Movies Seen In 2014

I laugh/snorted when I heard Pedro the Sailor man, Jim Beam & Ginger Beer took a very undignified exit via my nostrils.

 

Spoiler: 2010 viewed movies

I didn't start in the thread till August that year, partial list

1. Piranha 3D: C+
2. Book of Eli: B
3. Lethal Weapon: A
4. Lethal Weapon 2: A-
5. Lethal Weapon 3: B
6. Lethal Weapon 4: C+
7. The Crow: A
8. Clash of the Titans: B+
9. Prince of Persia: B
10. The Fountain: D
11. Resident Evil: A-
12. Resident Evil: Apocalypse: B
13. Resident Evil: Extinction: B-
14. Resident Evil: Afterlife: B
15. Resident Evil: Degeneration(animated): B
16. Bad Boys: B+
17. Zombieland: B
18. The Evil Dead: B-
19. R.E.D.: B
20. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days: B+
21. Conviction: A-
22. Crazies(2010): A-
23. Paranormal Activity: A+
24. Paranormal Activity 2: A
25. Shutter Island: B-
26. Gamer: F
27. Last House on the Left(orig): D+
28. Thirst(asian film): C-
29. The Hills Have Eyes: B
30. When In Rome: B-
31. Dr.Horrible Sing-A-Long: A
32. Expelled No Intelligence Allowed(doc): B
33. Zombie Strippers: D
34. Mammoth: D+
35. Everyone Else: D
36. Dark Ages(doc): A
37. Batman vs Dracula(anim): A-
38. Independence Day: A
39. Robin Hood(2010-Crowe): B
40. Taken: A
41. Only You: B-
42. Momma Mia: C
43. High Plains Drifter: C
44. Joe Kid: A-
45. Tron Legacy: B
46. Voyage of the DawnTreader: B+
47. Tourist: B
48. Duchess: B
49. Blade Runner: B+
50. Men In Black: A
51. Jumper: B-
52. Interview with the Vampire: A-
53. Brideshead Revisted: B
54. Wizard of Oz: A
55. Gone With the Wind: A
56. 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: 2013 viewed movies

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-
27. The Lives of Others: B+ (German film)
28. The Croods: B+
29. Jennifers Body: D+
30. Evil Dead (2013 remake): B+
31. G.I. Joe: Retaliation: B
32. The Dark Knight Returns pt.1: A+
33. The Dark Knight Returns pt.2: A+
34. Batman: Gotham Knight: B
35. Superman/Shazam: Return of Black Adam: A-
36. Batman: Year One: B
37. Batman/Superman: Apocalypse: A+
38. Superman vs The Elite: B+
39. Justice League: Doom: A
40. Green Lantern First Flight: A
41. Oblivion: B+
42. Iron Man 3: B-
43. Planet Hulk: A-
44. Welcome to the Jungle: F
45. The Time Travelers Wife: B+
46. Star Trek into Darkness: A-
47. The Lost Tomb of Jesus: B
48. The Heat: C+
49. Fast and Furious 6: A-
50. Hangover III: C-
51. Now You See Me: A
52. Boot Camp: B-
53. Green Zone: C
54. Ninja Assassin: B
55. Mr&Mrs. Smith: A-
56. Silver Linings Playbook: A-
57. Man of Steel: B+
58. Doubt: A
59. Godfather: A
60. World War Z: B
61. Much Ado About Nothing: A-
62. The Lone Ranger: C+
63. Godfather pt.II: A+
64. Godfather pt.III: B
65. Beyond Sherwood Forest: D
66. R.E.D. 2: B-
67. The Wolverine: B+
68. R.I.P.D.: C+
69. Proof of Life: B-
70. The Conjuring: B
71. Pacific Rim: B-
72. Alone in the Dark: D
73. Apocalypto: A
74. Stargate: Ark of Truth: A-
75. Stargate: Continuum: A
76. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: B-
77. Pi: C-
78. Riddick: B+
79. Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief: B
80. The World's End: C+
81. The Other Woman: B
82. The Other Guys: B-
83. The Sorcerer's Apprentice: C+
84. Catfish: A-
85. Wild Hogs: C
86. Zach & Miri Make a Porno: B
87. Gravity: A+
88. Supergirl: D
89. Escape Plan: B+
90. Prisoners: A
91. Disappearance of Alice Creed: A
92. Deathrace 2000: C+
93. Thor Dark World: A-
94. Superman Unbound: B+
95. JCVD: B-
96. Drive: B-
97. Hunger Games: Catching Fire: B+
98. War Horse: B
99. How to Train Your Dragon: A
100. Scrooged: A-
101. W: D+
102. 127 Hours: A-
103. Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug: B+
104. Moonrise Kingdom: A
105. Piranha DD: D

Spoiler: 2014 First Time Viewed Films

2014 First time viewed films:
1. Saving Mr.Banks: A
2. American Hustle: A-
3. Larry Crowne: B+
4. The Grey: C
5. Real Steel: B-
6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: B
7. Just Go With It: A-
8. The Road: B
9. Blue Valentine: B
10. Fifth Element: C
11. Boy in the Stripped Pajamas: A
12. Hachi: A Dog's Tale: A
13. She's Out of My League: C

14. The Lego Movie: A
15. Whip It: B
16. Up in the Air: B
17. 300: Rise of an Empire: B+
18. Splice: C-

Billed a horror movie I found it more of an oddity film than anything. I didn't find it remotely horrific and found it to contain hardly any suspense really. Adrian Brody is the real name of the film and he and his girlfriend work at a genetics firm that does pharmaceutical testing and they end up splicing DNA together to create a humanoid hybrid that ends with disastrous results. The extreme predictability of it all plus a sex scene that is more WTF than even remotely sensual or erotic makes for one very odd film.

