85. The Amazing Spider-Man I liked this slightly better than the Raimi films, but not a lot. The film's main problem seems to be that it was rather heavily cut down, because especially the villain's motivation is never really explained.
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-) 42. The Lives of Others (A) 43. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (A-) 44. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (A) 45. A Streetcar Named Desire (A) 46. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (A) 47. Downfall (A+) 48. In Darkness (B+) 49. Cabaret (C+) 50. The Avengers (A) 51. The Incredible Hulk (B) 52. The Last of the Mohicans (A-) 53. Alien (A) 54. Mystic River (A) 55. Amadeus (A+) 56. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (B) 57. Snow White and the Huntsman (C) 58. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (B+) 59. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (B) 60. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (A-) 61. Field of Dreams (A+) 62. The Conversation (B) 63. American Gangster (A) 64. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (B+) 65. Damsels in Distress (B+) 66. 3 Days of the Condor (B+) 67. Star Trek (A) 68. Thelma & Louise (A) 69. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (B) 70. Brave (B+) 71. The Grapes of Wrath (A-) 72. Where Do We Go Now? (B) 73. The Night of the Hunter (C) 74. Dangerous Liasons (A) 75. Amelie (A) 76. Glory (A) 77. Savages (B+) 78. The Amazing Spider-Man (B+) 79. There Will Be Blood (A) 80. Memento (A) 81. Nine (C) 82. Insomnia (B+) 83. Batman Begins (A+) Continuing with the watch/rewatch, just in time for the completion of the trilogy. Seven years later, this is still a blast, and, apart from perhaps The Incredibles, the best superhero movie ever made (I recall deciding I ultimately preferred this to The Dark Knight; we'll see if that holds up). It has a great cast (and Nolan has started gathering the actors who'll carry him through the next decade), apart from Katie Holmes; partly it's how the character is written (I once read a review describing Rachel in this movie as an eager student council president, which is pretty accurate), but she just seems out of place, and Maggie Gyllenhaal did far more with this character in her next appearance. Cinema: 19 Home Video: 55 (+1) Computer: 8
I like Batman Begins a lot, but Katie Holmes' performance is worth more than a small demerit in my book, and the idiotic science of the microwave generator/fear drug shouldn't have made it to screen. Apparently, it activates when water is vaporized, but no one was ever affected by taking a hot shower. And, of course, the microwave generator vaporizes water -- just not water in people's bodies, it seems. The Dark Knight, in my recollection, replaces Katie Holmes with a better actress, but doesn't give her as much to do (and then kills the character). It also struggles to make Two-Face work, both in terms of realism and character motivation. Then, there's the Joker's schemes; Heath Ledger is magnetic, and his performance does well to distract from the twisted plot machinations, but his plans don't always make sense and often rely on our heroes lacking intelligence. Which is not to say I dislike either film; the first one is excellent and the second nearly as good. It's a testament to their craft that The Dark Knight Rises is the only superhero movie that I've been anticipating in several years. I'm rather tired of the genre and don't expect to be looking forward to another superhero film anytime soon, unless someone finally does the Hulk justice (unlikely, given the tepid reception of the Ed Norton version, which got it mostly right, but was hurt in editing).
I liked Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers and think he could carry a Hulk movie if done well. I never saw the Ed Norton Hulk film, and I find Eric Bana kind of boring, as was the entire movie as a whole. I too am looking forward to Dark Knight Rises, but I think I'm just more looking forward to the finality of it all. I just hope the hype is worth it and we have a truely epic conclusion. Of course this being Christopher Nolan, I expect that to be the case but I can't have my expectations too high just in case there is some disappointment.
Sci-fi science never really makes much sense; it just needs a gloss of plausibility, which I think the movie provides.
