Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February, March & April Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D- free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant John Carter 2D/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission The Hunger Games - free admission Mirror, Mirror - free admission American Reunion - free admission Justice League: Doom - DVD W. - DVD Night of the Running Man - Netflix Instant The Trial of the Incredible Hulk - DVD The Hunter - free admission An Education - DVD Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two - DVD The Prophecy - DVD Them Idiots Whirled Tour - DVD The Prophecy II - DVD Cabin in the Woods - free admission Juan of the Dead - free admission Lockout - free admission Get the Gringo - free screenin' Only Yesterday - free admission Pirates! Band of Misfits 3D - free screenin' Street Kings 2: Motor City - Unrated - DVD The Cat Returns - free admission The Prophecy 3: The Ascent - DVD Marley - free admission The Lucky One - free admission Cool Hand Luke - free admission The Grudge 2: Unrated Director's Cut - DVD Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - DVD The Raven - free admission Colombiana - Unrated - DVD Princess Mononoke - free admission The Five-Year Engagement - free admission Last Days Here - free admission The Three Stooges - free admission The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter - DVD The Avengers 3D - free admission Damsels in Distress - free admission Sound of My Voice - free admission Yellow Submarine - free admission The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - free screenin' The Skulls - DVD Dark Shadows - free admission The Skulls II - DVD Got together with my friend Maeby this afternoon to see the latest from Tim Burton & Johnny Depp. I wasn't too impressed, to be honest, though it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. Maeby said she had hoped for a few more laughs, and I can agree with that. Or, at least, a few smarter jokes... Not familiar at all with the source material, and this movie doesn't make me want to go lookin' for it. Started watchin' the first sequel to The Skulls the other day, but haven't finished it yet, and I have a plan to see Battleship tomorrow at midnight. - edit, to add - Finished The Skulls II tonight. Similiar story to the first one - dude gets tapped to be a member of a secret society only to wind up tryin' to expose a murder in the society's clubhouse. And I had the same issues with the sequel as I did the first one - the brandin' of the wrists, the fancy cars, and how everyone seems to know who they are even though its supposed to be kept quiet.
Spoiler: Rest of List 1. Holy Rollers (B-) 2. The Kids Are All Right (B) 3. History of the World, Part 1 (C-) 4. Blazing Saddles (A+) 5. Scarface [1932] (B-) 6. The Purple Rose of Cairo (A) 7. Rampart (B+) 8. We Need To Talk About Kevin (A+) 9. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (B+) 10. They Live (B-) 11. Darling Companion (D) 12. A Dangerous Method (B-) 13. Haywire (C+) 14. Mission: Impossible (B+) 15. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (B+) 16. Twixt (C+) 17. Burn After Reading (B+) 18. Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (B-) 19. Drive (A) 20. Crazy Stupid Love (A) 21. The Omega Man (D) 22. The Adjustment Bureau (B+) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. Lady and the Tramp (B) 25. Hugo (A-) 26. The Secret World of Arrietty (B) 27. Twelve Angry Men (A) 28. Act of Valor (F) 29. Walker (A) 30. Lonely Are The Brave (A-) 31. Executive Action (C) 32. Three Colors: Blue (A) 33. Bright Leaves (A) 34. Photographic Memory (A) 35. The People Vs. George Lucas (C-) 36. Avatar (B-) 37. The Life of Reilly (A-) 38. Limitless (B-) 39. Star Wars (A) 40. The Empire Strikes Back (A) 41. Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (A) 42. Machete (C+) 43. Unmasking The Idol (D-) 44. Alien (A+) 45. The Raid: Redemption (B-) 46. Attenberg (B) 47. 21 Jump Street (C+) 48. Piranha 3D (C+) 49. The Hunger Games (C-) 50. This Filthy World (B) 51. Bad Fever (C-) 52. The Conspirator (C) 53. We The Party (C-) 54. My Darling Clementine (C+) 55. Freakonomics (C+) 56 Sound of My Voice (A-) 57. Tales from the Script (C-) 58. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (B+) 59. Me and Orson Welles (B) 60. Everything Must Go (B+) 61. The Avengers (C) 62. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (B) 63. One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (B) 64. Starship Troopers (A) 65. Alien (A+) 66. Aliens (A) 67. Into the Abyss (B) Into the Abyss: Werner Herzog's documentary about the effects of a triple homicide in Texas isn't his finest work, but it's certainly emotionally affecting. Perhaps most chilling are the lengthy sequences that linger on the remnants of the crime, such as the car that motivated the killing, now sitting in a police owned lot with plants growing in and around it, totally forgotten. One can't help get the feeling, though, that someone like Errol Morris would have been able to zero in on the more interesting figures in this film and made a more focused work. Instead, what we get is pretty sprawling, but always interesting. (It should be pointed out that this isn't, as some critics identified it, a film about capital punishment, or about establishing innocence or guilt. This is a film about the effects of crime.) Theatres: 28 Home Video: 35 +1 Computer: 4