 

1) Her (2013) - A
2) Saving Mr. Banks (2013) - B+
3) The Dallas Buyers Club (2013) - B
4) Frozen (2013) - A
5) Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - B
6) Rush (2013) - B+
7) Blackfish (2013) - B
8) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - A

Went to see TGBH yesterday and absolutely loved it. It was quirky, fun, and Wes Anderson at his best. During the trailer, I got a Moonrise Kingdom (My surprise movie of 2012) vibe from it, and I felt that during some of the scenes in this movie, especially with Edward Norton. I loved the chemistry between Finnes and the guy who played the Lobby Boy (Who was very good by the way) and it was just a fun and entertaining movie.

I also saw it at an independent theater, and it was a blast from the past. I'm so used to going to these big theaters like Cinemark and AMC but it was only playing at a smaller theater and the atmosphere was so much more intimate and less "corporate". I also saw some trailers to films I probably would never see, like the Dune Docu-Drama, Belle, and Particle Fever, which looks really interesting. Also saw a trailer to Nymphomiac, and man does that movie look disturbing, not to mention I've never seen a trailer with nudity and a whole lot of sex. It was a nice and different experience.

Netflix
Theater: 6 (+1)
Itunes 1
Blu Ray/DVD/TV 1

 

Spoiler: The rest of my list.

1. Philomena (B+)
2. Blue Is The Warmest Colour (A)
3. Her (A+)
4. Bicycle Thieves (B)
5. Frances Ha (B+)
6. Inside Llewyn Davis (A)
7. American Hustle (B+)
8. East of Eden (C+)
9. The Hunt (A-)
10. Amadeus (A+)
11. The LEGO Movie (A-)
12. Nebraska (B+)
13. Short Term 12 (A)
14. The Square (B+)
15. The Act of Killing (A)
16. Metropolitan (B)
17. Almost Famous (A+)
18. The Ice Storm (C+)
19. 300: Rise of an Empire (B)
20. The Great Beauty (B+)

21. Network (A+)

The first of two movies I rewatched tonight. Sidney Lumet and Paddy Chayefsky's uncannily accurate prediction of the rise of FOX News retains all of its power, though I do wonder how seriously the movie expects us to take William Holden's blather, which is pretty much just "get off my lawn" nonsense (rather like how Chayefsky-worshipper Aaron Sorkin approached the internet in The Social Network).

22. The Palm Beach Story (A+)

Quite possibly my favourite of the 30s/40s screwball comedies, this tends to be ranked behind Sullivan's Travels and The Lady Eve among Preston Sturges' filmography, but in my opinion it's a lot more consistent. Part of that is the presence of Claudette Colbert as the female lead -- she pioneered this genre with Frank Capra, and she's in top form here, ably assisted by Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor. Sturges' de facto male lead, Joel McCrea, again takes that role here, and while he's fine, he's nowhere near the calibre of his co-stars. Also, watching these older movies makes clear how much the switch from trains and boats to airplanes has caused problems for screenwriters, since there's way less story possibility there.

Cinema: 9
DVD: 5 (+2)
Computer: 8

 

32. Nebraska ★★★1/2

Pretty enjoyable film. I know some crotchety old folks like this, so I laughed a lot.

33. Inside Llewyn Davis ★★★1/2

I'm a huge fan of folk music, so I was entertained by this. Too many loose threads at the end for my liking, but there were some great cameos.

 

Updates in Bold:

300: Rise of an Empire (10)
Black Rain (7)
Fairy Tail The Movie: The Phoenix Priestess (8)
Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin (Garden of Sinners: Blessings for the Future) (9)
Divergent (7)
Heat (1995) (8)
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (9)
Kick Ass 2 (8)
Lone Survivor (8)
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost (7)
Mission Impossible II (8)
Mission Impossible III (8)
Monuments Men (8)
Non-Stop (10)
Robocop (2014) (8)
Tales From Earthsea (5)
White House Down (7)
Wolf Children (8)

Running Total: 18

 

Television Broadcasts
Cinema
DVDs
Streaming

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Seen this many times. It's still a great movie adaptation. 9/10.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Same as above. 9/10.

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Rewatch. It's as great as LotR. 9/10.

4. Man of Steel
I found it excellent. Better than Superman Returns. On par with the first two Donner/Reeve films.

5. Meet the Robinsons
Still holds up. Rather enjoyable.

6. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Same as above.

7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Not really to my taste, but some parts are enjoyable. 5/10.

8. Tron Legacy
Still rather enjoyable. 8/10.

9. Tron
Streamed because the DVD seems to be in the Disney Vault. (and I haven't upgraded to Blu-Ray yet.)
Still a great story. Legacy is a great continuation. 8/10.

10. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
After re-watching the 1995 BCC production (after reading the novel) I decided to watch this movie. It's a slightly less faithful adaption, but I still enjoyed it. 8/10.

---

11. The Little Colonel
The earliest Shirley Temple film available on Google Play. The tale of a young girl whose grandfather (who fought on the South's side in the Civil War) had disowned her mother upon her running away with her northerner father... Quite enjoyable 7.8/10.

 

Spoiler: The rest of my list.