Spoiler: the list 1) The Artist (2011) - A+ 2) Midnight in Paris (2011) - B 3) Tree of Life (2011) - F 4) The Descendants (2011) - B 5) Drive (2011) - B 6) Hanna (2011) - C 7) Take Shelter (2011) - A- 8) 50/50 (2011) - B 9) Baby Mama (2008) - B- 10) United 93 (2006) 11) Rango (2011) - B 12) The Hunger Games (2012) - B+ 13) 21 Jump Street (2012) - B+ 14) Goon (2012) - A- 15) The Avengers (2012) - B 16) Cars 2 (2011) - C+ 17) Men in Black 3 (2012) - B+ 18) Prometheus (2012) - D+ 19) The Iron Lady (2011) - C- 20) Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) - B+ 21) Moonrise Kingdom - (2012) - A 22) Fantastic Mr. Fox - (2009) - B+ After watching Moonrise Kingdom, I kind of wanted to see another Wes Anderson movie, and in searching for a movie to see on Itunes tonight, I looked up Fantastic Mr. Fox to see if it was available to rent. I've heard many good things about it, and figured I'd continue visiting Anderson's films to see if I liked this one as much as Moonrise Kingdom. (I also saw that he did Life Aquatic and I didn't like that movie very much, and right now, I still consider it the weakest in his catalog). Anyway, Fantastic Mr. Fox wasn't as good as Moonrise Kingdom, but I still enjoyed it. It has the quirkiness of Anderson (Not to mention the soundtrack, which I noticed with MK and now with Fox, has a certain Anderson Charm to them) but I thought the charm was missing somewhat. Still, I really liked the cast (George Clooney actually having to act and, who knew, Meryl Streep wasn't playing Thatcher/Juila Childs here) and the story was fun, not to mention short and sweet. However, people called this movie funny and while there were some humorous bits, I didn't laugh that much. It was mainly the cast, that quirkiness, the music, and the scenery that made this movie. In this revisit, I think sometime this year I might finally check out Royal Tenenbaums. I remember watching the trailer thinking that it was going to be a stupid movie, but I think I remember hearing the reception was positive. Theater: 8 BluRay: 6 On Demand/TV: 2 Itunes: 6 (+1)
Spoiler: The rest of my 2012 list of movies Kicking off my 2012 list: 1. Edge of Darkness: A 2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: B+ 3. Repo Men: B- 4. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: B- 5. Underworld: Awakening: B 6. Lost City Raiders: C+ 7. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist: B+ 8. Contraband: B+ 9. Kick-Ass: B+ 10. Hereafter: A- 11. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance: B 12. Act of Valor: C+ 13. John Carter: B 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- Although I've not see A Knight's Tale I feel this movie plays in a similar vein. It's about how a young Florence woman of nobility is betrothed to marry a Russian prince after her family perishes from the Black Plague. All over young woman are heading to convents as that seems the be a place of solace from the disease. However, these woman don't all really also care about taking the vows. The young men are trying to find ways in. It's a breast fest basically but it was nice to be reintroduced to Kate Groombridge. It was a silly movie to break things up.
Wrath of the Titans ...l wasn't crazy about the first one, maybe because it lived too much in the shadow of the original '80's version. But this sequel totally defied my expectations. Badass beyond belief. Evangelion 1:11 ...Supreme amime awesomeness. Apocalyptic giant robot madness on a truly epic scale. Cannot be recommended enough.
Updates in Bold: 2 Fast 2 Furious (8) 47 Ronin (7) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (8) The Amazing Spider-man (7) The Avengers (10) Bad Boys (8) Battle of Los Angles (9) Battleship (9) Blade of the Phantom Master (8) Daybreakers (5)Die Hard (9) Die Hard II (8) Die Hard: With a Vengeance (8) Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog (7) Fargo (6) The Fast and the Furious (8) The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (7) Fast and Furious (2009) (8) Fast Five (10) First Blood (8) First Squad: The Moment of Truth (8) Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (8) Gantz: Perfect Answer (7) Gattaca (8) Golgo 13: The Professional (6) Golgo 13: Queen Bee (6) Green Hornet (6) Haywire (7) 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) Justice League: Starcrossed (8) King of Thorn (9) Legend of the Millennium Dragon (7) Lockout (8) 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) Men In Black III (8) The Men Who Stare at Goats (7) Mercury Rising (7) Mystic River (6) Negima!: Final (7) Nydenion (7) Prometheus (5) Rambo: First Blood Part II (8) Rambo III (8) The Raven (9) Redline (10) Robotech II: The Sentinels (6) Safe House (2012) (8) Salt (7) Scott Pilgrim VS The World (8) Time Traveler: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (8) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (5) Toward the Tera (1980) (6) Underworld: Awakening (8) Wrath of the Titans (7) Total Thus Far: 59