62. El Cid Quite an ambitious film made all the more impressive because of the time it was made in (they did throw a lot of money on these epics back then and it shows - most of it still holds up today). It sometimes seemed that they wanted to do too much (there are some cuts/time skips I found strange), but I liked this a lot more than Heston's other epic Ben Hur.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February, March & April Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D- free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant John Carter 2D/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission The Hunger Games - free admission Mirror, Mirror - free admission American Reunion - free admission Justice League: Doom - DVD W. - DVD Night of the Running Man - Netflix Instant The Trial of the Incredible Hulk - DVD The Hunter - free admission An Education - DVD Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two - DVD The Prophecy - DVD Them Idiots Whirled Tour - DVD The Prophecy II - DVD Cabin in the Woods - free admission Juan of the Dead - free admission Lockout - free admission Get the Gringo - free screenin' Only Yesterday - free admission Pirates! Band of Misfits 3D - free screenin' Street Kings 2: Motor City - Unrated - DVD The Cat Returns - free admission The Prophecy 3: The Ascent - DVD Marley - free admission The Lucky One - free admission Cool Hand Luke - free admission The Grudge 2: Unrated Director's Cut - DVD Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - DVD The Raven - free admission Colombiana - Unrated - DVD Princess Mononoke - free admission The Five-Year Engagement - free admission Last Days Here - free admission The Three Stooges - free admission The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter - DVD The Avengers 3D - free admission Damsels in Distress - free admission Sound of My Voice - free admission Yellow Submarine - free admission The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - free screenin' The Skulls - DVD Dark Shadows - free admission The Skulls II - DVD Sleepless Night - free admission Conan the Barbarian (1981) - DVD Battleship - free admission Three new movies for me today! First up, Sleepless Night, a French action film about a corrupt-ish cop caught up in a drug deal gone wrong, and he has to rescue his kidnapped son from the drug dealers. Pretty good movie, all things considered...and I was far too amused that the illegal immigrant workin' in the kitchen didn't speak French, but did speak english. Followed that up with a GDN viewin' of Ahnuld in the first Conan movie. Yes, we made fun of it while we watched, but still the first time I've seen it, and, thankfully, the hosts turned on the subtitles. And then I went to see Battleship at midnight. It was a stupid fun movie, very much wishin' it could be Transformers. I was one of only a dozen-ish folks in the theater, and at least one other person there was an employee, too, which is pretty bad considerin' midnight screenings for The Hunger Games and The Avengers sold out the buildin', but this couldn't even fill a theater.
Updates in Bold: 2 Fast 2 Furious (8) 47 Ronin (7) The Avengers (10) Bad Boys (8) Battle of Los Angles (9) Battleship (9) Blade of the Phantom Master (8) Daybreakers (5) Fargo (6) The Fast and the Furious (8) The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (7) Fast and Furious (2009) (8) Fast Five (10) First Blood (8) First Squad: The Moment of Truth (8) Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (8) Gantz: Perfect Answer (7) Golgo 13: The Professional (6) Golgo 13: Queen Bee (6) Green Hornet (6) Heaven's Lost Property: The Angeloid of Clockwork (5) Hellboy: Blood and Iron (8) Hellboy: Sword of Storms (6) Hunger Games (4) John Carter (9) King of Thorn (9) Legend of the Millennium Dragon (7) Lockout (8) Lupin the 3rd: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid (9) Lupin the 3rd: Return of Pycal (7) Mardock Scramble: The First Compression (Director's Cut) (9) The Men Who Stare at Goats (7) Mercury Rising (7) Mystic River (6) Negima!: Final (7) Nydenion (7) Rambo: First Blood Part II (8) Rambo III (8) The Raven (9) Redline (10) Robotech II: The Sentinels (6) Safe House (2012) (8) Salt (7) Time Traveler: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (8) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (5) Toward the Tera (1980) (6) Underworld: Awakening (8) Wrath of the Titans (7) Total Thus Far: 48
Spoiler: The rest of my 2012 list of movies Kicking off my 2012 list: 1. Edge of Darkness: A 2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: B+ 3. Repo Men: B- 4. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: B- 5. Underworld: Awakening: B 6. Lost City Raiders: C+ 7. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist: B+ 8. Contraband: B+ 9. Kick-Ass: B+ 10. Hereafter: A- 11. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance: B 12. Act of Valor: C+ 13. John Carter: B 14. Hunger Games: B+ 15. Wrath of the Titans: C 16. Cabin In the Woods: B+ 17. The Rum Diary: C 18. The Eagle: C+ 19. The Avengers: A+ 20. The Adjustment Bureau: A 21. Sucker Punch: B- 22. Knight & Day: C+ Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz spy "thriller" about a potential weapon being sought after by several parties. June (Diaz) gets caught up in this tug of war of espionage as the "normal person" however her character is rather "blonde" and therefore I had trouble taking her serious. Not unlike real life dimwit blondes. Super Spy Roy (Cruise) is played so aloof that like June you are perhaps trying to figure out if he is who says. However, this guessing game which I'd wager was meant to add some excitement to the film comes off as instead. Some good action moments and the ending is about exactly what you'd think so all the is he/isn't he who he says is pointless.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. 1. My Week With Marilyn (B-) 2. Fantasia 2000 (B+) 3. Blade Runner (B) 4. The Hidden Fortress (A-) 5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (B+) 6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (A+) 7. The Descendants (A-) 8. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 9. The Prestige (A+) 10. Blood Simple (A-) 11. The Big Lebowski (B+) 12. West Side Story (A-) 13. The Hours (A-) 14. Lady and the Tramp (B) 15. An Officer and a Gentleman (B) 16. All Quiet On The Western Front (A) 17. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (B-) 18. Spellbound (B+) 19. Seven Samurai (A+) 20. X-Men: First Class (A) 21. Do The Right Thing (N/A) 22. Martha Marcy May Marlene (B) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. LA Confidential (A) 25. Young Adult (B) 26. Children of Men (B+) 27. Gaslight (B+) 28. North By Northwest (A+) 29. American Beauty (A-) 30. Revolutionary Road (A-) 31. Being There (B) 32. Coriolanus (C+) 33. To Catch A Thief (B+) 34. A Separation (A+) 35. The Hunger Games (B+) 36. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (A) 37. Saturday Night Fever (A-) 38. The Tree of Life (A-) 39. Hero (B-) 40. Boogie Nights (A+) 41. Magnolia (A-) 42. The Lives of Others (A) 43. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (A-) 44. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (A) 45. A Streetcar Named Desire (A) 46. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (A) 47. Downfall (A+) 48. In Darkness (B+) 49. Cabaret (C+) 50. The Avengers (A) 51. The Incredible Hulk (B) Wow, that's the longest I've gone without a movie in a good while. Blame all the TV and book-reading. Anyway, in light of the success of The Avengers, I decided to at last revisit what now feels like the orphan of the Marvel Studios films, its reboot of The Incredible Hulk. My opinion of it pretty much what I remember thinking about it the first time around: it's a competent action movie (Marvel Studos' output, apart from Iron Man 2, always gets the basics right), with some decent character touches, but nothing exceptional. Norton is good as Bruce; Liv Tyler as Betty I actually like a lot, and she and Norton have some fun scenes together. William Hurt's Ross is a distinct downgrade from the more interesting character in Ang Lee's earlier film. Go-to villain Tim Roth is okay. Oh, and Phil Dunphy is Leonard Samson, which is really funny in retrospect. I'm watching this on Blu-ray, and the movie has some interesting deleted scenes. In particular, there's one with a General Ross monologue that I think really should have been in the film. Cinema: 12 Home Video: 33 (+1) Computer: 6
1) The Artist (2011) - A+ 2) Midnight in Paris (2011) - B 3) Tree of Life (2011) - F 4) The Descendants (2011) - B 5) Drive (2011) - B 6) Hanna (2011) - C 7) Take Shelter (2011) - A- 8) 50/50 (2011) - B 9) Baby Mama (2008) - B- 10) United 93 (2006) 11) Rango (2011) - B 12) The Hunger Games (2012) - B+ 13) 21 Jump Street (2012) - B+ 14) Goon (2012) - A- 15) The Avengers (2012) - B 16) Cars 2 (2011) - C+ Why do I get the feeling this movie was pretty much Dead on Arrival when it came out. I mean it was a sequel to Pixar's critically worst film (Coming from general consensus) but it's still making a lot of money in merchandising, which continues to surprise me to no end. Well, I hesitated seeing this movie in the theaters because of the bad reviews (And simply just never got around to it) but it's still a Pixar film, I love Pixar films, I really enjoyed the original Cars (Which probably puts me in a minority) and I wanted to give this one a shot. Suffice it to say I was pleasantly surprised. It had all the aspects that I liked from the first movie, there were some fun lines, and the plots were at least interesting. The theme of friendship took center stage in this movie, unlike the last one where the theme was it's about the journey, not about how you finish. It was pretty much what I expected from a Cars movie. However, this isn't top notch quality of Pixar, and I think when it comes down to it, that's the main problem everyone had with this movie. This was Mater's movie, and I can only take Larry the Cable Guy in small doses so I felt he was pretty much annoying throughout. Also, the whole Grand Prix plot should have had some kind of conclusion, but we really didn't see any, which was slightly annoying. Despite that though, it was a decent movie (Again, not up to Pixar's standards) and I'm glad I ended up seeing it. Theater: 5 BluRay: 5 (+1) On Demand/TV: 1 Itunes: 5
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February, March & April Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D- free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant John Carter 2D/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission The Hunger Games - free admission Mirror, Mirror - free admission American Reunion - free admission Justice League: Doom - DVD W. - DVD Night of the Running Man - Netflix Instant The Trial of the Incredible Hulk - DVD The Hunter - free admission An Education - DVD Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two - DVD The Prophecy - DVD Them Idiots Whirled Tour - DVD The Prophecy II - DVD Cabin in the Woods - free admission Juan of the Dead - free admission Lockout - free admission Get the Gringo - free screenin' Only Yesterday - free admission Pirates! Band of Misfits 3D - free screenin' Street Kings 2: Motor City - Unrated - DVD The Cat Returns - free admission The Prophecy 3: The Ascent - DVD Marley - free admission The Lucky One - free admission Cool Hand Luke - free admission The Grudge 2: Unrated Director's Cut - DVD Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - DVD The Raven - free admission Colombiana - Unrated - DVD Princess Mononoke - free admission The Five-Year Engagement - free admission Last Days Here - free admission The Three Stooges - free admission The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter - DVD The Avengers 3D - free admission Damsels in Distress - free admission Sound of My Voice - free admission Yellow Submarine - free admission The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - free screenin' The Skulls - DVD Dark Shadows - free admission The Skulls II - DVD Sleepless Night - free admission Conan the Barbarian (1981) - DVD Battleship - free admission The Skulls III - DVD Finished up The Skulls trilogy last night! The third one was a bit different, in that it dealt with a woman tryin' to get into the secret society and then bein' framed for murder, instead of a white guy joinin' the society & witnessin' a murder. Claire Kramer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Barry Bostwick (Spin City) starred in it, so at least I recognized folks in the cast, unlike the second movie in the series. Not sure what I'll be watchin' next...though I do have passes to screenings of Men in Black 3 and Chernobyl Diaries this week.