1. Philomena (B+)
2. Blue Is The Warmest Colour (A)
3. Her (A+)
4. Bicycle Thieves (B)
5. Frances Ha (B+)
6. Inside Llewyn Davis (A)
7. American Hustle (B+)
8. East of Eden (C+)
9. The Hunt (A-)
10. Amadeus (A+)
11. The LEGO Movie (A-)
12. Nebraska (B+)
13. Short Term 12 (A)
14. The Square (B+)
15. The Act of Killing (A)
16. Metropolitan (B)
17. Almost Famous (A+)
18. The Ice Storm (C+)
19. 300: Rise of an Empire (B)
20. The Great Beauty (B+)
21. Network (A+)
22. The Palm Beach Story (A+)

23. The Past (B+)

Asghar Farhadi's followup to his Oscar-winning 2011 A Separation, another family drama. The earlier film's male lead, Ali Mosaffa (the Iranian Michael Sheen), returns here, alongside The Artist's Berenice Bejo and Tahar Rahim, the star of the acclaimed French drama A Prophet (which I still haven't seen). There was a certain novelty value to A Separation (a look into Iranian daily life) which isn't present here, as we've changed locations to France; in general I found this a good film, but much less involving than its predecessor, though that was likely due at least in part to my being very tired when I saw it. Farhadi's thing seems to be to apply kitchen sink realism to what, on the surface, would seem like a very melodramatic plot.

Cinema: 10 (+1)
DVD: 5
Computer: 8

 

34. Kill Your Darlings ★★

It's just boring. Oh well.

 

Spoiler: 2010 viewed movies

I didn't start in the thread till August that year, partial list

1. Piranha 3D: C+
2. Book of Eli: B
3. Lethal Weapon: A
4. Lethal Weapon 2: A-
5. Lethal Weapon 3: B
6. Lethal Weapon 4: C+
7. The Crow: A
8. Clash of the Titans: B+
9. Prince of Persia: B
10. The Fountain: D
11. Resident Evil: A-
12. Resident Evil: Apocalypse: B
13. Resident Evil: Extinction: B-
14. Resident Evil: Afterlife: B
15. Resident Evil: Degeneration(animated): B
16. Bad Boys: B+
17. Zombieland: B
18. The Evil Dead: B-
19. R.E.D.: B
20. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days: B+
21. Conviction: A-
22. Crazies(2010): A-
23. Paranormal Activity: A+
24. Paranormal Activity 2: A
25. Shutter Island: B-
26. Gamer: F
27. Last House on the Left(orig): D+
28. Thirst(asian film): C-
29. The Hills Have Eyes: B
30. When In Rome: B-
31. Dr.Horrible Sing-A-Long: A
32. Expelled No Intelligence Allowed(doc): B
33. Zombie Strippers: D
34. Mammoth: D+
35. Everyone Else: D
36. Dark Ages(doc): A
37. Batman vs Dracula(anim): A-
38. Independence Day: A
39. Robin Hood(2010-Crowe): B
40. Taken: A
41. Only You: B-
42. Momma Mia: C
43. High Plains Drifter: C
44. Joe Kid: A-
45. Tron Legacy: B
46. Voyage of the DawnTreader: B+
47. Tourist: B
48. Duchess: B
49. Blade Runner: B+
50. Men In Black: A
51. Jumper: B-
52. Interview with the Vampire: A-
53. Brideshead Revisted: B
54. Wizard of Oz: A
55. Gone With the Wind: A
56. 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: 2013 viewed movies

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-
27. The Lives of Others: B+ (German film)
28. The Croods: B+
29. Jennifers Body: D+
30. Evil Dead (2013 remake): B+
31. G.I. Joe: Retaliation: B
32. The Dark Knight Returns pt.1: A+
33. The Dark Knight Returns pt.2: A+
34. Batman: Gotham Knight: B
35. Superman/Shazam: Return of Black Adam: A-
36. Batman: Year One: B
37. Batman/Superman: Apocalypse: A+
38. Superman vs The Elite: B+
39. Justice League: Doom: A
40. Green Lantern First Flight: A
41. Oblivion: B+
42. Iron Man 3: B-
43. Planet Hulk: A-
44. Welcome to the Jungle: F
45. The Time Travelers Wife: B+
46. Star Trek into Darkness: A-
47. The Lost Tomb of Jesus: B
48. The Heat: C+
49. Fast and Furious 6: A-
50. Hangover III: C-
51. Now You See Me: A
52. Boot Camp: B-
53. Green Zone: C
54. Ninja Assassin: B
55. Mr&Mrs. Smith: A-
56. Silver Linings Playbook: A-
57. Man of Steel: B+
58. Doubt: A
59. Godfather: A
60. World War Z: B
61. Much Ado About Nothing: A-
62. The Lone Ranger: C+
63. Godfather pt.II: A+
64. Godfather pt.III: B
65. Beyond Sherwood Forest: D
66. R.E.D. 2: B-
67. The Wolverine: B+
68. R.I.P.D.: C+
69. Proof of Life: B-
70. The Conjuring: B
71. Pacific Rim: B-
72. Alone in the Dark: D
73. Apocalypto: A
74. Stargate: Ark of Truth: A-
75. Stargate: Continuum: A
76. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: B-
77. Pi: C-
78. Riddick: B+
79. Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief: B
80. The World's End: C+
81. The Other Woman: B
82. The Other Guys: B-
83. The Sorcerer's Apprentice: C+
84. Catfish: A-
85. Wild Hogs: C
86. Zach & Miri Make a Porno: B
87. Gravity: A+
88. Supergirl: D
89. Escape Plan: B+
90. Prisoners: A
91. Disappearance of Alice Creed: A
92. Deathrace 2000: C+
93. Thor Dark World: A-
94. Superman Unbound: B+
95. JCVD: B-
96. Drive: B-
97. Hunger Games: Catching Fire: B+
98. War Horse: B
99. How to Train Your Dragon: A
100. Scrooged: A-
101. W: D+
102. 127 Hours: A-
103. Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug: B+
104. Moonrise Kingdom: A
105. Piranha DD: D