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-) 42. The Lives of Others (A) 43. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (A-) 44. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (A) 45. A Streetcar Named Desire (A) 46. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (A) 47. Downfall (A+) 48. In Darkness (B+) 49. Cabaret (C+) 50. The Avengers (A) 51. The Incredible Hulk (B) 52. The Last of the Mohicans (A-) 53. Alien (A) 54. Mystic River (A) 55. Amadeus (A+) 56. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (B) 57. Snow White and the Huntsman (C) 58. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (B+) 59. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (B) 60. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (A-) 61. Field of Dreams (A+) 62. The Conversation (B) 63. American Gangster (A) 64. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (B+) 65. Damsels in Distress (B+) 66. 3 Days of the Condor (B+) 67. Star Trek (A) 68. Thelma & Louise (A) 69. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (B) 70. Brave (B+) 71. The Grapes of Wrath (A-) 72. Where Do We Go Now? (B) 73. The Night of the Hunter (C) 74. Dangerous Liasons (A) 75. Amelie (A) 76. Glory (A) 77. Savages (B+) 78. The Amazing Spider-Man (B+) 79. There Will Be Blood (A) 80. Memento (A) 81. Nine (C) 82. Insomnia (B+) 83. Batman Begins (A+) 84. Margaret (A-) As with most people, only now do I have the opportunity to see Kenneth Lonergan's second film, the subject of long delays, protracted legal battles, and a campaign by critics to raise its profile after its initial two-theatre release. I'm reviewing the theatrical version here. Even the most positive reviews I've seen for this often use the adjective "messy", and I think that's definitely the case. The 150-minute cut includes a number of characters who come across as seriously extraneous (Matt Damon and Jean Reno, mainly); possibly the 183-minute version is different. As it is, I think this version of the movie needed more editing, as it's left in some things that seem there just enough to be noticeable but not enough to be worthwhile. I debated whether this was a B+ or an A-, and ultimately ended up on the high side, after looking at the other movies I've recently assigned that rating. Margaret has too many really strong scenes, and even most of the more extraneous parts can be tied into the protagonist's journey in a way. Anna Paquin's performance is astonishingly good; the best female lead performance of 2011 (or 2006, I guess?), I'd say. Cinema: 19 Home Video: 56 (+1) Computer: 8
Spoiler: The rest of my 2012 list of movies Kicking off my 2012 list: 1. Edge of Darkness: A 2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: B+ 3. Repo Men: B- 4. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: B- 5. Underworld: Awakening: B 6. Lost City Raiders: C+ 7. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist: B+ 8. Contraband: B+ 9. Kick-Ass: B+ 10. Hereafter: A- 11. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance: B 12. Act of Valor: C+ 13. John Carter: B 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+ My friend and her fiancee just moved into their new house. He went out of town and she didn't want to be alone on a Sat night so me and another girlfriend went to keep her company. She wanted to watch this. She knew I was hesitant about it, I just don't like Jonah Hill overall. Tatum doesn't lite my fire either as being good. Dammit though if I'm not big enough to say my opinion based on the trailers and it not being at all "my 21 JS" didn't still allow for this to be way better than it had any right to be. I enjoyed it, I did and I did peg the Johnny Depp cameo before it was revealed. I still as a rule wouldn't rush to pay theater price for it but it is a solid $1 RedBox rental. She got it from OnDemand though, not sure what she paid for that.
86. Snow White and the Huntsman Pretty average fantasy film that doesn't seem to know where its focus lies (it changes from the Evil Queen to the Huntsman to Snow White). But it does have very good effects for the most part. I think this would have been better if they had ditched the few things connecting it to the Snow White fairy tale and created their own fantasy world.