Spoiler: Movies 2012 1. Beginners ★★★★ 2. The Artist ★★★★★ 3. L’Ultimo Terreste ★★★ 4. Ace Attorney ★★★★★ 5. The Loneliest Planet ★★ 6. Damsels in Distress ★★★ 7. Gaamer ★★★★ 8. King Curling ★★★★ 9. The Hunter ★★★★ 10. A Dangerous Method ★★★★ 11. Hugo 3D ★★★ 12. Albert Nobbs ★★★★ 13. Intouchables ★★★★ Intouchables ★★★★ I finally went to movies again last night! I saw a French movie called Intouchables. A rich quadriplegic, living in a mansion in Paris, requires a live-in carer. A young offender turns up for an interview, but he is not really looking to get the job. However, to his surprise, he is hired. The two men then develop a close friendship. [IMDb] I was a bit reluctant about seeing this movie to be honest. I expected it to be quite melodramatic and sappy. It wasn't. I haven't laughed this much during a movie in ages. Omar Sy is a very talented comedian and Francois Cluzet is wonderful as Philippe, the rich quadriplegic. They're a great team.
63. The Way Back This film is the story of several men who escaped from their prison in Siberia and walked all the way to India. There's some controversy wether this actually happened or not (it probably didn't), but the film itself is very good. It's wonderfully shot and the director also manages to show some lighter moments without ever letting you forget how dire the situation of the escapees really is.
Spoiler: The rest of my list. January 1. Daddy Day Care (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 2. Wild Child (✩✩) - Live TV 3. Fling (✩✩✩½) - DVD 4. Arthur 2: On the Rocks (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 5. Havoc (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 6. Contagion (✩✩✩✩½) - On Demand 7. The Blind Side (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 8. Batman: Under the Red Hood (✩✩✩✩½) - Live TV 9. The Andromeda Strain (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 10. The Last Man on Earth (✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 11. Network (✩✩½) - Live TV 12. Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2 (✩) - DVD 13. Starsky & Hutch (✩✩½) - Live TV 14. The Rundown (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 15. Mallrats (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 16. My Sister's Keeper (✩✩✩✩½) - Live TV 17. Valkyrie (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 18. The Anderson Tapes (✩✩✩) - Live TV 19. Jack Goes Boating (✩✩✩½) - DVD 20. Margin Call (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 21. Away We Go (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 22. Girl Fight (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 23. Superman & Batman: Apocalypse (✩✩✩✩) - Recorded TV 24. Pandorum (✩✩½) - Live TV 25. Paper Man (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 26. In Like Flint (✩✩½) - Live TV 27. Blood Diamond (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 28. The Invisible Man (✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 29. Frankenstein (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 30. The Dilemma (✩✩✩½) - DVD February 31. That One Night (✩✩✩½) - Internet 32. Sex Drive (✩✩½) - DVD 33. Chronicle (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 34. Couples Retreat (✩✩✩) - DVD 35. RV (✩✩✩) - Live TV 36. Chaos Theory (✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 37. Black Swan (✩✩✩✩✩) - DVD 38. One Missed Call (✩) - DVD 39. Kramer vs. Kramer (✩✩✩✩½) - Live TV 40. When in Rome (✩✩½) - Live TV 41. Love to Kill (✩✩✩) - TV 42. Possession (✩✩) - Recorded TV 43. Sex and the City 2 (✩✩✩½) - DVD 44. Little Fockers (✩✩✩½) - DVD 45. Breach: (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 46. Broken Flowers (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 47. Bronson (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 48. Edge of Darkness (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 49. In & Out (✩✩✩) - Live TV 50. Secrets of Eden (✩✩½) - Live TV 51. Shooter (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 52. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (✩✩✩½) - Live TV March 53. 10 Items or Less (✩✩✩½) - DVD 54. The Old Man and the Sea (✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 55. The Reader (✩✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 56. The Stunt Man (✩✩) - Recorded TV 57. Nine (✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 58. Untraceable (✩✩½) - DVD 59. The Quiet (✩✩✩½) - DVD 60. My Mother's Secret (✩✩½) - Live TV 61. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (✩✩✩½) - DVD 62. Sex and Death 101 (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 63. The Human Contract (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 64. The Craigslist Killer (✩✩✩) - Live TV 65. Life As We Know It (✩✩✩½) - DVD 66. She's the Man (✩✩✩) - Live TV 67. Witchslayer Gretl (✩½) - Live TV 68. The Adjustment Bureau (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 69. Young Adult (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 70. My Silent Partner (✩✩) - Live TV 71. Middle Men (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 72. The Rebound (✩✩) - On Demand 73. The Descendants (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand 74. Melancholia (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand 75. Walking the Halls (✩✩✩) - Live TV 76. Hoodwinked! (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 77. 