Spoiler: 2014 First Time Viewed Films

2014 First time viewed films:
1. Saving Mr.Banks: A
2. American Hustle: A-
3. Larry Crowne: B+
4. The Grey: C
5. Real Steel: B-
6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: B
7. Just Go With It: A-
8. The Road: B
9. Blue Valentine: B
10. Fifth Element: C
11. Boy in the Stripped Pajamas: A
12. Hachi: A Dog's Tale: A
13. She's Out of My League: C
14. The Lego Movie: A
15. Whip It: B

16. Up in the Air: B
17. 300: Rise of an Empire: B+
18. Splice: C-
19. Mirrors: B-
20. Pitch Perfect: A-

Mirrors:
The horror movie starring Keifer Sutherland and Paula Patton starts a bit slow. Somewhere in the middle act they finally start hemorrhaging details and letting the Ben(Keifer) use his cop skills to track down what the demons in the mirror-verse want. By the third act it's finally feeling like a horror film with a light exorcism slant to it. The ending sets it up for a sequel, which I see on IMDB they did but the write up sounds like it's largely just a rehash of the first. I might could get curious about picking up Ben's story on the wrong side of the glass, the fallout to his family being alone without him but as it is I'm not curious about the sequel that reads like just a remake of the one I just saw with minor changes.

Pitch Perfect:
This film is so much better than Bridesmaids. I hear them talked in almost the same sentence when it comes to recent great all female comedy films. I found Bridesmaids to be uninspiring myself and not worthy of the praise it gets. Pitch Pefect on the other hand is a really fun film. The chemistry of the leads felt much more in-tune with what I feel made Hangover so much fun. Bridesmaid leads lacked this.

 

Spoiler: films I've seen in 2014

1. Megaforce (F) - Doesn't even enter the so bad it's good. If you get a chance, watch it though, because the badness needs to be seen to be believed.
2. Loose Cannons (C) - Hits a lot of the right notes but never anything special as the chemistry never quite seems to kick off between the leads, Hackman & Ackroyd..
3. The Last Boy Scout (B+) - I love his film, might be marking it higher than I should because of that, for me it's a quintessential beer & popcorn movie. Willis is superb, as is the girl who plays his daughter.
4. Operation Condor: Armour of God II (D) - Worth a watch for Jackie Chan's stuntwork, not much else though.
5. Universal Soldier (B-) - Lundgren steals this movie from JCVD, so much more than the sum of its parts, let down at times by poor directing ad some shoddy sets.
6. The Addams Family (B) - Strong performances by a very good cast push an OK script into a very good film.
7. Hudson Hawk (C-) - A forced farce that just never quite holds together.
8. Showdown In Little Tokyo (F) - Awful, just awful.
9. Ricochet (B) - An over the top film that is very enjoyable. Lithgow is a delight and Washington oozes class on screen.
10. Delirious (D-) - Weak performances and script. Candy does stand out but can't save this from being a below average mess.
11. Heart Condition (E) - Only the on screen chemistry between Hoskins and Washington save this from getting an F.
12. Big Trouble In Little China (B-) - Dislikeable characters, off-the wall plot and yet I enjoyed this.
13. Regarding Henry (C) - A film which benefits greatly from Ford being so watchable.
14. The Man In The Moon (C-) - A nice little movie that throws a lot of coming of age, dealing with loss and sibling rivalry tropes at you and is fairly well acted, but nothing outstanding or even close to original about it.
15. True Colours (B) - Cusack and Spader bring it in this tale of friendship, politics, deceit and betrayal.
16. Billy Bathgate (C) - Despite strong performances from Kidman, Hoffman and Willis this always felt like a TV movie to me, in fact it might have worked better as a mini-series.
17. Simple Men (U) - It put me to sleep half a dozen times, therefore ungraded.
18. Sniper (D) - It's OK, acting, OK, script, OK, directing...you get the gist.
19 Death Becomes Her (B+) - Nearly great, just not quite enough substance to push it to an A. Willis, Streep and Hawn all put in great performances.
20. Twin Dragons (C) - Double Jackie Chan, what's not to like? Good farce, some good stunts and chuckle-worthy throughout.
21. Mortal Thoughts (D+) - Just never quite hangs together as a cohesive whole despite a couple of notable performances.
22. Love Potion No. 9 (C-) - Borderline, nearly got a D+. It's very lightweight and performances are OK. Wet Sunday afternoon, you could do worse than this.
23. Raising Cain (D) - I wanted to like this more, I do like Lithgow's performance but the film doesn't do it for me. Kind of feels like it should have been less linear, a more cut up approach may have worked better and would explain why we have almost gratuitous clock and timepiece shots with no real need.
24. Groundhog Day (A) - Great film, great performances.
25. Deep Cover (C) - Nice drama, nicely acted with Fishburne putting in a really good performance.
26. Midnight Sting (C+) - Better than the sum of its parts. Does have a slight A-Team/KnightRider feel, small town villain getting his comeuppance.
27. The Young Americans (E) - Messy mish-mash of a film that never quite grabs your attention.
28. Crime Story (C) - A Jackie Chan vehicle that feels like a bit of departure from what I know him from. Better acting than in a lot of his films and, as per usual, the stunt work he does always makes it worth a look.
29. Romeo is Bleeding (D) - Gary Oldman is superb but the film never holds together and I kind of drifted in and out of it because of that.
30. Robin Hood: Men In Tights (D) - It has its moments, Patrick Stewart is one of them, but feels tired and formulaic. The jokes are hit and miss, with far more being misses.
31. The Three Musketeers (1993) (C-) - Fun and silly, but no substance to speak of.
32. My Cousin Vinny (B) - Surprised me, really enjoyed this film. Funny and some good performances.
33. Undercover Blues (D) - The lead characters are affable enough, the film is shoddy though and some of the supporting characters are just plain irritating.
34. True Romance (A) - Morally wrong, intellectually wrong and the romance is wrong and twisted but it's a great film.
35. Bad Girls (C-) - An OK film with the 'twist' being that the leads are female. It adds nor detracts from the final product. That said, it was better than what I had expected it to be,
36. Back In Action (E) - Has a few moments of interest but this Billy Blanks and Roddy Piper vehicle crashes and burns.
37. The Snapper (B-) - A family tale set in Ireland about an unplanned pregnancy and its fallout. Colm Meaney is simply superb in this.0
38. The Real McCoy (D-) - Early nineties Kim Basinger vehicle that is mediocre in every way, excepting Val Kilmer who was awful.

