Movies Seen in 2011

[Harvey]

148. L.A. Confidential (A-)
149. When Harry Met Sally (A-)
150. Tombstone (C+)

L.A. Confidential: I'm still not crazy about Russell Crowe surviving at the end of the movie -- the way its staged doesn't suggest much hope for his survival -- but I really like the movie otherwise. It has a great cast, makes excellent use of real LA locations, and presents an interesting look at the underbelly of Hollywood in the early television era.

When Harry Met Sally: Still an excellent, funny movie, although I wouldn't rate it as high as This is Spinal Tap if I was comparing Rob Reiner-directed comedies.

Tombstone: An excellent cast elevates a decent Western that is unfortunately quite clumsily structured. Major characters completely disappear with little explanation (Wyatt Earp's wife vanishes and it's not until the end that a voice over establishes that she died of a drug overdose much earlier in the narrative) and most of the third act is compressed into a quick montage for no discernible reason. Kurt Russell is better in the role of Wyatt Earp than Burt Reynolds, though, and Val Kilmer was never better as Doc Holliday. I wouldn't be surprised if much of this could be explained by a turbulent production (the original director, who wrote the film, was fired, and his screenplay was subsequently chopped up). It's a shame that it isn't a better movie, because from a visual standpoint it's fantastic, boasting great production design, art direction, and costume design.

159 films seen so far this year.

[Lowdarzz]

The Enforcer (1976)

The third Dirty Harry film and unfortunately one of the lesser entries. That's not to say that it's an enjoyable film but it just doesn't have the same feel as the first two. Maybe it's because John Milius didn't have a go on the script or maybe it's because this was the only film in the series that didn't have a score by Lalo Schifrin.

Sudden Impact (1983)

The fourth Dirty Harry film and a much better entry than the last. The only film in the series that was directed by Clint Eastwood, I enjoyed the fact that this is one of the few films I've seen that uses a female serial killer. I do think it's odd that Harry let Jennifer Spencer get away with the killings when he set himself at odds with the vigalante cops in Magnum Force. I was also glad that Lalo Schifrin returned to produce the films score.

[tomalak301]

1. Alice in Wonderland (2010) - C-
2. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) - A
3. Black Swan (2010) - A+
4. The Social Network (2010) - A
5. Cannibal! The Musical (1996) - B
6. Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (2009) - B
7. Winter's Bone (2010) - C+
8. The Kids are All Right (2010) - A
9. The Lovely Bones (2009) - D
10. 127 Hours (2010) - A
11. Source Code (2011) - B
12. Kick-Ass (2010) - B
13. Thor (2011) - B+
14. X-Men: First Class (2011) - B
15. Easy A (2010) - B
16. Bridesmaids (2011) - A+
17. Super 8 (2011) - B+
18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010) - B-
19. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - B+
20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011) - B
21. Robin Hood (2010) - B-
22. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) - B
23. The Adjustment Bureau (2011) - B-
24. Moneyball (2011) - B+
25. The Lion King (1994) - A+

Moneyball

Living in the Bay Area and following the 2002 Oakland A's, this movie hit close to home for me, and I think the thing I really liked about it was it really captures behind the scenes of a GM of an organization. I mean here is a guy who was thrown such a small amount of money by the owner and he had to come up with a way to replace 3 stars in Damon, Giambi, and Isringhousen. To see the process of how he went about doing that was really enlightening, and how he used the idea of advanced stats (Or Sabremetrics as it's known now) was probably the highlight of the movie. I mean the scene where Beane is on the phone at the trade deadline with like 3 different GMs and actually succeeds in getting Ricardo Rincon was probably one of the best scenes in the movie.

I've been listening to Baseball Podcasts this year in which the hosts come across as kind of arrogant when it comes to these advance stats. I mean if anyone is familiar with Keith Law (Scout based out of Arizona), he has come out and pretty much said that RBIs and Wins are irrelevant and we need to start looking at stats like OPS, and WAR (Wins Above Replacement). The problem I have with a lot of what the experts say really comes down to the fact that I don't understand these things, and they do come across as a bit holier than thou. Well, one of the things I liked about the movie was that it was a clear illustration as to why these stats matter and why they have a place in Baseball. Over time I might actually research these stats (Baseball Reference and I've heard FanGraphs are the best websites to go with this) and I thank this movie for introducing it the right way and making fans see that it really isn't all about star power.

I think my only quibble with the movie was I don't remember the conflict between Art Howe and Billy Beane, and maybe Seymore Hoffman (Who I like) wasn't as passionate in the role as I would have liked, but other than that, a great movie.