21 Jump Street (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 78. Clerks II (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 79. Henry's Crime (✩✩✩½) - DVD 80. Hannah Montana: The Movie (✩✩✩½) - DVD 81. Chasing Amy (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 82. The Hunger Games (✩✩✩✩) - Theatre 83. Like Crazy (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand 84. Newlyweds (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 85. Dear John (✩✩✩) - Live TV 86. Carriers (✩✩½) - Live TV 87. The Karate Kid (✩✩✩✩) - DVD 88. Vertical Limit (✩✩✩) - DVD 89. Killers (✩✩½) - DVD 90. Cyberbully (✩✩½) - On Demand 91. The Change-Up (✩✩✩) - On Demand 92. 50/50 (✩✩✩✩½) - On Demand 93. The Seven Year Itch (✩✩✩) - Live TV 94. Confined (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 95. Love Happens (✩✩✩) - Live TV April 96. La Jetée (✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 97. Some Like It Hot (✩✩✩) - Live TV 98. Starman (✩✩✩) - DVD 99. Adam (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD 100. The Other Woman (✩✩½) - DVD 101. The Good Night (✩✩✩) - DVD 102. The Spy Next Door (✩✩) - Live TV 103. Paranormal Activity (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 104. Breakaway (✩✩½) - Live TV 105. Moneyball (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 106. The Iron Lady (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 107. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (✩✩✩✩) - On Demand 108. American Reunion (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 109. Bedazzled (✩✩✩✩) - Live TV 110. Picture This (✩✩½) - Live TV 111. Hall Pass (✩✩✩) - DVD 112. Field of Dreams (✩✩✩½) - Live TV 113. Thirst (✩✩½) - Live TV 114. Saint John of Las Vegas (✩✩✩) - DVD 115. Shame (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 116. The Men Who Stare at Goats (✩✩½) - DVD 117. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 118. The Company Men (✩✩✩½) - DVD 119. This Movie is Broken (✩✩) - DVD 120. Finding a Family (✩✩✩) - Live TV 121. Cop Out (✩✩✩) - Live TV 122. The Fantastic Four (✩✩✩) - Internet 123. The Illustrated Man (✩✩✩) - Recorded TV 124. Winter's Bone (✩✩½) - DVD 125. Never Cry Werewolf (✩✩½) - Live TV 126. The Astronaut Farmer (✩✩✩✩) - DVD May 127. The Road (✩✩✩½) - DVD 128. Unstoppable (✩✩✩½) - DVD 129. The Avengers (✩✩✩½) - Theatre 130. The Runaways (✩✩✩) - Live TV 131. Anonymous (✩✩✩) - On Demand 132. The Hangover (✩✩✩) - Live TV 133. The Hangover Part II (✩✩✩) - On Demand 134. Duplicity (✩✩½) - Live TV 135. Leap Year (✩✩✩) - Live TV 136. Puncture (✩✩✩½) - On Demand 137. Amelia (✩✩½) - DVD 138. Lymelife (✩✩½) - DVD 139. Raising Helen (✩✩½) - Live TV 140. Waiting... (✩✩) - DVD 141. Still Waiting... (✩✩½) - DVD 142. Lemonade Mouth: (✩✩✩) - Live TV - Five high school kids come together by chance and end up forming a successful band. Nothing extraordinary or deep, but not bad for a Disney Channel movie, and Christopher McDonald is always good. 143. Justice League: Doom: (✩✩✩) - On Demand - Vandal Savage uses info hacked from the batcave to bring down the Justice League. A good outing, but not as good as other DC movies I've seen lately. 144. One for the Money: (✩✩) - On Demand - Katherine Heigl stars as a young woman who gets fired from Macy's and takes up work as a bounty hunter. I love Heigl, but this one wasn't very good. It felt like a poorly done failed TV pilot. I can't remember the last time I regretted paying money to see a movie. 145. One Day: (✩✩✩½) - DVD - The story of a couple, that takes place on July 15th of every year from 1987 to the present. Stars Anne Hathaway. I thought this was pretty good. I enjoyed seeing where the characters were as the various years went by and I liked Hathaway's work. I even got over her British accent. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it wasn't your formulaic rom-com either. 146. Red Riding Hood: (✩✩✩) - DVD - A take on Little Red Riding Hood. Stars Amanda Seyfried. The village in winter is visually stunning, the story will keep you engaged and you'll get used to Gary Oldman's performance. He's considered a good actor, and he is, but he's also too easy to pick out even when he tries to alter his appearance and immerse himself into his characters. 147. Hollywoodland: (✩✩✩½) - DVD - The story of a private dick who's trying to find out the truth behind George Reeves' death. Was it murder? Or did he kill himself? The story is also interspersed with flashbacks to Reeves' career as Superman. Stars Adrian Brody and Ben Affleck. Brody was pretty charismatic and it was nice to see Affleck as Superman. The movie also did a good job of making the parts shot in Toronto look like L.A. 148. Whip It: (✩✩✩) - Live TV - A tomboyish girl, who's under pressure from her mother to be a debutant, sneaks out and joins a roller derby. Stars Ellen Page and directed by Drew Barrymore. It was a pretty good watch. 149. The Young Victoria: (✩✩✩½) - Live TV - The story of Queen Victoria, who's seen as too young and inexperienced to lead and finds herself under pressure to take on a regent who will run things on her behalf. Stars Emily Blunt, who plays the queen with class. The movie both dragged and felt a bit rushed, but Blunt managed to kick it up a notch. 150. Trapped: (✩✩✩½) - Live TV - Kidnappers take a rich couple's young girl and hold her until the parents pay up. This one does get a little crazy towards the middle, but otherwise, it's actually a pretty good thriller. It also has a pretty big cast with Charlize Theron and her then real-life boyfriend Stuart Townsend as her husband, along with Dakota Fanning as the kid, and Kevin Bacon and Courtney Love as the kidnappers. I don't know why I never heard of this movie until now. 151. DOA: Dead or Alive: (✩✩✩✩) - DVD - Four girls with different fighting styles compete for money on an island. Thrown in are a few side stories and an evil plot by Eric Roberts. Surprisingly, this is my first 4-star movie of the month. It's not what most people would call a good movie, but when it comes to colorful style & sensationalism, exotic locales, hot chicks, wire fu and fun, this one delivers big time. It starts and never drags. It's brain candy and I enjoyed it as such. Theatre: 5 DVD/Blu-Ray: 53 Live TV: 64 Recorded TV: 4 On Demand: 23 Internet: 2