39. Much Ado About Nothing (1993) (B+) - Great retelling of this Shakespeare tale with an interesting transatlantic cast that works really well.
40. Poison Ivy (E) - The young femme fatale story has been done many times, rarely as poorly as this. Uninteresting characters, poorly acted & shoddy direction.
41. Clear & Present Danger (A-) A film that is a joy to watch, never seems like the 2 plus hours it is and, for me, Harrison Ford embodies Jack Ryan and it's the best character he's portrayed more than once.
42. Serial Mom (A-) Not sure this was what I expected when I put in the blu-ray, but a joyously dark, riotously funny and well acted satire/spoof/inverse morality play... I don't know, none of these really fit. Don't think it'll be to everybody's taste though but I loved it.

 

So far this year, I've seen the following movies in cinemas...

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom - A+
Frozen - A
Her - A
The Wind Rises (subtitled) - A-
Veronica Mars - A

 

Spoiler: Movies Seen January & February

The Devil's Double - Netflix Instant
MST3K: Future War - Netflix Instant
Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay - Netflix Instant
Stephen King's Graveyard Shift - Netflix Instant
Charge - Netflix Instant
The Eiger Sanction - Netflix Instant
MST3K: Laserblast - Netflix Instant
The Joneses - Netflix Instant
The Reich Underground - Netflix Instant
In the Loop - Netflix Instant
The Other Man - Netflix Instant
Our Nixon - Netflix Instant
Broadcast News - Netflix Instant
MST3K: Final Justice - Netflix Instant
The Blob (1958) - HuluPlus
American Breakdown - HuluPlus
Spy Kids 3: Game Over - Netflix Instant
The Beast with a Million Eyes - Netflix Instant
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) - Netflix Instant
Escape from Alcatraz - Netflix Insant
River of No Return - Netflix Instant
The Apartment - Netflix Instant
Rewind This! - HuluPlus
Ping Pong - Netflix Instant
Schooled: The Price of College Sports - Netflix Instant
Bronies - Netflix Instant
Le Lac Des Zombies (aka Zombie Lake) - Netflix Instant
Cockneys vs Zombies - Netflix Instant
Humanoids from the Deep (aka Monster) - Netflix Instant
The Haunting in Connecticut - Netflix Instant
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia - Netflix Instant
Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis (1984) - Netflix Instant
Dinosaur Island - Netflix Instant
Age of Dinosaurs - Netflix Instant
The Dinosaur Project - Netflix Instant
Baby Boom - Netflix Instant
Blindsided - Netflix Instant
Hobo with a Shotgun - Netflix Instant
Stranded - Netflix Instant
MST3K: The Phantom Planet - Netflix Instant

Looney Tunes: Back in Action - DVD
The Crow: Wicked Prayer - Showtime Extreme
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home - Starz Kids & Family
Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit - HBO on Demand
Bullet to the Head - Cinemax on Demand
Howard the Duck - HBO Family
Battlefield Earth - HBO on Demand
Me, Myself & Irene - HBO on Demand
Bad Milo! - Netflix Instant
The Final Cut - Netflix Instant
Starship Troopers: Invasion - Netflix Instant
P!nk: The Truth About Love Tour - Netflix Instant
Saving Mr. Banks - DVD
Avengers Confidential: Black Widow / Punisher - DVD

Watchin' television shows & playin' videogames more than I've been watchin' movies.

STI is a CGI-animated film with language, violence & nudity that's in line with the live action films. Too bad it isn't a better story. A queen has taken over a ship and has targetted Earth...and our heroes have to stop the invasion.

..meh...

Followed that a few days later with a P!nk concert filmed in Melbourne. Looks like she puts on a good show, wouldn't mind seein' her live some day. And it was a lot better than the Brittney Spears concert video I watched awhile back, in that I recognized more of the songs performed.