The Lion King

I've made it a bit of a rule that I would only review movies I have not seen in this thread, but I'm making an exception to this one. There are some movies I would love to see on the Big Screen again, and The Lion King was one of those movies. Ok, I didn't see it in 3D, but to get the nostalgia, I don't think I needed to. This movie is just as great as I remember it and the music was some of Disney's best. One reviewer on rotten tomatoes said this movie wasn't Hip enough. Well, I beg to differ. I think we need more movies like this, where there are dark moments to scare the kids without going overboard, but once we get to the end and everyone can walk out of the theater with a smile, it's all worth it. I wish more classic movies were brought out to the big screen again, but I'm glad Lion King was because it was just as awesome and just as memorable as it was when I was 10 years old in 1994.

[stj]

The Ledge, written by Matthew Chapman. It stars Charlie Hunnam, Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler, Terence Howard and Christopher Gorham. Charlie Hunnam plays a man who walks out onto a ledge. Terence Howard plays the policeman who comes to persuade him to come inside. Hunnam's character slowly unfolds the events that led him there. As it happens, he and his gay roommate (played by Christopher Gorham,) strike sparks with the Christian couple in the apartment down the hall (played by Patrick Wilson and Liv Tyler.) It is fairly obvious where the plot is going and it is played out fairly leisurely but the dialogue and performances are excellent. A thriller which manages to be a serious drama as well. About an hour and forty-five minutes.

[Captain Craig]

Tomalak301, this is the second review from someone I've heard that Moneyball was really good. I like sport movies and while baseball isn't my sport of choice it's the struggle/triumph arc I find appealing in them. My friend called from Atlanta who's visiting her brother and we had planned to see it but she went with him and gave it praise as well. I may wait for DVD but if I find time I'd like to catch this one.

[stj]

The Perfect Host, starring David Hyde Pierce and Clayne Crawford. Bank robber meets psycho is the story. Never heard of Crawford but he did a great job. The voice in particular is fascinating. This is a dandy little suspense, not a brain in its head, but very skillfully done. The performances are beautifully theatrical, the plotting insane but crisp and the soundtrack very effective.

[CaptainCanada]

1. In the Heat of the Night (A)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
50. GoodFellas (A-)
51. Spartacus (A+)
52. The Deer Hunter (B+)
53. Reservoir Dogs (A)
54. A Clockwork Orange (A)
55. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (A+)
56. Gone With The Wind (A+)
57. On the Waterfront (A)
58. Thor (B+)
59. The Seventh Seal (A-)
60. Hamlet (A)
61. All the King's Men (A-)
62. Roman Holiday (A+)
63. Rebecca (A-)
64. Notorious (A)
65. American Madness (B+)
66. It Happened One Night (A-)
67. Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (C-)
68. You Can't Take It With You (B+)
69. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (A-)
70. The Heiress (A+)
71. X-Men: First Class (A-)
72. Super 8 (B+)
73. Dr. No (B-)
74. From Russia With Love (A)
75. Captain Blood (A+)
76. The Best Years of Our Lives (A+)
77. The Adventures of Robin Hood (A+)
78. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (A+)
79. From Here To Eternity (A)
80. To Have and Have Not (B)
81. The Big Sleep (A-)
82. Barry Lyndon (B+)
83. The Snake Pit (B+)
84. Hoosiers (C-)
85. Rocky (A-)
86. Midnight in Paris (B+)
87. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (B+)
88. Key Largo (B-)
89. Bridge on the River Kwai (A)
90. The Apartment (A-)
91. Captain America: The First Avenger (A-)
92. Ordinary People (A-)
93. Days of Heaven (B+)
94. Yojimbo (A-)
95. Tangled (A)
96. Cowboys and Aliens (B)
97. Crazy, Stupid, Love (A-)
98. Beginners (A-)
99. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (A+)
100. Bonnie and Clyde (A-)
101. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (A-)
102. Elmer Gantry (B+)
103. Sanjuro (A-)
104. The Help (B+)
105. Dark Passage (B+)
106. Easy A (B)
107. Rob Roy (B+)
108. The Great McGinty (C+)
109. Christmas in July (B-)
110. The Tree of Life (B+)
111. The Lady Eve (A-)
112. Sullivan's Travels (B+)
113. The Palm Beach Story (A+)
114. A Passage to India (A-)
115. Glengarry Glen Ross (A-)
116. Hail the Conquering Hero (B-)
117. The Great Moment (C+)
118. Platoon (A)
119. Atonement (A+)
120. Patton (A)
121. Pan's Labyrinth (A+)
122. The Debt (B+)
123. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A-)
124. The Pawnbroker (A-)
125. Double Indemnity (A)
126. Mildred Pierce (B+)
127. The Postman Always Rings Twice (C-)
128. The Great Dictator (A+)
129. La Belle et la Bete (B+)

130. Contagion (B+)
131. The Age of Innocence (B+)
132. The Remains of the Day (A+)
133. His Girl Friday (A)
134. Howards End (B+)
135. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (A)
136. The Lion King 3D (A+)
137. Paths of Glory (B+)
138. Big Fish (B+)

