. I think the unsung hero and scene stealer of the film is Finley(voiced by Braff) the flying monkey sidekick. The f/x were just solid enough that what my logic sided brain was fighting with a monkey that has wings the emotional character of his portrayal over rode that. There is just enough gap imo from where this ends that perhaps one could do another tale in OZ before Dorothy arrives.
1) This Is 40 - C+ 2) Easy A - A- 3) The Bounty Hunter - B+ 4) Crazy, Stupid, Love. - B- 5) What To Expect When You're Expecting - B+ 6) Contagion - C 7) Identity Thief - A 8) We Bought A Zoo - A- 9) The Ides of March - B+ 10) Top Gun - C+ 11) It Could Happen To You - B+ 12) Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close - A+ I think all the great things about this movie center around it's star, Thomas Horn. This kid is great, especially playing the intricate personality of an autistic child. Sandra Bullock as the mother is finally cast in something that gives her some dramatic depth. Max von Sydow as the grandfather was also another strong performance. My only regret is that I can't watch it again and follow the story without knowing the end of the mystery.
Updates in Bold: Batman: The Mystery of the Batwoman (7) Bleach Movie 4: Hell Verse (9) Blood-C: The Last Dark (6) Broken City (7) Bullet to the Head (7) Children Who Chase Lost Voices (7) Dead Man Down (8) Dragon Lord (6) Fairy Tail: Priestess of the Pheonix (8) Gangster Squad (8) A Good Day to Die Hard (7) The Grey (8) Hoshizora Kiseki (7) The Illusionist (10) The Last Stand (8) Library War: Wings of Revolution (9) Metal Skin Panic: Madox 01 (6) Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion-Theatrical version (9) Operation Condor (7) Operation Condor 2: Armour of God (5) Parker (8) Rurouni Kenshin (2012) (8) Tripping the Rift: The Movie (6) Tucker and Dale VS Evil (6) Twin Dragons (7) Current Total: 25
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January & February Playback - Netflix Instant Parenthood (1989) - DVD Young Adult - Netflix Instant Django (1966) - free admission Django Unchained (2012) - free admission Housesitter - DVD The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - YouTube The Sting - free admission This is 40 - free admission The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3D/HFR - free admission/free admission Parental Guidance - free admission The Sting II - Netflix Instant Abduction - Netflix Instant Dial M for Murder 3D - free admission Gangster Squad - free admission Zero Dark Thirty - free admission Treasure Planet - Netflix Instant The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption - Netflix Instant Commando - Netflix Instant Battle Royale II - Netflix Instant The Invisible War - Netflix Instant Texas Chainsaw 3D - free admission Lawrence of Arabia - free admission Ron White: A Little Unprofessional - DVD Valkyrie - DVD Our Man Flint - DVD Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap - Netflix Instant Margin Call - Netflix Instant In Like Flint - DVD Purple Rain - free admission Mama - free admission The High and the Mighty - DVD Dave Chappelle's Block Party - DVD Black X-Mas (2006) - DVD Bad Teacher - DVD They Live - free admission Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 3D/2D - free admission/free admission Inglourious Basterds - DVD The Last Stand - free admission The Night of the Hunter - free admission Warm Bodies - free admission P.S. I Love You - DVD The Lake House - DVD Alonzo Bodden: Who's Paying Attention? - Netflix Instant Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 - Netflix Instant Side by Side - free admission Pennies from Heaven - free admission Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid- DVD The Lonely Guy - DVD Batman: The Dark Knigth