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-) 50. This Filthy World (B) 51. Bad Fever (C-) 52. The Conspirator (C) 53. We The Party (C-) 54. My Darling Clementine (C+) 55. Freakonomics (C+) 56 Sound of My Voice (A-) 57. Tales from the Script (C-) 58. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (B+) 59. Me and Orson Welles (B) 60. Everything Must Go (B+) 61. The Avengers (C) 62. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (B) 63. One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (B) 64. Starship Troopers (A) 65. Alien (A+) 66. Aliens (A) 67. Into the Abyss (B) 68. The Expendables (D) 69. Dumbo (B+) 70. Bullet in the Head (B-) 71. City Streets (D) 72. Hard Boiled (A) 73. Burn After Reading (B+) 74. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (B+) 75. A Few Good Men (B) 76. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (A) 77. RoboCop (A-) 78. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (A-) 79. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (C-) 80. Your Sister's Sister (A) 81. The Gunfighter (B+) 82. The Sting (A-) 83. The Thin Blue Line (A) 84. Rango (A) 85. The Killing (B+) 86. The Order of the Black Eagle (F) 87. Jaws (A) 88. Marley & Me (B-) 89. Dominick Dunne: After The Party (B) 90. Prometheus (B-) 91. Collaborator (B-) 92. The Island of Lost Souls (B) 93. The Taking of Pelham 123 [1974] (B+) 94. High Anxiety (C+) 95. Carlos (A-) 96. Stargate (B) 97. Ben-Hur (B+) 98. Bringing up Baby (A) 99. The Trip (B+) 100. Observe and Report (D-) 101. The Conversation (A) 102. TRON (C) 103. Cat Ballou (B) 104. Monsters, Inc. (B) Cat Ballou -- The AFI called this the tenth best Western in a 2008 TV special. That's an inflated score for this comedy, but it's hard to deny how good Lee Marvin is in the dual role of a drunken cowboy/deadly gunman. It's a bit uneven at times, but the performances keep it moving along (Jane Fonda is good in the lead role, playing against the conventions of what a female can do in a Western film), and it often is quite funny ("I'm drunk as a skunk" makes for a memorable scene). It looked good in 35mm, especially for a film that was shot so quickly. Monsters, Inc. -- A perfectly good Pixar movie, but not a great one. There isn't a scene that approaches the emotion you'll find in the prologue to Up, for example. One would expect more imagination in the world of the monsters, too -- the kind on display in the futuristic setting of Wall-E -- but what we get turns out to be fairly ordinary. The voice acting is quite good, though, and Randy Newman's score is spot on. Theatres: 41 +1 Home Video: 55 +1 Computer: 8
Theatre/Cinema Spoiler: Rest of List DVD Television Broadcast 1. Meet the Robinsons 2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 5. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (3D) 6. Spider-Man 2 7. Green Lantern 8. Tron: Legacy 9. Rio 10. Groundhog Day 11. The Lorax 12. The Avengers 13. Men in Black 3 14. Ice Age 4: Continental Drift 15. The Amazing Spider-Man 16. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 17. Brave
Mirror Mirror - We watched it on demand and glad we did. I'll give it a C and I think that is being generous. There were things I like a lot about the movie. I actually liked Julia Roberts over the top Queen. I think it actually made the movie. Also the Dwarves were great as well, I really liked the whole training of Snow White montage with them. Also the vintage Tarsem visual style was there but toned down, which I think was a mistake. I think with Snow White he had the opportunity to go all out. However those few things couldn't save this film from being crushed under its own weight. While fiddling around with the story is okay, this story meanders around and never seams to be more then a string of set pieces.