Rented a couple of DVDs from Hasting's this week, too.
SMB was pretty good. My sister & I both liked it. I know its a sugar-coated version of history, but still, well worth watchin'.

The other DVD was AC:BW/P, from the same studio that put out Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore awhile back. This has Nick Fury forcin' Black Widow & the Punisher to team up and take down a rogue SHIELD agent who is creatin' a super army to auction to the highest bidder. Iron Man, Thor & Hulk only have cameos, so don't let the box art fool ya.

Got a plan to rent a couple more DVDs in the next few days.

But for now, I'm watchin' the second series of BBC's Luther via Netflix Instant.

 

Spoiler: films I've seen in 2014

1. Megaforce (F) - Doesn't even enter the so bad it's good. If you get a chance, watch it though, because the badness needs to be seen to be believed.
2. Loose Cannons (C) - Hits a lot of the right notes but never anything special as the chemistry never quite seems to kick off between the leads, Hackman & Ackroyd..
3. The Last Boy Scout (B+) - I love his film, might be marking it higher than I should because of that, for me it's a quintessential beer & popcorn movie. Willis is superb, as is the girl who plays his daughter.
4. Operation Condor: Armour of God II (D) - Worth a watch for Jackie Chan's stuntwork, not much else though.
5. Universal Soldier (B-) - Lundgren steals this movie from JCVD, so much more than the sum of its parts, let down at times by poor directing ad some shoddy sets.
6. The Addams Family (B) - Strong performances by a very good cast push an OK script into a very good film.
7. Hudson Hawk (C-) - A forced farce that just never quite holds together.
8. Showdown In Little Tokyo (F) - Awful, just awful.
9. Ricochet (B) - An over the top film that is very enjoyable. Lithgow is a delight and Washington oozes class on screen.
10. Delirious (D-) - Weak performances and script. Candy does stand out but can't save this from being a below average mess.
11. Heart Condition (E) - Only the on screen chemistry between Hoskins and Washington save this from getting an F.
12. Big Trouble In Little China (B-) - Dislikeable characters, off-the wall plot and yet I enjoyed this.
13. Regarding Henry (C) - A film which benefits greatly from Ford being so watchable.
14. The Man In The Moon (C-) - A nice little movie that throws a lot of coming of age, dealing with loss and sibling rivalry tropes at you and is fairly well acted, but nothing outstanding or even close to original about it.
15. True Colours (B) - Cusack and Spader bring it in this tale of friendship, politics, deceit and betrayal.
16. Billy Bathgate (C) - Despite strong performances from Kidman, Hoffman and Willis this always felt like a TV movie to me, in fact it might have worked better as a mini-series.
17. Simple Men (U) - It put me to sleep half a dozen times, therefore ungraded.
18. Sniper (D) - It's OK, acting, OK, script, OK, directing...you get the gist.
19 Death Becomes Her (B+) - Nearly great, just not quite enough substance to push it to an A. Willis, Streep and Hawn all put in great performances.
20. Twin Dragons (C) - Double Jackie Chan, what's not to like? Good farce, some good stunts and chuckle-worthy throughout.
21. Mortal Thoughts (D+) - Just never quite hangs together as a cohesive whole despite a couple of notable performances.
22. Love Potion No. 9 (C-) - Borderline, nearly got a D+. It's very lightweight and performances are OK. Wet Sunday afternoon, you could do worse than this.
23. Raising Cain (D) - I wanted to like this more, I do like Lithgow's performance but the film doesn't do it for me. Kind of feels like it should have been less linear, a more cut up approach may have worked better and would explain why we have almost gratuitous clock and timepiece shots with no real need.
24. Groundhog Day (A) - Great film, great performances.
25. Deep Cover (C) - Nice drama, nicely acted with Fishburne putting in a really good performance.
26. Midnight Sting (C+) - Better than the sum of its parts. Does have a slight A-Team/KnightRider feel, small town villain getting his comeuppance.
27. The Young Americans (E) - Messy mish-mash of a film that never quite grabs your attention.
28. Crime Story (C) - A Jackie Chan vehicle that feels like a bit of departure from what I know him from. Better acting than in a lot of his films and, as per usual, the stunt work he does always makes it worth a look.
29. Romeo is Bleeding (D) - Gary Oldman is superb but the film never holds together and I kind of drifted in and out of it because of that.
30. Robin Hood: Men In Tights (D) - It has its moments, Patrick Stewart is one of them, but feels tired and formulaic. The jokes are hit and miss, with far more being misses.
31. The Three Musketeers (1993) (C-) - Fun and silly, but no substance to speak of.
32. My Cousin Vinny (B) - Surprised me, really enjoyed this film. Funny and some good performances.
33. Undercover Blues (D) - The lead characters are affable enough, the film is shoddy though and some of the supporting characters are just plain irritating.
34. True Romance (A) - Morally wrong, intellectually wrong and the romance is wrong and twisted but it's a great film.
35. Bad Girls (C-) - An OK film with the 'twist' being that the leads are female. It adds nor detracts from the final product. That said, it was better than what I had expected it to be,
36. Back In Action (E) - Has a few moments of interest but this Billy Blanks and Roddy Piper vehicle crashes and burns.
37. The Snapper (B-) - A family tale set in Ireland about an unplanned pregnancy and its fallout. Colm Meaney is simply superb in this.0
38. The Real McCoy (D-) - Early nineties Kim Basinger vehicle that is mediocre in every way, excepting Val Kilmer who was awful.
39. Much Ado About Nothing (1993) (B+) - Great retelling of this Shakespeare tale with an interesting transatlantic cast that works really well.
40. Poison Ivy (E) - The young femme fatale story has been done many times, rarely as poorly as this. Uninteresting characters, poorly acted & shoddy direction.
41. Clear & Present Danger (A-) A film that is a joy to watch, never seems like the 2 plus hours it is and, for me, Harrison Ford embodies Jack Ryan and it's the best character he's portrayed more than once.
42. Serial Mom (A-) Not sure this was what I expected when I put in the blu-ray, but a joyously dark, riotously funny and well acted satire/spoof/inverse morality play... I don't know, none of these really fit. Don't think it'll be to everybody's taste though but I loved it.

