Movies Seen In 2013

Finally saw Zero Dark Thirty last night and was blown away. What a great, great film. Definitely deserved a best director nod.

 

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)

Law school is definitely biting into my film-watching time this semester in a way it didn't in the last one. Though, since I'd already seen most of the Oscar season movies by the end of 2012, this is a fallow period for filmgoing anyway.

This was my first viewing of the Coen Bros' 2010 western since I saw it in theatres, and it holds up very well; definitely in the upper tier of their filmography, thanks to strong performances and an endlessly droll script. Roger Deakins' cinematography is likewise some of his best. I thought the ending worked better than it came across on first viewing. Hailee Steinfeld hasn't appeared in anything in the intervening two years, but she has a whole slew of projects due out in the next year or two. I'll be interested to see how her career develops.

Cinema: 3
Home Video: 7 (+1)
Computer: 1

 

This is great movie, and I think everybody would seeing this Outstanding movie.

 

Updates in Bold:

Bleach Movie 4: Hell Verse (9)
Broken City (7)
Bullet to the Head (7)
Dragon Lord (6)
Gangster Squad (8)
The Illusionist (10)
The Last Stand (8)
Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion-Theatrical version (9)
Operation Condor (7)
Parker (8)
Twin Dragons (7)

Current Total: 11

 

Spoiler: Movies Seen in January

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

Picked up a double feature DVD with two romantic dramas that involved letters. P.S. I Love You has a young widow gettin' letters from her dead husband in an elaborate plan to help her get over his death. While The Lake House has a magic mail box that has two people swappin' notes back and forth across two years.

The first was the better of the two movies.

TLH was alright, 'til I realized that 2004 was a leap year, so the days wouldn't match up anymore.

Watched an Alonzo Bodden comedy special on Netflix. It was pretty funny.

Followed that up with the 007 documentary that looks at the fifty year franchise.

Went to see the Keanu Reeves' produced documentary Side by Side, which takes a look at how movies are made with film, and the development of digital cameras and how they will most likely replace film. I thought it was pretty informative, and the irony bein' that the thing was filmed digitally and shown in a theater via blu ray.

And then there were three Steve Martin movies in a row.

Pennies from Heaven has to be the most bizarre musical I've ever seen, in that no one actually sang in the damn movie. Though I did enjoy Christopher Walken's tap dance routine.

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid was an interestin' idea...filmed in black & white, with film noir clips mixed in with new performances.

And then the 50th "new to me" movie of the year, The Lonely Guy. It was a bit too depressin' to be a comedy, but not serious enough to be a drama.

 

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 - A series of 10-minute segments where various couples talk after having just had sex. It features young couples and an old couple, straight couples and gay couples. Some of it is titilating, but it's mostly raw and real, or tries to be. I found it to be well done, but it's more talky than deep. One highlight though was seeing Zoe Saldana and Mila Kunis play one of the couples. Nice to see them together.

22. Sex and Breakfast (✩✩✩) - Download - Two 20-something couples decide to visit a group sex therapist in order to solve some of their relationship issues. Stars Macaulay Culkin and Eliza Dushku. Another independent film revolving around sex that ties to be raw and real but ends up a little too talky. But as with any movie involving sex, it'll get your attention and it's not boring even if it's not great.

23. Textuality (✩✩✩½) - Download - My third sex movie in a row. I wanted to make it four, but I realized that I already saw Sexual Life last year. This was the best of the bunch. Two urban people find eachother as they juggle multiple sex partners. Stars Carly Pope and Jason Lewis. It's not a comedy, but it's not heavy either. I liked the characters as well as the handling of their exciting sex lives. Despite the title, the movie isn't about sexting, but text messaging does feature prominently in the movie.

24. I Am Number Four (✩✩½) - DVD - An alien teen with powers is being protected on Earth as he's being chased by other bad aliens. This movie had some good ideas, including an incredible set-up, but it's not a good movie. It's obviously aimed at the Miley Cyrus/Zac Efron crowd with it's dealing with young love and high school. Two standouts though are Teresa Palmer's badass asskicking and Kevin Durand as the leading alien bad guy. The movie is based on the first book in a series of books and as such, could turn into a franchise, but there's no word on a sequel yet.