A Tim Burton film with bright colours and no Johnny Depp! Helena Bonham Carter's here in a small role, so he didn't go completely off-reservation, at least. Though this film was a financial disappointment, so maybe there's a reason he doesn't do this more often. The film feels a bit like if Forrest Gump, Jr. was trying to make sense of his father's account of his life. The "tall tales" are a little meandering in places (and not really as interesting as the film often thinks they are), particularly early on, but the film acquires a good amount of emotional heft as it goes on. My own father passed away earlier this year, so perhaps I was particularly susceptible, but I liked it a lot. Billy Crudup, who's a good actor, is kind of bland in the part of the son, but the others do well with more vibrant characters (there's also an early English-language appearance by Marion Cotillard back when nobody outside of France knew who she was).

139. The Magnificent Ambersons (B+)

Orson Welles' followup to Citizen Kane, and the victim of one of the most egregious cases of studio interference. It's kind of hard to fully judge a film that had so much taken out of it (though, to be fair, people who saw the original cut said it had problems too). The cuts came mostly from the concluding segments of the film (including an added ending which is very obviously discordant with the rest of the film), which are the weakest, particularly, as I said, the ending. However, even the 88 minute version is still a pretty good film. The cinematography is stunning (I find that inventive uses of the camera are a lot more noticeable in older films where just planting it and letting it role was a lot more common). There are a number of very good performances. If Welles' original version (or a reedit overseen by Welles himself) existed, who knows what might have been?

[WHF]