Spoiler: The rest of my 2012 list of movies Kicking off my 2012 list: 1. Edge of Darkness: A 2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: B+ 3. Repo Men: B- 4. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: B- 5. Underworld: Awakening: B 6. Lost City Raiders: C+ 7. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist: B+ 8. Contraband: B+ 9. Kick-Ass: B+ 10. Hereafter: A- 11. Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance: B 12. Act of Valor: C+ 13. John Carter: B 14. Hunger Games: B+ 15. Wrath of the Titans: C 16. Cabin In the Woods: B+ 17. The Rum Diary: C 18. The Eagle: C+ 19. The Avengers: A+ 20. The Adjustment Bureau: A 21. Sucker Punch: B- 22. Knight & Day: C+ 23. Mechanic: B Jason Statham stars as Bishop, a hitman who works exclusively for a "company" that manages these type assignments. It's an effective and competent enough action film. Statham doing what he does best and showing why he's one of the go to guys for action the past 10 years.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February, March & April Cowboys & Aliens- DVD Rise of the Planet of the Apes - DVD Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - free screenin' Limitless - Netflix Instant The Next Three Days - Netflix Instant Man on a Ledge - free screenin' Red State - Netflix Instant Mars Needs Moms - Netflix Instant S.W.A.T.: Firefight - Netflix Instant Red Tails - free screenin' Resident Evil: Degeneration - Netflix Instant The Last Exorcism - Netflix Instant Frozen - Netflix Instant The Perfect Host - Netflix Instant Tucker & Dale vs Evil - Netflix Instant Brooklyn's Finest - Netflix Instant Stone - Netflix Instant The Woman in Black - free screenin' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - free screenin' Haywire - free admission The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - free admission The Artist - free admission Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - free admission Ted & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie - tech screenin' Hugo - free admission Safe House - free screenin' The Captains - Netflix Instant Troll Hunter - Netflix Instant The Evil Dead (1981) - Netflix Instant Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D - tech screenin' Underworld Awakening 3D - free admission We Need to Talk About Kevin - free admission The Innkeepers - free admission Big Miracle - free admission Chronicle - free admission Underworld: Unrated Extended Cut - DVD The Grey - free admission Contraband - free admission Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D - free admission One for the Money - free admission The Ouija Experiment - free admission Ghost Rider - Extended Cut - DVD The Secret World of Arrietty - free admission Bullhead - free admission Underworld Evolution - DVD Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 3D- free admission Castle in the Sky - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Live Action: Pentacost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak & Tuba Atlantic - free admission This Means War - free admission Alien Trespass - Netflix Instant My Neighbor Totoro - free admission Rampart - free admission Dr Suess' The Lorax 3D - free screenin' Comin' At Ya! 3D - free admission Wanderlust - free admission Act of Valor - free admission Oscar-Nominated Short Films, Animated: A Morning Stroll, Dimanche/Sunday, La Luna, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore & Wild Life - free admission Dune (1984) - free admission Doctor Strange - DVD Project X (2012) - free admission Martha Marcy May Marlene - free admission Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - free admission Friends with Kids - free admission The Lincoln Lawyer - Netflix Instant Gabriel Iglesias: Hot and Fluffy - Netflix Instant John Carter 2D/3D - free admission/free admission Silent House - free admission 21 Jump Street - free screenin' Casa de Mi Padre - free admission Support Your Local Gunfighter - Netflix Instant The Grudge: Unrated Extended Director's Cut - DVD Jeff, Who Lives at Home - free admission My Bloody Valentine (2009) - DVD Battle Royale (2000) - Alamo Drafthouse Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal - discount theater The Butterfly Effect - DVD The Butterfly Effect 2 - DVD Sound of Noise - free admission The FP - free admission Harold & Maude - free admission The Double - Netflix Instant No Strings Attached - Netflix Instant Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey - Netflix Instant Louis C.K. Hilarious - Netflix Instant Gamer - Netflix Instant Rising Sun - Netflix Instant Death Race 2000 - Netflix Instant Beverly Hills Cop III - Netflix Instant Inferno: The Making of The Expendables - Netflix Instant Street Kings - DVD Kiki's Delivery Service - free admission Dark Country - DVD Wrath of the Titans 3D - free admission Jiro Dreams of Sushi - free admission The Raid: Redemption - free admission The Incredible Hulk Returns - DVD Titanic 3D - free admission The Hunger Games - free admission Mirror, Mirror - free admission American Reunion - free admission Justice League: Doom - DVD W. - DVD Night of the Running Man - Netflix Instant The Trial of the Incredible Hulk - DVD The Hunter - free admission An Education - DVD Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two - DVD The Prophecy - DVD Them Idiots Whirled Tour - DVD The Prophecy II - DVD Cabin in the Woods - free admission Juan of the Dead - free admission Lockout - free admission Get the Gringo - free screenin' Only Yesterday - free admission Pirates! Band of Misfits 3D - free screenin' Street Kings 2: Motor City - Unrated - DVD The Cat Returns - free admission The Prophecy 3: The Ascent - DVD Marley - free admission The Lucky One - free admission Cool Hand Luke - free admission The Grudge 2: Unrated Director's Cut - DVD Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - DVD The Raven - free admission Colombiana - Unrated - DVD Princess Mononoke - free admission The Five-Year Engagement - free admission Last Days Here - free admission The Three Stooges - free admission The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter - DVD The Avengers 3D - free admission Damsels in Distress - free admission Sound of My Voice - free admission Yellow Submarine - free admission The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - free screenin' The Skulls - DVD Dark Shadows - free admission The Skulls II - DVD Sleepless Night - free admission Conan the Barbarian (1981) - DVD Battleship - free admission The Skulls III - DVD The Dictator - free admission What to Expect When You're Expecting - free admission Too much time to kill today, so I got into two movies for free. First up, The Dictator...not a very good movie. Yes, I admit, I laughed at a couple of the jokes, but overall it was pretty awful. And I can't help but think that if the helicopter scene had been shot guerilla style with real people instead of actors, Sacha Baron Cohen would have been killed. Followed that up with What to Expect When You're Expecting...which just made me glad I've never gotten a girl pregnant. Also, the poster of an actress from the movie bein' pregnant is misleadin' as hell. But, whatever...Dennis Quaid was fun in it, and Chris Rock only told one of his standup jokes, watered down as it was. Got a pass to see MiB3 Wednesday night! Can't wait!
Spoiler: Rest of List 1. Holy Rollers (B-) 2. The Kids Are All Right (B) 3. History of the World, Part 1 (C-) 4. Blazing Saddles (A+) 5. Scarface [1932] (B-) 6. The Purple Rose of Cairo (A) 7. Rampart (B+) 8. We Need To Talk About Kevin (A+) 9. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (B+) 10. They Live (B-) 11. Darling Companion (D) 12. A Dangerous Method (B-) 13. Haywire (C+) 14. Mission: Impossible (B+) 15. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (B+) 16. Twixt (C+) 17. Burn After Reading (B+) 18. Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (B-) 19. Drive (A) 20. Crazy Stupid Love (A) 21. The Omega Man (D) 22. The Adjustment Bureau (B+) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. Lady and the Tramp (B) 25. Hugo (A-) 26. The Secret World of Arrietty (B) 27. Twelve Angry Men (A) 28. Act of Valor (F) 29. Walker (A) 30. Lonely Are The Brave (A-) 31. Executive Action (C) 32. Three Colors: Blue (A) 33. Bright Leaves (A) 34. Photographic Memory (A) 35. The People Vs. George Lucas (C-) 36. Avatar (B-) 37. The Life of Reilly (A-) 38. Limitless (B-) 39. Star Wars (A) 40. The Empire Strikes Back (A) 41. Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (A) 42. Machete (C+) 43. Unmasking The Idol (D-) 44. Alien (A+) 45. The Raid: Redemption (B-) 46. Attenberg (B) 47. 21 Jump Street (C+) 48. Piranha 3D (C+) 49. The Hunger Games (C-) 50. This Filthy World (B) 51. Bad Fever (C-) 52. The Conspirator (C) 53. We The Party (C-) 54. My Darling Clementine (C+) 55. Freakonomics (C+) 56 Sound of My Voice (A-) 57. Tales from the Script (C-) 58. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (B+) 59. Me and Orson Welles (B) 60. Everything Must Go (B+) 61. The Avengers (C) 62. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (B) 63. One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (B) 64. Starship Troopers (A) 65. Alien (A+) 66. Aliens (A) 67. Into the Abyss (B) 68. The Expendables (D) The Expendables: I expected many things from this film, but I never thought it would be so insurmountably serious and talky. Then again, at least Mickey Rourke takes a cheap monologue and makes something of it; Stallone takes action sequences and edits them to the point of incoherence. Never have more mediocre speakers of the English language been assembled in one movie (well, until the sequel) -- which wouldn't matter, if the film was half as fun as the premise should have been. But, instead of treating the premise with a bit of self-consciousness, Stallone treats it with deadly seriousness (who thought a domestic abuse subplot had a place in a movie like this?). What a waste. Theatres: 28 Home Video: 35 Computer: 5+1