Returns, Part Two - DVD Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt - DVD Side Effects - free admission Funny Girl - free admission Christopher Titus: Neverlution - YouTube Ralphie May: Just Correct - YouTube Top Gun 3D - IMAX Fourplay: Tales of Sexual Intimacy - free admission 'Salem's Lot(2004) - DVD Body of Lies - DVD 2013 Oscar-Nominated Shorts, Animated - free admission 2013 Oscar-Nominated Shorts, Live Action - free admission A Good Day to Die Hard - free admission Last Chance Harvey - DVD Paul Williams Still Alive - free admission The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - DVD Invasion of the Blood Farmers - free admission Safety Not Guaranteed - Netflix Instant One Life - free admission Identity Thief - free admission The Switch - Netflix Instant John Dies at the End - free admission Singin' in the Rain - free admission Benny & Joon - free admission Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater - Netflix Instant I'm No Dummy - Netflix Instant The Adventures of Tintin - Netflix Instant Beautiful Creatures - free admission Snitch - free admission Dark Skies - free admission The Queen - USA Network A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III - free admission Safe - DVD The Mechanic - DVD Jack the Giand Slayer 3D - free admission Happy People: A Year in the Taiga - free admission The Wiz - free admission Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome - Unrated Exteded Edition - DVD Jay and Silent Bob Go Down Under - Netflix Instant Lewis Black: In God We Rust - Netflix Instant Jackass: The Movie - Unrated - Netflix Instant Mardi Gras Massacre - free admission Had some friends over last week to watch BSG: Blood & Chrome on DVD. I thought it was alright, not great. My buddy Jeff commented that he would have liked to have seen it go to series more than Caprica. After they left, I watched the Jay & Silent Bob performance. I rather like the Kevin Smith solo monologues, but in this one, Jason Mewes is in the spotlight as part of his drug rehab. And he doesn't make for an interestin' public speaker at all, since all he does is talk about awkward sex he's had. Watched a Lewis Black standup special the other day. I've actually heard most of it, thanks to the comedy radio station, 102.7, here in Austin. And then I watched the unrated version of Jackass. Part of the preshow for The Last Stand included clips from the movies/tv series, and it made me curious enough to watch. It was crude, vulgar, juvenile, and just a bit brilliant, especially the bits of them as old farts on scooters. I was goin' to a movie screenin' tonight, but opted not to...but I may go out for Terror Tuesday. - edit, to add - Went over to the Alamo Drafthouse Village for Terror Tuesday last night. Its been moved from the Ritz because of SxSW. This week's movie was Mardi Gras Massacre, which was about a creepy guy who worshipped an Aztec goddess and picked up hookers & strippers in New Orleans to sacrifice to goddess. Bad actin', bad dialogue, odd pauses & over the top stupidity, plus the side plot of a former vice cop havin' a brief relationship with a hooker durin' the homicide investigation. At least it was free! Even if I did have to put up with a guy in the lobby insistin' that he knew me, and wanted me to tell him where from... May go back out to the Village tonight for Weird Wednesday, don't know for sure yet.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. January 1. You Again (✩✩½) - Live TV 2. Vanishing Point (✩✩✩½) - DVD 3. Cyrus (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 4. The Thing (✩✩✩) - Blu-ray 5. Zero Dark Thirty (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 6. Django Unchained (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 7. Inglourious Basterds (✩✩✩) - Live TV 8. American Splendor (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 9. Soul Surfer (✩✩✩) - DVD 10. 