1 The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
2 Pride of the Yankees (1942)
3 The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)
4 Sergeant York (1941)
5 Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
6 Tokyo no kôrasu [Tokyo Chorus] (1931)
7 Crime and Punishment (1935)
8 The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
9 Along Came Jones (1945)
10 Repo Men (2010)
11 Meltdown: Days of Destruction (2006) TV Movie
12 This is the Night (1932)
13 Cop Out (2010)
14 Umarete Wa Mita Keredo [I Was Born But...] (1932)
15 Every Girl Should Be Married (1948)
16 I'm No Angel (1933)
17 Dekigokoro [Passing Fancy] (1933)
18 Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
19 Sylvia Scarlett (1935)
20 The Cameraman (1928)
21 Tôkaidô Yotsuya kaidan [The Ghost of Yotsuya] (1959)
22 Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl (1919)
23 Casino Royale (1967)
24 Spite Marriage (1929)
25 Lost Horizon (1937)
26 Doughboys (1930)
27 Ministry of Fear (1944)
28 In Bruges (2008)
29 Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)
30 Greenberg (2010)
31 Die Büchse der Pandora [Pandora's Box] (1929)
32 Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)
33 Last Night (1998)
34 The Awful Truth (1937)
35 Grand Prix (1966)
36 Free and Easy (1930)
37 Suna no onna [Woman in the Dunes] (1964)
38 None But the Lonely Heart (1944)
39 Shutter Island (2010)
40 Radio Days (1987)
41 The Toast of New York (1937)
42 Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
43 Forbidden Planet (1956)
44 Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1932)
45 Jigoku (1960)
46 MacGruber (2010)
47 Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
48 What! No Beer (1933)
49 Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
50 Metropolis (1927) Restored
51 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
52 I Want to Live! (1958)
53 A Foreign Affair (1948)
54 The Lost Weekend (1945)
55 Captain Blood (1935)
56 Night and Day (1946)
57 Cool Hand Luke (1967)
58 Destination Tokyo (1943)
59 The Defiant Ones (1958)
60 Les Miserables (1998)
61 High Life (2009)
62 W. (2008)
63 Love Me Tonight (1932)
64 For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
65 Shanghai Express (1932)
66 Suzy (1936)
67 The Graduate (1967)
68 A Cock and Bull Story (2005)
69 Tokyo! (2008)
70 On the Waterfront (1954)
71 The Anderson Tapes (1971)
72 In the Heat of the Night (1967)
73 Get Him to the Greek (2010)
74 Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
75 Bombshell (1933)
76 Mildred Pierce (1945)
77 State of Play (2009)
78 Oliver Twist (1948)
79 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
80 Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
81 Eclipse (2010)
82 The Lemon Tree (2008)
83 On the Beach (1959)
84 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
85 Laila (1929)
86 When Ladies Meet (1941)
87 The Other Guys (2010)
88 Cemetery Junction (2010)
89 Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
90 Splendor in the Grass (1961)
91 Christmas in Wonderland (2007)
92 The Cove (2009)
93 Death to Smoochy (2002)
94 Ball of Fire (1941)
95 The Wild One (1953)
96 Camille (1921)
97 Bad Lieutenant (1992)
98 Beau Geste (1939)
99 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
100 The Switch (2010)
101 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
102 Salt (2010)
103 Beastie Boys: Fight for Your Right Revisited (2011)
104 Gunless (2010)
105 One Million Years B.C. (1966)
106 The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
107 An American in Paris (1951)
108 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
109 The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)
110 American Pie (1999)
111 Scarface (1932)
112 The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)
113 Key Largo (1948)
114 Scarface (1983)
115 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)
116 Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
117 Stolen (2009)
118 Ladri di biciclette [Bicycle Thieves] (1948)
119 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
120 Okaasan [Mother] (1952)
121 The Mouse on the Moon (1963)
122 The Kids Are All Right (2010)
123 Ohayô [Good Morning] (1959)
124 Murder, My Sweet (1944)
125 East of Eden (1955)
126 Underground (1941)
127 Pokolenie [A Generation] (1955)
128 The Petrified Forest (1936)
129 Escape in the Desert (1945)
130 The Big Sleep (1946)
131 The Night of the Hunter (1955)
132 The Social Network (2010)
133 Exotica (1994)
134 Kanał (1956)
135 Black Legion (1937)
136 Mýrin [Jar City] (2006)
137 44 Inch Chest (2009)
138 Sahara (1943)
139 La Horde (2009)
140 Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
141 Popiół i diament [Ashes and Diamonds] (1958)
142 The Ghost Writer (2010)
143 Northern Pursuit (1943)
144 The Maiden Heist (2009)
145 Missing (1982)
146 King Kong (1933)
147 Dodsworth (1936)
148 Once Upon a Time (1944)
149 The Pride and the Passion (1957)
150 The Young Philadelphians (1959)
151 The Best Man (1964)
152 The American (2010)
153 The Caine Mutiny (1954)
154 Inception (2010)
155 Kameradschaft (1931)
156 The Damned United (2009)
157 Gojira (1954)
158 How to Die in Oregon (2011)
159 Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942)
160 The Trotsky (2009)
161 Tokyo Joe (1949)
162 Red (2010)
163 Körkarlen [The Phantom Carriage] (1921)
164 Frankenstein (1931)
165 El espíritu de la colmena [The Spirit of the Behive] (1973)
166 The Dawn Patrol (1938)
167 Flammen & Citronen [Flame & Citron] (2008)
168 To Sir, with Love (1967)
169 Alice in Wonderland (2010)
170 Out of the Past (1947)
171 Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
172 The Scarlet Letter (1926)
173 The Runaways (2010)
174 Until They Sail (1957)
175 Smultronstället [Wild Strawberries] (1957)
176 Hot Coffee (2011)
177 Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008)
178 Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness (1927)
179 The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
180 The Sheik (1921)
181 The Tillman Story (2010)
182 The First of the Few (1942)
183 The Town (2010)
184 Fail Safe (1964)
185 The Bedford Incident (1965)
186 Kohayagawa-ke no aki [The End of Summer] (1961)
187 A Single Man (2009)
188 Lion of the Desert (1981)
189 Despicable Me (2010)
190 Let Me In (2010)
191 The Misfits (1961)
192 The Fighter (2010)
193 The Tourist (2010)
194 Richard III (1955)
195 Love Affair (1939)
196 I Confess (1953)
197 Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
198 Son of the Sheik (1926)
199 Caged (1950)
200 Shichinin no Samurai [Seven Samurai] (1954)
201 Lord of the Flies (1963)
202 Fury (1936)
203 Le Dernier Métro [The Last Metro] (1980)
204 The Mouse that Roared (1959)
205 The Four Feathers (1939)
206 Red River (1948)
207 Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
208 La battaglia di Algeri [The Battle of Algiers] (1966)
209 A Patch of Blue (1965)
210 Cole (2009)
211 The Fugitive Kind (1959)
212 The Hurricane (1937)
213 Julius Caesar (1953)
214 Modern Times (1936)
215 The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
216 Stage Door (1937)
217 The Breaking Point (1950)
218 The Lady from Shanghai (1948)
219 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
220 Pépé le Moko (1937)
221 Lonelyhearts (1958)
222 From Here to Eternity (1953)
223 The Defector (1966)
224 Raintree County (1957)
225 Possesed (1931)
226 The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
227 Jim Thorpe – – All American (1951)
228 The Big Lift (1950)
229 Das Kabinet des Dr Caligari [The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] (1920)
230 His Majesty O'Keefe (1954)
231 Scorpio (1973)
232 The Search (1948)
233 The Killers (1946)
234 A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
235 South Sea Woman (1953)
236 Knight Without Armour (1937)
237 Brute Force (1947)
238 Der blaue Engel [The Blue Angel] (1930)
239 Seven Days in May (1964)
240 The Scarlet Empress (1934)
241 Ten Tall Men (1951)
242 The Householder (1963)
243 The Devil is a Woman (1935)
244 Sunset Boulevard (1950)
245 Bad Boys (1995)
246 The Jungle Book (1942)
247 The Heiress (1949)
248 The Vanishing American (1925)
249 Bad Boys II (2003)
250 The Hoodlum Priest (1961)
251 All the Young Men (1960)
252 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
253 The Remains of the Day (1993)
254 A Room with a View (2005)
255 The Europeans (1979)
256 Young Man With a Horn (1950)
257 Howards End (1992)
258 John A.: Birth of a Country (2011)
259 The Red Shoes (1948)
260 Lust for Life (1956)
261 Town Without Pity (1961)
262 Point Blank (1962)
263 The Crimson Pirate (1952)