43. When The Bough Breaks (E) - Not a bad premise, but done so much better than this, many times before and after. Ally Sheedy was just painful to watch in this, not that any of the cast was much better.
44. Leon The Professional (A) - Jean Russo just commands the screen, he has the presence of a real movie star. Gary Oldman oozes the same kind of charisma, just so compelling. Natalie Portman is amazing as the 12 year old Mathilda. The film is wonderfully shot, a cracking story that left me feeling a little uncomfortable about where it may go, all the way through.

 

Updates in Bold:

300: Rise of an Empire (10)
Black Rain (7)
Fairy Tail The Movie: The Phoenix Priestess (8)
Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin (Garden of Sinners: Blessings for the Future) (9)
Divergent (7)
Heat (1995) (8)
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (9)
Kick Ass 2 (8)
Lone Survivor (8)
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost (7)
Mission Impossible II (8)
Mission Impossible III (8)
Monuments Men (8)
Non-Stop (10)
Robocop (2014) (8)
Tales From Earthsea (5)
White House Down (7)
The Wind Rises (7)
Wolf Children (8)

Running Total: 19

 

Spoiler: The rest of my list.

1. Philomena (B+)
2. Blue Is The Warmest Colour (A)
3. Her (A+)
4. Bicycle Thieves (B)
5. Frances Ha (B+)
6. Inside Llewyn Davis (A)
7. American Hustle (B+)
8. East of Eden (C+)
9. The Hunt (A-)
10. Amadeus (A+)
11. The LEGO Movie (A-)
12. Nebraska (B+)
13. Short Term 12 (A)
14. The Square (B+)
15. The Act of Killing (A)
16. Metropolitan (B)
17. Almost Famous (A+)
18. The Ice Storm (C+)
19. 300: Rise of an Empire (B)
20. The Great Beauty (B+)
21. Network (A+)
22. The Palm Beach Story (A+)
23. The Past (B+)

24. The Royal Tenenbaums (B+)

Before going to see Wes Anderson's newest film, I made a point of getting around to see what remains his most successful film to date. Anderson's intriciate visual and production style is on full display here, and is quite involving, though I found the story takes a while to get going. For much of the running time it's mainly just low-key humour, but it improves past the halfway point when events lead to a more serious look into the characters.

25. The Grand Budapest Hotel (A-)

I waffled a bit on rating this one, between A- and A. I settled on the former for now, but this one will require at least another viewing -- I'm not quite sure how some elements will ultimately settle with me. Moonrise Kingdom was my favourite film of 2012, and Anderson's followup has many of the same virtues, but it has a much more variable tone. The switch from whimsy to macabre can be extremely sudden, and I'm not sure it totally works, but, again, we'll see. Where Moonrise was bathed in retro nostalgia for 60s childhood exploits, this film is a lot sadder -- on the surface this is basically a Lubitsch comedy, but it's also an elegy for an older Europe, and even with the serial numbers filed off the film's version of the Nazis, the eventual fates of many of the characters set this apart from a normal comedy. Anderson has assembled a huge cast, most of whom aren't given overmuch to do (Lea Seydoux, for instance, has a walk-on part as a maid), with the principle exception and main attraction being Ralph Fiennes.

26. Room 237 (B-)

A documentary of various fans of The Shining who've fallen very far down the rabbit hole in theorizing about the messages Kubrick is trying to convey through the film. It's an intermittently fascinating depiction of the dangers of the human tendency toward pattern recognition, but apart from the guy who believes the whole film is Kubrick's veiled account of his feelings about being responsible for faking the Apollo 11 mission footage, the other theories generally aren't interesting enough to hold a person's attention consistently.

Cinema: 11 (+1)
DVD: 6 (+1)
Computer: 9 (+1)

 

In a Theater:

Spoiler: Movies Seen in 2014

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) -- A

On a TV:

Spoiler: Movies Seen in 2014

1. The Land Unknown (1957) -- C-
2. Seconds (1966) -- B+
3. Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956) -- C
4. Play It Again, Sam (1972) -- A-
5. Lincoln (2012) -- B+
6. Death Race 2000 (1975) -- C
7. Gorgo (1961) -- C+
8. It Came From Outer Space (1953) -- B
9. The Invisible Man Returns (1940) -- B-
10. Europa Report (2013) -- A
11. Mitchell (1975) -- F
12. Devil Doll (1964) -- C-
13. Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012) -- B+
14. Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966) -- F
15. House of Games (1987) -- B
16. Le Samouraï (1967) -- B
17. Man Of Steel (2013) -- C-
18. 20 Million Miles To Earth (1957) -- C
19. Mud (2013) -- A
20. Gods and Monsters (1998) -- B
21. In The Mood For Love (2000) -- A
22. It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955) -- C+
23. Cinema Verite (2011) -- B-
24. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) -- F
25. Track of the Moon Beast (1976) -- F
26. Bad Timing (1980) -- B-
27. Cedar Rapids (2011) -- B
28. Lifeforce (1985) -- C+
29. Extraterrestrial (2011) -- C-

30. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) -- B+

I saw the remake of this seven or eight years ago, but never the original until now. It's not a perfect movie -- the pacing is a little slow, the performances aren't always sharp -- but it's still a solid, well-made siege movie which is tense, funny, and (still, after 38 years) shocking. Carpenter's score is simplistic (even for him), but damn is it catchy and effective. Austin Stoker does well in the lead, but Darwin Joston is the one who steals the movie. It's astounding that he couldn't find success later on as an actor, the point that he retired from acting and found work as a teamster for the last ten years of his career.

 

No one else binge-watching movies this weekend?

In a Theater:

Spoiler: Movies Seen in 2014

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) -- A

On a TV:

Spoiler: Movies Seen in 2014

1. The Land Unknown (1957) -- C-
2. Seconds (1966) -- B+
3. Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956) -- C
4. Play It Again, Sam (1972) -- A-
5. Lincoln (2012) -- B+
6. Death Race 2000 (1975) -- C
7. Gorgo (1961) -- C+
8. It Came From Outer Space (1953) -- B
9. The Invisible Man Returns (1940) -- B-
10. Europa Report (2013) -- A
11. Mitchell (1975) -- F
12. Devil Doll (1964) -- C-
13. Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012) -- B+
14. Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966) -- F
15. House of Games (1987) -- B
16. Le Samouraï (1967) -- B
17. Man Of Steel (2013) -- C-
18. 20 Million Miles To Earth (1957) -- C
19. Mud (2013) -- A
20. Gods and Monsters (1998) -- B
21. In The Mood For Love (2000) -- A
22. It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955) -- C+
23. Cinema Verite (2011) -- B-
24. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) -- F
25. Track of the Moon Beast (1976) -- F
26. Bad Timing (1980) -- B-
27. Cedar Rapids (2011) -- B
28. Lifeforce (1985) -- C+
29. Extraterrestrial (2011) -- C-
30. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) -- B+

31. Night of the Comet (1984) -- B-
32. Invisible Agent (1942) -- B-

Night of the Comet is pretty fun for a cheap little B-movie from the '80s. A young Robert Beltran is top billed here, and he's pretty good in his part (even though it's definitely not the lead). The movie wisely remains tongue in cheek throughout -- trying to seriously approach this material (Valley girl sisters are among a handful of survivors after a passing comet wipes out most of the human race; also, there are zombies and an evil government conspiracy) would have been disastrous.

Invisible Agent has a reputation for being the Invisible Man sequel with the best twist on the premise (here, invisibility is used in a secret mission behind German lines during WWII). Judging from the first two films in the series, and what I've read about the other two, I'd have to agree. That said, I think the comedy is taken too far with the German villains. They're so buffoonish that they're never a compelling threat to the lead and when one of the main baddies is gunned down at the end, this leaves you almost feel sorry for him. Also, in a movie filled with Nazi villains, casting Peter Lorre as a Japanese baddie confounds any logic I can come up with (and, obviously, is terribly racist). There are two other films in this series I've yet to see (The Invisible Woman and The Invisible Man's Revenge), but I think I'll pass on them for now. Even this one was a pretty formulaic affair, and without James Whale's wit, they're just not as good as the original.

If I were to pick one of the invisible man movies to remake, though, I'd definitely pick this one.

 

35. Urban Legends: Final Cut ★
36. Dallas Buyer's Club ★★★1/2

 

Spoiler: The rest of my list.

1. Philomena (B+)
2. Blue Is The Warmest Colour (A)
3. Her (A+)
4. Bicycle Thieves (B)
5. Frances Ha (B+)
6. Inside Llewyn Davis (A)
7. American Hustle (B+)
8. East of Eden (C+)
9. The Hunt (A-)
10. Amadeus (A+)
11. The LEGO Movie (A-)
12. Nebraska (B+)
13. Short Term 12 (A)
14. The Square (B+)
15. The Act of Killing (A)
16. Metropolitan (B)
17. Almost Famous (A+)
18. The Ice Storm (C+)
19. 300: Rise of an Empire (B)
20. The Great Beauty (B+)
21. Network (A+)
22. The Palm Beach Story (A+)
23. The Past (B+)
24. The Royal Tenenbaums (B+)
25. The Grand Budapest Hotel (A-)
26. Room 237 (B-)

27. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (A+)

Between this and the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, 2003 was a great year for fans of the Golden Age of Sail, though unfortunately only the latter film would be successful enough to spawn sequels. Peter Weir has only made one movie since this, which most people didn't see, leaving this as his last major cinematic outing to date. One wishes he worked more. I saw this in theatres when it came out, and rewatched it at least once before, but it was a pleasure to see it again. Quite apart from Weir, much of the cast could be said to have peaked around the time this film was made -- Russell Crowe is still around, but this was the tail end of his prime as a movie star; Paul Bettany never quite lived up to the potential he was showing around this period; and amongst the sea of minimally-characterized crew, Billy Boyd has vanished, never to be seen again.

Cinema: 11
DVD: 7 (+1)
Computer: 9