30 Minutes or Less (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 11. To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 12. Moby Dick (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 13. Just Go With It (✩✩✩) - Live TV 14. Battle Los Angeles (✩) - Download 15. Mama (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 16. Gangster Squad (✩✩✩½) - Theatre February 17. The Lucky Ones (✩✩✩) - Live TV 18. The Tourist (✩✩½) - Live TV 19. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (✩✩) - Live TV 20. The Watcher (✩✩✩) - Live TV 21. After Sex (✩✩✩) - Download 22. Sex and Breakfast (✩✩✩) - Download 23. Textuality (✩✩✩½) - Download 24. I Am Number Four (✩✩½) - DVD 25. Waiting for "Superman" (✩✩✩✩) - Blu-ray 26. A Good Day to Die Hard (✩✩✩) - Theatre 27. Dorian Gray (✩✩✩) - DVD 28. Cougars Inc. (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 29. Tasmanian Devils (✩) - Live TV 30. Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (✩✩✩½) - Blu-ray 31. The Promotion (✩✩) - DVD 32. Barney's Version (✩✩✩½) - DVD 33. The Best and the Brightest (✩✩½) - Download 34. Upside Down (✩✩✩✩) - Download March 35. Seven Psychopaths (✩✩½) - Download 36. Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle (✩✩✩½) - YouTube 37. Oz the Great and Powerful (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 38. And Soon the Darkness (2010) (✩✩½) - DVD 39. And Soon The Darkness (1970) (✩✩✩✩) - Download 40. Jack (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 41. Please Give (✩✩✩½) - Blu-ray - A bizzare little slice of life movie with no discernable plot, but it was quirky and fun. Stars Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall and Amanda Peet. 42. Compliance (✩✩✩) - Download - A girl working at a fast food joint is called into her managers office where a police officer on the phone instructs the manager to perform a strip search. Based on true events. It deals with the issue of how easily people can or will submit to authority. The movie appeared to get progressiveley more outrageous, but apparently, this was pretty close to what actually happened. The movie is very raw and real when it dealt with the actual events that unfolded, but it glossed over the consequences of what happened, so I had to dock points. Theatre: 6 Blu-ray: 4 DVD: 11 Live TV: 11 Netflix: 0 Download: 9 YouTube: 1
Spoiler: The rest of my list... 1. Jack Reacher (C+) 2. The Help (B+) 3. The Silver Linings Playbook (A-) 4. Kramer vs. Kramer (A-) 5. Super 8 (B+) 6. Hugo (B+) 7. Zero Dark Thirty (A) 8. Miss Bala (A-) 9. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 10. Trainspotting (B+) 11. True Grit (A) 12. Casino Royale (A-) 13. Le Mepris (D) 14. On the Road (B) 15. Barbara (B+) 16. Side Effects (B+) 17. Tom Jones (B+) 18. Les Miserables: Part 1: Tempest in a Skull (A-) 19. Les Miserables: Part 2: The Thenardiers (A-) 20. Les Miserables: Part 3: Liberty, Sweet Liberty (A) 21. Rust and Bone (B) 22. GoldenEye (A+) 23. Argo (A) 24. Cool Hand Luke (B+) 25. The Wild Bunch (A) 26. Quantum of Solace (B-) 27. Contact (B+) 28. Wooden Crosses (A-) 29. American Graffiti (A-) 30. The Silence of the Lambs (A) 31. Gone Baby, Gone (A) 32. A Royal Affair (A-) Denmark's submission for Foreign Language Film last year, and one of the finalists, is an 18th century-set period drama about Britain's Princess Caroline, who is married to the mentally unbalanced Christian VII of Denmark and Norway, and becomes both the ally and lover of the court physician, Dr. Struensee, an atheist with a passion for Enlightenment reform. Caroline is played by Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, who had a big year between