200. Shichinin no Samurai [Seven Samurai] (1954) This is the film everyone needs to watch no matter what your opinion on it ends up being because it is so influential. It's strange that I've never seen it before. So much has been written about this film that the only thing I have to say is that it really is one of the greatest films ever made.

I watched this film on the Criterion blu-ray about two months ago but I've only just finished with all the special features. This blu-ray is fantastic. Picture and audio quality are as good as you're going to get for your home. The extra features include two commentaries, four hours of documentaries and a booklet with essays on the film. They are superb. Most film commentaries and extras I would only listen to and watch once but these extras are so good that the next time I watch this film I'll reverse the order and go through the extras first. If you watch films at home, Criterion blu-ray is the best way.

[stj]

Henry's Crime, a meta love story/caper movie. An unhappily married man falsely accused of bank robbery goes to prison. Upon release, he conceives the desire to actually rob the bank he didn't attempt to rob. He finds there was a tunnel from the next door theater to the bank (for hiding booze during Prohibition,) and ends up playing Lopatkin in The Cherry Orchard, while falling in love with the Buffalo diva playing the lead.

Henry's "crime" is robbing the bank, stealing the diva's heart and rewriting Chekhov. The outcome of the plot is withheld.

The diva is played as a larger than life bitch-goddess by the redoubtable Vera Farmiga. Peter Stormare is the unconscious Voice of God as director, displaying one of his finest accents. James Caan is the friendly confidence man turned bank robber and Fisher Stevens is the evil safecracker. This is a very droll but emotional (yet ironic) piece. But Trekbbs is forbidden to watch this, under any circumstances, for Henry/Lopatkin is played by Keanu Reeves!

[od0_ital]

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief - HBO
Tron Legacy 3D - theater
Clash of the Titans (2010) - HBO on Demand
Take Me Home Tonight - free screenin'
Sanctum - free screenin'
The Green Hornet - free screenin'
Green Zone - HBO
Fantastic Mr. Fox - HBO
True Grit (1969) - AMC
Ringu - DVD
Black Swan - Alamo Drafthouse (its not just a movie theater)
Unknown - free screenin'
The Losers - HBO
The Sunset Limited - HBO on Demand
Starsky & Hutch (2004) - Cinemax
Kick-Ass - DVD
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - DVD
The Adjustment Bureau - free screenin'
Rango - theater
Red (2010) - DVD rental
Hot Tub Time Machine - DVD rental
Harry Brown - DVD
Faster - DVD rental
Jonah Hex - DVD rental
Battle: L.A. - theater
The Girl who Played with Fire - DVD
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - DVD rental
Leaves of Grass - DVD
Whiteout - Cinemax on Demand
Sucker Punch - free screenin'
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - DVD
Paul - theater
Source Code - theater
Rio - free screenin'
The Fighter - DVD rental
Invictus - Cinemax
Scream 4 - theater
Fast Five - midnight screenin'
THOR - free screenin'
Priest - theater
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - midnight screenin'
X-Men: First Class - theater
Ramona and Beezus - HBO
Shrek Forever After - HBO
Super 8 - theater
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - HBO
Devil - Cinemax on Demand
Green Lantern - theater
Killers - Netflix Instant
Push - DVD rental
Ron White: Behavioral Problems - DVD rental
All*Star Superman - DVD rental
Captain America: The First Avenger - midnight screenin'
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night - DVD rental
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One - DVD
The King's Speech - DVD rental
Get Low - DVD rental
Dan in Real Life - DVD
Thor: Tales of Asgard - DVD rental
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights - DVD rental
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths - DVD
Planet Hulk - DVD rental
Alien vs Predator: Requium - Unrated - DVD rental
Fright Night (1985) - DVD
John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) - DVD
50/50 - free screenin'
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules - DVD
Repo Men- Unrated - DVD
Earth Girls Are Easy - DVD
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - DVD
Tangled - DVD
Kung Fu Panda 2 3D - dollar theater
Dolphin Tale - free screenin'
Mad Money - DVD
The Ron Clark Story - DVD
Nico the Unicorn - DVD
Jungle Boy - DVD
Killer Wave - DVD
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - Netflix Instant
Steve Harvey - Don't Trip...He Ain't Through With Me Yet! - Netflix Instant
Mel Brooks' Silent Movie - DVD
Steve Harvey - Still Trippin' - Netflix Instant
Secretariat - Netflix Instant
From Dusk 'til Dawn - Netflix Instant
From Dusk 'til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money - Netflix Instant
From Dusk 'til Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter - Netflix Instant
Kevin Smith - Too Fat for 40 - Netflix Instant
Dream House - free screenin'

Machine Gun Preacher - free screenin'
The Ides of March - free screenin'

The first two of four free screenings this week...