Theatre: 4
Blu-ray: 1
DVD: 6
Live TV: 9
Netflix: 0
Download: 4

 

I rather liked this film also. I remember the trailers sold it as kids with powers. My thought was great an X-Men ripoff like PUSH all over again. So I passed till DVD. If they had sold it as what it was, which is a regal alien race in exile it might've done better? Maybe? I can't be the only one who just though 'poor mans X-Men' film.

 

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 - I've wanted to see this for a while now, but finally decided to get it after reading some of the discussion upthread. The one part of the documentary that caught my attention appeared near the very beginning. The little girl who wanted to be a surgeon said something very insightful, something that was probably the most important thing in the documentary… Basically, people need to pay attention and make things interesting for themselves. That's it. In other words, people need to know how to learn, so we need to teach kids how to learn. From this, pretty much everything else will follow. This also addresses the problem of kids being bored and making the teachers despondent. Shifting things around in the system is just a topical solution. It doesn't address the fundamental issue.

Theatre: 4
Blu-ray: 2
DVD: 6
Live TV: 9
Netflix: 0
Download: 4

 

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: 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+

Parker: The latest solo action outing for Jason Statham also managed to not light up the box office like Arnold's Last Stand before him. Parker is the crook with a heart of gold type character. He never robs from those who can't afford it and won't hurt you if you do as he says. His word is good, just follow his rules. Parker gets tied into a heist via someone whose judgement he trusts. Robbing the Ohio state fair during it's Saturday haul will net $1.5m and can be done without hurting anyone IF you follow Parkers plan. Short of it, it goes off without a hitch. These guys were actually using this robbery as a tryout. They have a bigger heist in mind and want Parker in, he doesn't. Ergo, they opt to hill him, they don't and that's when Parker goes after them for revenge. All in all it's a fun movie. Delivers what the previews promised with a little plot problems. A bit long perhaps for this story. Yeah, it's just under 2hrs but some tighter editing might've given it a bit faster feel provided you could do that without creating plot holes. Still, a solid renter but I'm on an action kick with my movie gift cards.

Bullet to the Head: Sly really delivers imo with his new character Jimmy Bobo. I told a friend my expectations were of at least DtDVD quality so when it really was much better than that about mid way through I found myself pleasantly surprised and enjoying the film. There is a moment in the first act where you're getting a brief bio on Jimmy and it's his police mug shot. I swear one of them is a pic of Sly from Rambo cause he's wearing that green army jacket. It's not a complicated film, of course, but it works and has the best overall character moments. There is no blantant obvious comedic role like Johnny Knoxville in Last Stand or the wimpy nephew of a gang boss like in Parker. What humor that does happen flows from our two main characters who play well off one another. I like Jimmy's "You had me at Fuck You" line. I thought the final fight with the firefighter axes was well done.


So while I don't claim Last Stand, Parker or Bullet to the Head are "must see theater" films they also weren't total trash. I feel the fan base for these actors, in these roles normally doesn't care if they scream "must see in theater". I wouldn't even dispute C grades for especially Last Stand or Parker but they exceeded my modest expectations. Where was the action crowd these past few weeks? Did Jack Reacher(Tom Cruise) satisfy them...or disappoint them to keep them away? Reacher did gang busters vs these last three films and is nearing $200m WW. I ask that because next week It's a Good Day to Die Hard opens(aka Die Hard 5) with Bruce Willis---another Expendable. Seeing as how his Expendables action brethren combined couldn't get $15m will the action base finally turn out for Die Hard 5?

Yes, I'm taking the day off and doing the Die Hard marathon.