this and Joe Wright's Anna Karenina; while I appreciated Vikander's work in the latter film (she was the most affecting part of it), this is the stronger piece of work. Mads Mikkelson is likewise very good as Struensee -- he pretty must just plays villains in Hollywood, so this is a nice change of pace. The least-known of the main trio, Danish actor Mikkel Folsgaard as Christian, delivers what may be the strongest work; he has the most challenging part, playing a king whose mental illness makes him come across quite poorly (especially early on), but allowing us to understand and feel sorry for the poor guy, who is ultimately getting played by pretty much everyone in one way or another. Cinema: 8 (+1) Home Video: 23 Computer: 1
Spoiler: The rest of my list... 1. Jack Reacher (C+) 2. The Help (B+) 3. The Silver Linings Playbook (A-) 4. Kramer vs. Kramer (A-) 5. Super 8 (B+) 6. Hugo (B+) 7. Zero Dark Thirty (A) 8. Miss Bala (A-) 9. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 10. Trainspotting (B+) 11. True Grit (A) 12. Casino Royale (A-) 13. Le Mepris (D) 14. On the Road (B) 15. Barbara (B+) 16. Side Effects (B+) 17. Tom Jones (B+) 18. Les Miserables: Part 1: Tempest in a Skull (A-) 19. Les Miserables: Part 2: The Thenardiers (A-) 20. Les Miserables: Part 3: Liberty, Sweet Liberty (A) 21. Rust and Bone (B) 22. GoldenEye (A+) 23. Argo (A) 24. Cool Hand Luke (B+) 25. The Wild Bunch (A) 26. Quantum of Solace (B-) 27. Contact (B+) 28. Wooden Crosses (A-) 29. American Graffiti (A-) 30. The Silence of the Lambs (A) 31. Gone Baby, Gone (A) 32. A Royal Affair (A-) 33. Exotica (B+) There was a period in the mid 1990s when Atom Egoyan was the prince of the Canadian cinema scene; the 21st century hasn't been especially kind. Maybe the missing ingredient is Bruce Greenwood, who headlined both this and The Sweet Hereafter (both times playing a grieving father whose wife and kid/s are dead), but has been essentially absent from this oeuvre ever since -- Egoyan should hope that's the case, anyway, since Greenwood is set to appear in both of his next films. If the missing ingredient is Sarah Polley (who likewise appeared in both), then the drought isn't going to end soon. I don't think this is on the same level as The Sweet Hereafter (probably the best Canadian film ever made) -- the intentionally mysterious connections between the characters keep the audience wondering a bit, but the moments of catharsis where everything is revealed don't (for me, anyway) have the power they're meant to, though they are reasonably effective. Greenwood's great, and the rest of the cast acquit themselves well. 34. Peter Pan (B) Another classic piece of valuable Disney intellectual property. Speaking of which, rewatching this for the first time in years reminds that Tinkerbell, who's become essentially an alternate mascot for Disney Company, is a complete sociopath in the original movie. The film itself is pleasant, and beautifully animated, but it lacks the weight of Disney's best material. Cinema: 8 Home Video: 25 (+2) Computer: 1
Spoiler: 2010 viewed movies I didn't start in the thread till August that year, partial list Piranha 3D: C+ Book of Eli: B Lethal Weapon: A Lethal Weapon 2: A- Lethal Weapon 3: B Lethal Weapon 4: C+ The Crow: A Clash of the Titans: B+ Prince of Persia: B The Fountain: D Resident Evil: A- Resident Evil: Apocalypse: B Resident Evil: Extinction: B- Resident Evil: Afterlife: B Resident Evil: Degeneration(animated): B Bad Boys: B+ Zombieland: B The Evil Dead: B- R.E.D.: B 30 Days of Night: Dark Days: B+ Conviction: A- Crazies(2010): A- Paranormal Activity: A+ Paranormal Activity 2: A Shutter Island: B- Gamer: F Last House on the Left(orig): D+ Thirst(asian film): C- The Hills Have Eyes: B When In Rome: B- Dr.Horrible Sing-A-Long: A Expelled No Intelligence Allowed(doc): B Zombie Strippers: D Mammoth: D+ Everyone Else: D Dark Ages(doc): A Batman vs Dracula(anim): A- Independence Day: A Robin Hood(2010-Crowe): B Taken: A Only You: B- Momma Mia: C High Plains Drifter: C Joe Kid: A- Tron Legacy: B Voyage of the DawnTreader: B+ Tourist: B Duchess: B Blade Runner: B+ Men In Black: A Jumper: B- Interview with the Vampire: A- Brideshead Revisted: B Wizard of Oz: A Gone With the Wind: A True Grit: A Spoiler: 2011 viewed movies 1. The Fighter: B- 2. Batman(90's saga): A-,B-,C-,D 3. Star Wars OT-Special Edition: B+, A, B 4. The Green Hornet: B 5. True Grit(1969): C+ 6. Lord of the Rings saga: (A,A,A) 7. The Machinist: A- 8. Season of the Witch: B 9. Frozen: A- 10. Due Date: B+ 11. Planet of the Apes(2001): B- 12. Faster: C 13. Romance: D (French film, subtitled) 14. YPF: C- (YPF=Young People F*&^ing) 15. The Beautiful Truth: B- 16. Strictly Sexual: C+ 17. DOOM: C 18. Brothers: B+ 19. Men In Black II: B- 20. The Crow: Wicked Prayer: C- 21. The Soloist: C 22. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love: C+ 23. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: B- 24. Battle in Heaven: C+ (Mexican film, subtitled) 25. Legion: B- 26. Battle: LA: B+ 27. Righteous Kill: B 28. Dracula II: Ascension: B- 29. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: D 30. You Don't Mess With the Zohan: C+ 31. Finding Bliss: C 32. Dracula III: Legacy: B- 33. Tangled: B+ 34. Paul Blart Mall Cop: C- 35. Chloe: B 36. Kung Fu Panda: B- 37. Centurion: B 38. The People I've Slept With: C 39. Grown Ups: B- 40. The Conspirator: A- 41. XXX: State of the Union: C+ 42. Fast Five: B+ 43. THOR: A- 44. Priest: D+ 45. The Fourth Kind: B+ 46. POTC: On Stranger Tides: B- 47. Turtles Forever: A- 48. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story: B+ 49. Easy A: A 50. Inception: B 51. #1 Cheerleader Camp: D 52. Freakanomics: C+ 53. Green Lantern: C 54. The American: C- 55. Super 8: A 56. Green Lantern: First Flight: B 57. Transformers: Dark of the Moon: B- 58. 9 Songs: F 59. Kings Speech: A- 60. Whiteout: C+ 61. Passion Play: D+ 62. Captain America: The First Avenger: A- 63. Marley & Me: A 64. Date Night: C+ 65. Frantic: B+ 66. Presumed Innocent: A 67. Invictus: A 68. Rocky: A 69. Hurt Locker: A+ 70. Rocky II: C+ 71. Rocky III: B+ 72. Rocky IV: A 73. Cowboys & Aliens: B 74. Wonder Woman (DC Animated): B+ 75. Rocky V: B- 76. Conan The Barbarian('11): B- 77. Dinner for Schmucks: D 78. Nothing But the Truth: B 79. Snow Angels: B+ 80. Everybody's Fine: C- 81. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: A+ 82. Fragments: C+ 83. Fright Night ('11): A- 84. Cold Comfort Farm: D 85. Machete: C- 86. The Queen: A 87. Public Enemies: B+ 88. Drive Angry: D 89. Red Riding Hood: C+ 90. Fright Night ('85): B 91. Love & Other Drugs: B 92. X-Files: I Want to Believe - B+ 93. Source Code: A- 94. Paranormal Activity 3: A 95. Rachel Getting Married: C 96. Love Guru: F 97. Funny People: C- 98. Win Win: B+ 99. Everything Must Go: B 100. Scott Pilgrim vs The World: D+ 101. American Ninja: D 102. Revenge of the Ninja: D 103. Lonesome Dove: A 104. Black Swan: B 105. Westworld: B 106. Fireproof: A- 107. Mission Impossible(4):Ghost Protocol: A 108. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A 109. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: A- 110. Belly: D- 111. Despicable Me: B+ Spoiler: 2012 viewed 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 14. Hunger Games: B+ 15. Wrath of the Titans: C 16. Cabin In the Woods: B+ 17. The Rum Diary: C 18. The Eagle: C+ 19. The Avengers: A+ 20. The Adjustment Bureau: A 21. Sucker Punch: B- 22. Knight & Day: C+ 23. Mechanic: B 24. Devil: A 25. Dark Shadows: C+ 26. Men In Black 3: B- 27. Columbiana: B 28. Haywire: C 29. Snow White and the Huntsman: B- 30. Meet the Parents: A- 31. Meet the Fockers: B 32. Prometheus: B 33. Chernobyl Dairies: B- 34. Little Fockers: B- 35. Halloween III: Season of the Witch: B+ 36. Winters Bone: B+ 37. Battleship: A- 38. Much Ado About Nothing: B+ 39. Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs: B 40. Beauty & the Beast: A+ 41. Bambi: A- 42. Sex & the City 2: D+ 43. Top Gun: B 44. Abraham Lincoln-Vampire Hunter: B- 45. Brave: B+ 46. Kill Bill vol.1: A- 47. Kill Bill vol.2: B 48. The Amazing Spider-man: B- 49. Virgin Territory: C- 50. 21 Jump Street: B+ 51. The Dark Knight Rises: A- 52. Sicko: C 53. Capitalism A Love Story: C 54. Seven Pounds: B 55. Hot Fuzz: B 56. Total Recall (2012): A- 57. Total Recall (1990): B+ 58. Hardware: D+ 59. The Bourne Legacy: A- 60. Once Upon A Time in the West: B- 61. Expendables 2: B+ 62. Hangover 2: C 63. Moneyball: A- 64. Adventures of Tin Tin: B- 65. 2016 Obama's America: A- 66. Unknown: B 67. No Strings Attached: B+ 68. Megamind: A- 69. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies: A- 70. Halloween 4:Return of Michael Myers: A- 71. Halloween 5:Revenge of Michael Myers: B+ 72. Halloween The Curse of Michael Myers: B 73. Halloween H2O: A 74. Halloween Resurrection: C+ 75. The Day the Earth Stood Still(2008): B 76. Looper: A- 77. Smart People: C- 78. Atlas Shrugged-Part One: B 79. Dredd: A- 80. Bridesmaids: C- 81. Taken 2: B 82. Atlas Shrugged-Part Two: C+ 83. Alex Cross: A- 84. RockNRolla: B- 85. Paranormal Activity 4: B 86. Argo: A+ 87. Skyline: F 88. Cop Out: D 89. Skyfall: A 90. Red Dawn (2012): B- 91. Dracula (1979): B 92. Dracula (2009): C+ 93. Slither: B- 94. Your Highness: F 95. Goldeneye: A 96. Whistleblower: B+ 97. The Town: A+ 98. Ted: A 99. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: B+ 100. Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: A 101. Jack Reacher: A- 102. Django Unchained: B+ Spoiler: Movies viewed first time in 2013 The 2013 list: 1. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas: C- 2. Les Miserables(2012): B 3. Lincoln: A+ 4. Parental Guidance: C+ 5. Warm Bodies: B 6. Waiting for Superman: B 7. Grindhouse: Planet Terror: B- 8. Grindhouse: Death Proof: C+ 9. Zero Dark Thirty: A 10. Last Stand: B 11. Red Tails: A- 12. Hansel & Gretel-Witch Hunters: C- 13. Parker: B- 14. Bullet to the Head: B+ 15. Judge Dredd(1995): C 16. The Mist: B+ 17. A Good Day to Die Hard: B- 18. Fired Up: C+ 19. Fling: C 20. Ask the Dust: D+ 21. Mulan: A- 22. The Lovely Bones: B 23. The Initiation of Sarah: D 24. Jack the Giant Slayer: C+ 25. Oz the Great and Powerful: B+ 26. Olympus Has Fallen: A- Went to a sneak of his last week and just getting around to posting on it. It opens this Friday, 3/22, and so far imo it's the best all out action film of the year to date. I say that as an unapologetic fan of my 80's icons and their films from earlier this year. This film has a villain you really do love to hate. Which was one issue with the new Die Hard. Gerard Butler as the secret service agent whose been in a situation with the President that he feels he's failed him and gets reassigned. The terrorist takeover of the White House is fate's way of making amends in his eyes. Butler shines as Banning and he delivers both the serious and comedic lines well. What's great is the comedic lines aren't delivered as intentionally funny so much as more smart assery. It's also the first film in awhile that fits the ole action nugget "Die Hard on/in a .....". The confined space is the White House and there are passageways, tunnels and things that make the moments feel very DH-esque. It would be a theater recommendation for sure.
^ I've got passes to see it this week, but if its gonna open on Friday, I'll just see it at my work if we get it.