...Machine Gun Preacher made me feel guilty after watchin' it, in a "what have I done with my life lately?" kind of way, but still well worth checkin' out. Be warned, it does earn its R ratin' for drug use, language, violence, gore & such.

...The Ides of March would have really been better if Aaron Sorkin had written it. But, still, ya can't argue with the cast, and Clooney did put a lot into the movie, with his starrin' role, co-writin' the movie & directin' it.

Tonight, I'll be at the Real Steel screenin' with the Footloose remake scheduled for tomorrow!

And Fireflies in the Garden next week! Still don't know if I'll get a pass for The Thing requel or not....

[Maurice]

Maurice wrote:

---

Here's what I can recall seeing thus far this year. I'm sure I'm missing a bunch.

• (A)sexual (B)
• Beginners (B+)
• Black Swan (B-)
• The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (B)
• The Pixar Story (B-)
• Tales From the Script (B)
• Walt & El Groupo (B)
• The Universe of Keith Haring
• The Bourne Identity
• Waking Sleeping Beauty (C+)
• La Ronde (A)
• Ocean's Eleven (2001) (C)
• Bob Le Flambeur (A)
• The Good Thief (B-)
• The Score (C)
• X-Men First Class (B)
• Your Highness (F) (Visual Effects Society Screening)
• True Grit (A-)
• Kinsey (B+)
• Judas Kiss (2011) (C+)

Since my last post:

• Tree of Life (A)
• Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (B+)
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (D-)
• Microcosmos (B)
• The Adonais Factor (C)
• The Life of Reilly (B)

[CaptainCanada]

1. In the Heat of the Night (A)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
50. GoodFellas (A-)
51. Spartacus (A+)
52. The Deer Hunter (B+)
53. Reservoir Dogs (A)
54. A Clockwork Orange (A)
55. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (A+)
56. Gone With The Wind (A+)
57. On the Waterfront (A)
58. Thor (B+)
59. The Seventh Seal (A-)
60. Hamlet (A)
61. All the King's Men (A-)
62. Roman Holiday (A+)
63. Rebecca (A-)
64. Notorious (A)
65. American Madness (B+)
66. It Happened One Night (A-)
67. Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (C-)
68. You Can't Take It With You (B+)
69. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (A-)
70. The Heiress (A+)
71. X-Men: First Class (A-)
72. Super 8 (B+)
73. Dr. No (B-)
74. From Russia With Love (A)
75. Captain Blood (A+)
76. The Best Years of Our Lives (A+)
77. The Adventures of Robin Hood (A+)
78. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (A+)
79. From Here To Eternity (A)
80. To Have and Have Not (B)
81. The Big Sleep (A-)
82. Barry Lyndon (B+)
83. The Snake Pit (B+)
84. Hoosiers (C-)
85. Rocky (A-)
86. Midnight in Paris (B+)
87. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (B+)
88. Key Largo (B-)
89. Bridge on the River Kwai (A)
90. The Apartment (A-)
91. Captain America: The First Avenger (A-)
92. Ordinary People (A-)
93. Days of Heaven (B+)
94. Yojimbo (A-)
95. Tangled (A)
96. Cowboys and Aliens (B)
97. Crazy, Stupid, Love (A-)
98. Beginners (A-)
99. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (A+)
100. Bonnie and Clyde (A-)
101. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (A-)
102. Elmer Gantry (B+)
103. Sanjuro (A-)
104. The Help (B+)
105. Dark Passage (B+)
106. Easy A (B)
107. Rob Roy (B+)
108. The Great McGinty (C+)
109. Christmas in July (B-)
110. The Tree of Life (B+)
111. The Lady Eve (A-)
112. Sullivan's Travels (B+)
113. The Palm Beach Story (A+)
114. A Passage to India (A-)
115. Glengarry Glen Ross (A-)
116. Hail the Conquering Hero (B-)
117. The Great Moment (C+)
118. Platoon (A)
119. Atonement (A+)
120. Patton (A)
121. Pan's Labyrinth (A+)
122. The Debt (B+)
123. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A-)
124. The Pawnbroker (A-)
125. Double Indemnity (A)
126. Mildred Pierce (B+)
127. The Postman Always Rings Twice (C-)
128. The Great Dictator (A+)
129. La Belle et la Bete (B+)
130. Contagion (B+)
131. The Age of Innocence (B+)
132. The Remains of the Day (A+)
133. His Girl Friday (A)
134. Howards End (B+)
135. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (A)
136. The Lion King 3D (A+)
137. Paths of Glory (B+)
138. Big Fish (B+)
139. The Magnificent Ambersons (B+)