At the theater: Safety Not Guaranteed The Amazing Spider-Man Men In Black III John Carter Prometheus The Artist Hugo War Horse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol The Avengers The Hunger Games The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 Titanic 3D At special screenings: Predator Predator 2 Star Trek: The Motion Picture (at the La-La Land CD release party/screening) The Living Daylights Licence to Kill Perv: The Cat From Russia With Love Starship Troopers (At the 15th Anniversary screening) At marathons: Alien Aliens Predator Predator 2 Alien 3 Alien: Resurrection At home on video/DVD/Blu-Ray: Midnight in Paris The Descendants Good Will Hunting Local Hero American Dreams Do Come True Horrible Bosses Star Trek Generations Star Trek: First Contact
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February, March, April, May & June 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 3D- 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 The Hunter - free admission An Education - DVD Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two - DVD The Prophecy - DVD Them Idiots Whirled Tour - DVD The Prophecy II - DVD Cabin in the Woods - free admission Juan of the Dead - free admission Lockout - free admission Get the Gringo - free screenin' Only Yesterday - free admission Pirates! Band of Misfits 3D - free screenin' Street Kings 2: Motor City - Unrated - DVD The Cat Returns - free admission The Prophecy 3: The Ascent - DVD Marley - free admission The Lucky One - free admission Cool Hand Luke - free admission The Grudge 2: Unrated Director's Cut - DVD Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - DVD The Raven - free admission Colombiana - Unrated - DVD Princess Mononoke - free admission The Five-Year Engagement - free admission Last Days Here - free admission The Three Stooges - free admission The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter - DVD The Avengers 3D/2D - free admission Damsels in Distress - free admission Sound of My Voice - free admission Yellow Submarine - free admission The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - free screenin' The Skulls - DVD Dark Shadows - free admission The Skulls II - DVD Sleepless Night - free admission Conan the Barbarian (1982) - DVD Battleship - free admission The Skulls III - DVD The Dictator - free admission What to Expect When You're Expecting - free admission Men in Black 3 3D - free screenin' Chernobyl Diaries - free screenin' Batman: Year One/Catwoman - DVD The Batma vs Dracula - DVD Seven Pounds - DVD He's Just Not That Into You - DVD Final Destination - DVD The Black Six (1973) - free admission Final Destination 2 - DVD Snow White and the Huntsman - free admission Final Destination 3 - DVD Piranha 3DD - free admission The Final Destination - DVD Final Destination 5 - DVD Conan the Destroyer - Netflix Instant Jesse Stone: Stone Cold - Netflix Instant Ralphie May: Austin-tatious - Netflix Instant Ralphie May: Too Big to Ignore - Netflix Instant Shark Night 3D - Netflix Instant Jesse Stone: Night Passage - Netflix Instant Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell - Netflix Instant Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise - Netflix Instant Jesse Stone: Sea Change - Netflix Instant Moonrise Kingdom - free admission God Bless America - free admission Prometheus 3D/2D - free admission Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - free admission Rock of Ages - free admission That's My Boy - free admission Cursed - DVD Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter 3D/2D - free screenin' Escape 2000 (1982) - free admission Brave 3D - free screenin' Dracula 2000 - DVD The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) - free admission Superman vs The Elite - DVD Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - matinee Mr. Popper's Penquins - HBO The Hangover Part II - HBO Ted - free admission The Amazing Spider-Man 3D - free admission Powder Blue - DVD Crazy, Stupid Love - HBO To Rome With Love - free admission The Do Deca Pentathlon - free admission ZAAT! - free admission Manhattan - free admission Extraterrestre - free admission Magic Mike - free admission Went to Weird Wednesday last week at Drafthouse South Lamar, and not only saw a cheesy "man in suit" monster movie from the early '70s, but got a miniposter autographed by the movie's writer for $10! Thursday night was the last night for Manhattan at Drafthouse Slaughter, and I got into that showin' pretty easily. Went back to South Lamar Saturday night for the foreign film Extraterrestre, and it was pretty funny. Saw When Harry Met Sally... on the big screen for the first time Sunday mornin'. And then got together with my friend Donna at Alamo Slaughter to see Magic Mike yesterday afternoon.