Spoiler: The rest of my list. 1. My Week With Marilyn (B-) 2. Fantasia 2000 (B+) 3. Blade Runner (B) 4. The Hidden Fortress (A-) 5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (B+) 6. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (A+) 7. The Descendants (A-) 8. Monsieur Lazhar (A) 9. The Prestige (A+) 10. Blood Simple (A-) 11. The Big Lebowski (B+) 12. West Side Story (A-) 13. The Hours (A-) 14. Lady and the Tramp (B) 15. An Officer and a Gentleman (B) 16. All Quiet On The Western Front (A) 17. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (B-) 18. Spellbound (B+) 19. Seven Samurai (A+) 20. X-Men: First Class (A) 21. Do The Right Thing (N/A) 22. Martha Marcy May Marlene (B) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. LA Confidential (A) 25. Young Adult (B) 26. Children of Men (B+) 27. Gaslight (B+) 28. North By Northwest (A+) 29. American Beauty (A-) 30. Revolutionary Road (A-) 31. Being There (B) 32. Coriolanus (C+) 33. To Catch A Thief (B+) 34. A Separation (A+) 35. The Hunger Games (B+) 36. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (A) 37. Saturday Night Fever (A-) 38. The Tree of Life (A-) 39. Hero (B-) 40. Boogie Nights (A+) 41. Magnolia (A-) 42. The Lives of Others (A) 43. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (A-) 44. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (A) 45. A Streetcar Named Desire (A) 46. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (A) 47. Downfall (A+) 48. In Darkness (B+) 49. Cabaret (C+) 50. The Avengers (A) 51. The Incredible Hulk (B) 52. The Last of the Mohicans (A-) Michael Mann's rousing (though apparently very unfaithful) adaptation of the iconic work of James Fenimore Cooper (which is so derived from an earlier film version that Mann loved that the earlier screenplay gets co-credited alongside the novel) is gorgeously photographed and flows very fluidly (a little too much so, in a couple of instances, maybe). Daniel Day-Lewis has never looked more like a matinee idol on the big screen, while Madeleine Stowe is gorgeous (albeit variably accented). We've also got two of Hollywood's three standby Old Indian Guys in the same movie (Russell Means and Wes Studi; we're only missing Graham Greene), with Studi really standing out as the villain. It's also notable that the movie lets Means, rather than Day-Lewis, have the final one-on-one battle with the bad guy, though Day-Lewis' character manages some impressively absurd dual-wielding of two muskets. The movie lays on the Prologue to the American Revolution a little thick, though. Cinema: 12 Home Video: 34 (+1) Computer: 6
Spoiler: Rest of List 1. Holy Rollers (B-) 2. The Kids Are All Right (B) 3. History of the World, Part 1 (C-) 4. Blazing Saddles (A+) 5. Scarface [1932] (B-) 6. The Purple Rose of Cairo (A) 7. Rampart (B+) 8. We Need To Talk About Kevin (A+) 9. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (B+) 10. They Live (B-) 11. Darling Companion (D) 12. A Dangerous Method (B-) 13. Haywire (C+) 14. Mission: Impossible (B+) 15. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (B+) 16. Twixt (C+) 17. Burn After Reading (B+) 18. Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (B-) 19. Drive (A) 20. Crazy Stupid Love (A) 21. The Omega Man (D) 22. The Adjustment Bureau (B+) 23. The Artist (A-) 24. Lady and the Tramp (B) 25. Hugo (A-) 26. The Secret World of Arrietty (B) 27. Twelve Angry Men (A) 28. Act of Valor (F) 29. Walker (A) 30. Lonely Are The Brave (A-) 31. Executive Action (C) 32. Three Colors: Blue (A) 33. Bright Leaves (A) 34. Photographic Memory (A) 35. The People Vs. George Lucas (C-) 36. Avatar (B-) 37. The Life of Reilly (A-) 38. Limitless (B-) 39. Star Wars (A) 40. The Empire Strikes Back (A) 41. Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (A) 42. Machete (C+) 43. Unmasking The Idol (D-) 44. Alien (A+) 45. The Raid: Redemption (B-) 46. Attenberg (B) 47. 21 Jump Street (C+) 48. Piranha 3D (C+) 49. The Hunger Games (C-) 50. This Filthy World (B) 51. Bad Fever (C-) 52. The Conspirator (C) 53. We The Party (C-) 54. My Darling Clementine (C+) 55. Freakonomics (C+) 56 Sound of My Voice (A-) 57. Tales from the Script (C-) 58. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (B+) 59. Me and Orson Welles (B) 60. Everything Must Go (B+) 61. The Avengers (C) 62. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (B) 63. One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (B) 64. Starship Troopers (A) 65. Alien (A+) 66. Aliens (A) 67. Into the Abyss (B) 68. The Expendables (D) 69. Dumbo (B+) Dumbo: Where would a classic Disney animated feature be without racist stereotyping? Other than that, Dumbo is a delight that's only flaw is being a little rushed in the end (the movie runs 65 minutes with credits, which barely qualified it as being feature length in 1941). Dumbo is a great character, who never has to talk to express himself, and the film is one marvelous animated set piece after another. Theatres: 28 Home Video: 36 +1 Computer: 5
It's been a long time since I've seen Dumbo but I have seen clips and heard the racial stareotype criticisms in the past and my question is why isn't this movie Banned, while a movie like Song of the South will probably never see the light of day again? Is it because the elephant is cute and they have a family ride at the theme parks. Well, Splash mountain is a family ride too and I don't remember it very well, but wasn't that movie about a black man telling stories and trying to be an optimist? Still, I would love for Disney to say screw it and re-release Song of the South. It's been too long and I want to see what one of the Park's best rides is based on.
The crows are jive-y stereotypes, but a fairly minor part of the film and they're portrayed positively, so the film has never encountered anything akin to the same amount of controversy as a film in live action which uses the fantasy version of Reconstruction as its framing narrative. Said narrative isn't any more problematic than Gone With The Wind, of course, but all the same since the former is a kids' film and Disney values its image so highly, they'd rather just not release it.