 

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-)

First viewing since it came out in theatres. I'd forgotten a lot of the details in the intervening years, obviously. It's interesting to revisit the first Craig Bond film (I still haven't seen the second one, which came out at a period when I'd slacked off in filmgoing; should get around to remedying that). It makes an interesting contrast with Skyfall, highlighting both the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. The Bond films exist in a constant cycle of going to excess and then stripping it back down to the bone (or closer to it). This film went further than the others in a lot of ways, which was a very fresh take at the time. Craig's a great Bond, and he's got more humour in the part than I had remembered. At the same time, the direction that was being suggested here had stripped out a lot of the more distinctive parts of the movies, things that Skyfall reintroduced successfully without losing the best parts of the Craig approach.

Cinema: 3
Home Video: 8 (+1)
Computer: 1

 

Spoiler: Movies Seen in January

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

Stopped off at Wal-Mart after work the other night, picked up a couple of DVDs.

Watched the second part of the Batman animated film. The Joker vs Batman fight was brutal, and I enjoyed the Superman vs Batman fight quite a bit, especially the part with the wreckin' ball.

The DVD had a first look / sneak peek at Superman: Unbound, which will have John Noble as the voice of Brainiac. Lookin' forward to that one!

Followed that up with the latest Jesse Stone movie. I still enjoy 'em, even if they aren't that close to the novels, which I have now read a few of...the main character is the same, and Tom Selleck has the charisma to make Stone awesome, even if he is only sharin' a scene with a dog.

Got off work today in time to see Side Effects. Rooney Mara is becomin' one of my favorites, but 21 Jump Street is still my favorite Channing Tatum movie.

Got a plan to see the Oscar-nominated shorts, both animated & live action, tomorrow before work. I enjoyed seein' last year's nominees on the big screen, lookin' forward to this year's.

 

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

First off, did we really need to see Gwenyth Paltrow's scalp folded back in the autopsy scene?

Matt Damon does not play the everyman well at all and Laurence Fishburne's doctor was far too unattached, especially in scenes where he needs to play the emotional angle. In a collection of moderately boring and uninteresting characters, Kate Winslet stands out as the young, strong willed doctor and the fear that a person like that would have as they finally face their death.

The script is a mess. The ensemble movies are becoming more and more popular, but if time was spent to actually make these stories interesting, it would have improved the movie immensely.

 

Updates in Bold:
Bleach Movie 4: Hell Verse (9)
Broken City (7)
Bullet to the Head (7)
Dragon Lord (6)
Gangster Squad (8)
The Grey (8)
The Illusionist (10)
The Last Stand (8)
Library War: Wings of Revolution (9)
Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion-Theatrical version (9)
Operation Condor (7)
Operation Condor 2: Armour of God (5)
Parker (8)
Twin Dragons (7)

Current Total: 14

 

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

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

The second movie I've seen in theatre's this year takes me top spot so far.

Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy are perfect for their roles. In all of his movies that I have seen, Bateman manages to play a family man or a straight man who is great comedically, but isn't a caricature like so many others. McCarthy does start out as the silly goofy character, which she does well, but once she takes the pounds of makeup off and looks like her Molly character from TV, she takes a possible one note character and adds layers to it.

Another shout out goes to Robert Patrick as the bounty hunter. He plays the character so well and you had to smile every time he comes on the screen.

It's not a dramatic piece, but it had me laughing. I definitely recommend it.

 

Peter Pan - Blu Ray - Peter Pan has always been a favorite of mine, however I have not seen it in many years. Disney just released it from the vault, complete with a remaster and it's beautiful, actually stunning. While the portrail of the Indians are still cringe worthy, the whole movie is fun. My oldest son watched it for the first time and he was mesmerized with it. He's a huge fan of Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney Jr, so he has been aware of Captain Hook and Peter Pan but this takes it to a whole new level. When the movie was over, a scant 77 minutes, he immediately asked to watch it again.

 

Spoiler: Movies Seen in January

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

Went over to the Ritz yesterday for my first ever viewin' of Funny Girl. Pretty decent for an old musical. And its the second "new to me" movie with Omar Shariff I've seen this year.

Went lookin' for clips on YouTube this mornin', found a couple of comedy specials instead. A two-hour standup from Christopher Titus from 2010 and an early Ralphie May standup filmed at the Laugh Factory. I could tell it was old from the jokes he told, they were the same ones he had for Last Comic Standing's first season.