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-) 42. The Lives of Others (A) 43. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (A-) 44. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (A) 45. A Streetcar Named Desire (A) 46. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (A) 47. Downfall (A+) 48. In Darkness (B+) 49. Cabaret (C+) 50. The Avengers (A) 51. The Incredible Hulk (B) 52. The Last of the Mohicans (A-) 53. Alien (A) 54. Mystic River (A) 55. Amadeus (A+) 56. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (B) 57. Snow White and the Huntsman (C) 58. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (B+) 59. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (B) 60. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (A-) 61. Field of Dreams (A+) 62. The Conversation (B) 63. American Gangster (A) 64. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (B+) 65. Damsels in Distress (B+) 66. 3 Days of the Condor (B+) 67. Star Trek (A) 68. Thelma & Louise (A) 69. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (B) 70. Brave (B+) 71. The Grapes of Wrath (A-) 72. Where Do We Go Now? (B) 73. The Night of the Hunter (C) 74. Dangerous Liasons (A) 75. Amelie (A) 76. Glory (A) 77. Savages (B+) 78. The Amazing Spider-Man (B+) 79. There Will Be Blood (A) 80. Memento (A) 81. Nine (C) 82. Insomnia (B+) 83. Batman Begins (A+) 84. Margaret (A-) 85. The Dark Knight (A+) With the finale to the trilogy only days away (I know I've got my ticket), time at last to revisit the movie. In many ways a change of pace from the first movie, I still think I prefer the first one in many respects, but this is a magnificent film on its own. I have quibbles here and there, but that's true of pretty much every film. Cinema: 19 Home Video: 57 (+1) Computer: 8
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-) 50. This Filthy World (B) 51. Bad Fever (C-) 52. The Conspirator (C) 53. We The Party (C-) 54. My Darling Clementine (C+) 55. Freakonomics (C+) 56 Sound of My Voice (A-) 57. Tales from the Script (C-) 58. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (B+) 59. Me and Orson Welles (B) 60. Everything Must Go (B+) 61. The Avengers (C) 62. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (B) 63. One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (B) 64. Starship Troopers (A) 65. Alien (A+) 66. Aliens (A) 67. Into the Abyss (B) 68. The Expendables (D) 69. Dumbo (B+) 70. Bullet in the Head (B-) 71. City Streets (D) 72. Hard Boiled (A) 73. Burn After Reading (B+) 74. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (B+) 75. A Few Good Men (B) 76. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (A) 77. RoboCop (A-) 78. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (A-) 79. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (C-) 80. Your Sister's Sister (A) 81. The Gunfighter (B+) 82. The Sting (A-) 83. The Thin Blue Line (A) 84. Rango (A) 85. The Killing (B+) 86. The Order of the Black Eagle (F) 87. Jaws (A) 88. Marley & Me (B-) 89. Dominick Dunne: After The Party (B) 90. Prometheus (B-) 91. Collaborator (B-) 92. The Island of Lost Souls (B) 93. The Taking of Pelham 123 [1974] (B+) 94. High Anxiety (C+) 95. Carlos (A-) 96. Stargate (B) 97. Ben-Hur (B+) 98. Bringing up Baby (A) 99. The Trip (B+) 100. Observe and Report (D-) 101. The Conversation (A) 102. TRON (C) 103. Cat Ballou (B) 104. Monsters, Inc. (B) 105. Torn Curtain (C) 106. Marnie (A-) Torn Curtain: I've seen most of the canon of Alfred Hitchcock, but little of his black and white output, and none of his films made after The Birds. It's the latter period that I attended to yesterday, with his films from 1966 and 1964, which I ended up watching in reverse chronological order. The first, starring the great Paul Newman and Julie Christie, is at best inessential Hitchcock and at worst a tepid, laborious thriller. Both leads are woefully miscast -- Newman has too much of a glint in his eye to be believable as an everyday man inexperienced at espionage, and he and Christie rarely make a believable couple. Worse, there are so many poorly shot background plates and badly painted backdrops on display that the tension is often destroyed before it can build (the bus sequence, a key set piece, is made laughable by shaky rear projection). Then there's a late incident with a Polish woman, which I gather is supposed to raise the suspense and engender our sympathy, but the woman is so annoying and over-the-top that it results in neither. The MacGuffin here -- a mathematical equation for... well, something -- is too intangible, and too easily acquired after being built up. The film does have one effective sequence, however -- the farmhouse murder -- which is brutal and intense, and rather unlike the rest of the movie. Marnie: This is a fascinating and well-acted psychological thriller starring Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery (hot off the heels of Dr. No), and possibly the last essential Alfred Hitchcock movie. More Vertigo than The Man Who Knew Too Much -- Connery's character shares Jimmy Stewart's obsessions from that movie -- I can only fault it for a couple of preposterous backdrops that betray the backlot locations. It's little surprise to me that this failed while Torn Curtain succeeded -- the public never turned out when Hitchcock made a movie focused on psychology rather than suspense -- but it's a shame it didn't do better during the filmmaker's lifetime. Theatres: 41 Home Video: 57 +2 Computer: 8
87. Superman vs The Elite And very good Superman film that could have been a great one with a longer runtime to flesh some things out more (I know, they don't have the budget for longer films). I think that something like this might actually be a good idea for a live action Superman film.