140. Dumbo (A)

Simple little gem from Disney's early years; watched this many times on VHS back in the early 1990s, but haven't seen it since then. Walt himself was minimally involved in this one due to other commitments, so it's rather different from the other features of the period stylistically (much closer to Warner Brothers humour in some places). There's some very imaginative animated sequences that still come across as such today (the delivery of all the babies via stork made an impression on me as a kid, I recall).

[od0_ital]

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief - HBO
Tron Legacy 3D - theater
Clash of the Titans (2010) - HBO on Demand
Take Me Home Tonight - free screenin'
Sanctum - free screenin'
The Green Hornet - free screenin'
Green Zone - HBO
Fantastic Mr. Fox - HBO
True Grit (1969) - AMC
Ringu - DVD
Black Swan - Alamo Drafthouse (its not just a movie theater)
Unknown - free screenin'
The Losers - HBO
The Sunset Limited - HBO on Demand
Starsky & Hutch (2004) - Cinemax
Kick-Ass - DVD
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - DVD
The Adjustment Bureau - free screenin'
Rango - theater
Red (2010) - DVD rental
Hot Tub Time Machine - DVD rental
Harry Brown - DVD
Faster - DVD rental
Jonah Hex - DVD rental
Battle: L.A. - theater
The Girl who Played with Fire - DVD
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - DVD rental
Leaves of Grass - DVD
Whiteout - Cinemax on Demand
Sucker Punch - free screenin'
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - DVD
Paul - theater
Source Code - theater
Rio - free screenin'
The Fighter - DVD rental
Invictus - Cinemax
Scream 4 - theater
Fast Five - midnight screenin'
THOR - free screenin'
Priest - theater
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - midnight screenin'
X-Men: First Class - theater
Ramona and Beezus - HBO
Shrek Forever After - HBO
Super 8 - theater
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - HBO
Devil - Cinemax on Demand
Green Lantern - theater
Killers - Netflix Instant
Push - DVD rental
Ron White: Behavioral Problems - DVD rental
All*Star Superman - DVD rental
Captain America: The First Avenger - midnight screenin'
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night - DVD rental
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One - DVD
The King's Speech - DVD rental
Get Low - DVD rental
Dan in Real Life - DVD
Thor: Tales of Asgard - DVD rental
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights - DVD rental
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths - DVD
Planet Hulk - DVD rental
Alien vs Predator: Requium - Unrated - DVD rental
Fright Night (1985) - DVD
John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) - DVD
50/50 - free screenin'
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules - DVD
Repo Men- Unrated - DVD
Earth Girls Are Easy - DVD
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - DVD
Tangled - DVD
Kung Fu Panda 2 3D - dollar theater
Dolphin Tale - free screenin'
Mad Money - DVD
The Ron Clark Story - DVD
Nico the Unicorn - DVD
Jungle Boy - DVD
Killer Wave - DVD
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - Netflix Instant
Steve Harvey - Don't Trip...He Ain't Through With Me Yet! - Netflix Instant
Mel Brooks' Silent Movie - DVD
Steve Harvey - Still Trippin' - Netflix Instant
Secretariat - Netflix Instant
From Dusk 'til Dawn - Netflix Instant
From Dusk 'til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money - Netflix Instant
From Dusk 'til Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter - Netflix Instant
Kevin Smith - Too Fat for 40 - Netflix Instant
Dream House - free screenin'

Machine Gun Preacher - free screenin'
The Ides of March - free screenin'
Real Steel - free screenin'
127 Hours - HBO on Demand

Last week, a friend of mine asked me to keep an eye out for Real Steel passes. I didn't really want to see it, but he did...so, I got passes for us to see it last night. There were freebies - a sports towel & bottle opener - and two trailers for fall movies that didn't really interest me.

But, hey, the movie was a lot better than I expected it to be, and there is a bit of an homage to Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots in the first robot vs robot fight. Hugh Jackman does most of the heavy liftin' for the film, but the kid co-star does a good job, too. And nice to see Kevin Durand again, after Lost & X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

This afternoon, I watched 127 Hours via HBO on Demand...that was a pretty intense movie. I can see why James Franco got the Oscar nomination for it. Don't think I'll be in much of a rush to watch it again, but I can say I've seen it now.

I did skip out on the Footloose screenin' tonight...I just didn't feel like drivin' across town for it. But I do already have passes to see it next week at a theater closer to where I'm stayin'.