 

I've been incognito for a while... trying to remember the new stuff I've seen...

Life of Pi ★★★★
The Sessions ★★★★
The Possession ★½
Mama ★★½
Warm Bodies ★★★½
Side Effects ★★★

 

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: 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+

Judge Dredd: After the excellent Karl Urban version I decided to finally revisit this film. It's as mediocre as I recall. As a film it is, I'm still not some JD well of knowledge. I did like the bikes and hyper-stylized costumes better. Those did match more to what I have read when I've read some JD books. I contend that simply removing the Rob Schneider character from the movie would boost it an entire letter grade. The ABC robot is fairly cool. Diane Lane is the only exposure to Judge Hersey I have, I understand she is an actual comic Judge. Anderson is the one I always see referenced but my exposure is limited. The crazy family in the Cursed Earth also didn't help. When they were on screen I felt the film dipped into too much camp territory. I also don't recall Dredd and Rico having such weird eyes, seems they had some contacts in for that affect. I think the final fight sequence is adequate considering the material and stars, till Schneider is the one who takes out the ABC robot(odd, missed opportunity for it vs JD imo).


The Mist: I expected this to be a nearly straight up knock off of Carpenter's The Fog. It uses the same set up "there's something in the Mist/Fog". Here though instead of vengeful ghouls from beyond it's and invading horde of sci-fi creatures from another dimension. Thanks nearby secretive military post! The movie also contains two leads from Walking Dead(which is more interesting as a side bar now of course). I also recognized the actress who played the Electric Powered bounty hunter from Angel(and was in Clash of the Titans). It had a great cast with others you'd recognize also. The movie ends rather depressingly though. I wont' go into it if you haven't seen it despite it being 5-6yrs old by now. A rather solid film imo. I got curious and checked out it's BO numbers and it seems it did fair vs it's budget. Good cause I like Thomas Jane as well as the hero dad who ends up losing it all really.


Tomorrow: Die Hard Cinema Movie Marathon at Regal Theaters. This time tomorrow(3pm CST) I'll be just starting DH2.

 

^

The Mist has a different endin' in the book than in the movie, though I read that Stephen King said he wished he had the guts to write the endin' the movie has when he originally wrote the story.

Spoiler: Movies Seen in January

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

Spent a night off from work at two different movie theaters.

First, I went to the Regal Gateway for Top Gun 3D, since they have one of the two fake Imax screens in the city. Unless the screen is floor to ceilin' & wall to wall, with nearly vertical seatin', it isn't a real IMAX. But, I wanted to see the movie on the theater screen, and the 3D was gonna be an added bonus.

I nearly choked when I found out the price tag for a ticket was fifteen bucks!!!

Had to pee from the volleyball scene onward, too, but didn't want to leave the theater after payin' that much to see the movie.

While the 3D doesn't do much for anything set on the ground, it made the flight sequences even more awesome than they were before.

Followed that up with a quick drive to the Alamo Drafthouse Village for Fourplay, an anthology movie that my friend Rita helped to edit. Local actor Jose Villareal was there for a post-film Q&A, though the website said the director would be there...ah, well.

The stories are about a lesbian who falls in love with a dog, a couple who rekindle their lust in an adult venue, a gay guy cruisin' for love in the men's restroom at the mall, and a crossdressin' hooker who gets hired by the wife of a medically disabled man. My friend edited the fourth one, and the actor was from the third.

Not that I'm biased or anything, but the fourth story was definately the best of 'em. It had an actual conclusion, instead of just endin' like the first two, and seemed far more realistic compared to the fantasy that the third turns into.

Watchin' 'Salem's Lot (2004) on DVD now...feels like its taken forever to get goin'...probably won't finish it before I call it a night.

I wish I could go to the Die Hard marathon at the Ritz tomorrow, since I've only seen the fourth one on the theater screen, but I have to work.

 

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 - My review is here. Not a good action movie and barely passable as a Die Hard movie but it had some good action and decent father/son stuff.

Theatre: 5
Blu-ray: 2
DVD: 6
Live TV: 9
Netflix: 0
Download: 4