I've also got passes for Fireflies in the Garden & The Way, fingers crossed I'll get passes for The Thing, too.

[CaptainCanada]

1. In the Heat of the Night (A)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
50. GoodFellas (A-)
51. Spartacus (A+)
52. The Deer Hunter (B+)
53. Reservoir Dogs (A)
54. A Clockwork Orange (A)
55. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (A+)
56. Gone With The Wind (A+)
57. On the Waterfront (A)
58. Thor (B+)
59. The Seventh Seal (A-)
60. Hamlet (A)
61. All the King's Men (A-)
62. Roman Holiday (A+)
63. Rebecca (A-)
64. Notorious (A)
65. American Madness (B+)
66. It Happened One Night (A-)
67. Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (C-)
68. You Can't Take It With You (B+)
69. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (A-)
70. The Heiress (A+)
71. X-Men: First Class (A-)
72. Super 8 (B+)
73. Dr. No (B-)
74. From Russia With Love (A)
75. Captain Blood (A+)
76. The Best Years of Our Lives (A+)
77. The Adventures of Robin Hood (A+)
78. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (A+)
79. From Here To Eternity (A)
80. To Have and Have Not (B)
81. The Big Sleep (A-)
82. Barry Lyndon (B+)
83. The Snake Pit (B+)
84. Hoosiers (C-)
85. Rocky (A-)
86. Midnight in Paris (B+)
87. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (B+)
88. Key Largo (B-)
89. Bridge on the River Kwai (A)
90. The Apartment (A-)
91. Captain America: The First Avenger (A-)
92. Ordinary People (A-)
93. Days of Heaven (B+)
94. Yojimbo (A-)
95. Tangled (A)
96. Cowboys and Aliens (B)
97. Crazy, Stupid, Love (A-)
98. Beginners (A-)
99. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (A+)
100. Bonnie and Clyde (A-)
101. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (A-)
102. Elmer Gantry (B+)
103. Sanjuro (A-)
104. The Help (B+)
105. Dark Passage (B+)
106. Easy A (B)
107. Rob Roy (B+)
108. The Great McGinty (C+)
109. Christmas in July (B-)
110. The Tree of Life (B+)
111. The Lady Eve (A-)
112. Sullivan's Travels (B+)
113. The Palm Beach Story (A+)
114. A Passage to India (A-)
115. Glengarry Glen Ross (A-)
116. Hail the Conquering Hero (B-)
117. The Great Moment (C+)
118. Platoon (A)
119. Atonement (A+)
120. Patton (A)
121. Pan's Labyrinth (A+)
122. The Debt (B+)
123. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A-)
124. The Pawnbroker (A-)
125. Double Indemnity (A)
126. Mildred Pierce (B+)
127. The Postman Always Rings Twice (C-)
128. The Great Dictator (A+)
129. La Belle et la Bete (B+)
130. Contagion (B+)
131. The Age of Innocence (B+)
132. The Remains of the Day (A+)
133. His Girl Friday (A)
134. Howards End (B+)
135. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (A)
136. The Lion King 3D (A+)
137. Paths of Glory (B+)
138. Big Fish (B+)
139. The Magnificent Ambersons (B+)

140. Dumbo (A-)
141. Smiles of a Summer Night (A)


Hey, a non-depressing Ingmar Bergman film! Still shot through with bits of melancholy and one moment near the end that anyone familiar with Bergman's later work would interpret as a shocking tonal swerve (which actually makes the joke work better). It's a comedy more of smiles than laughs, but it's very enjoyable and extremely well-acted.

[CaptainCanada]

Philip Seymour Hoffman double-bill.

1. In the Heat of the Night (A)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
50. GoodFellas (A-)
51. Spartacus (A+)
52. The Deer Hunter (B+)
53. Reservoir Dogs (A)
54. A Clockwork Orange (A)
55. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (A+)
56. Gone With The Wind (A+)
57. On the Waterfront (A)
58. Thor (B+)
59. The Seventh Seal (A-)
60. Hamlet (A)
61. All the King's Men (A-)
62. Roman Holiday (A+)
63. Rebecca (A-)
64. Notorious (A)
65. American Madness (B+)
66. It Happened One Night (A-)
67. Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (C-)
68. You Can't Take It With You (B+)
69. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (A-)
70. The Heiress (A+)
71. X-Men: First Class (A-)
72. Super 8 (B+)
73. Dr. No (B-)
74. From Russia With Love (A)
75. Captain Blood (A+)
76. The Best Years of Our Lives (A+)
77. The Adventures of Robin Hood (A+)
78. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (A+)
79. From Here To Eternity (A)
80. To Have and Have Not (B)
81. The Big Sleep (A-)
82. Barry Lyndon (B+)
83. The Snake Pit (B+)
84. Hoosiers (C-)
85. Rocky (A-)
86. Midnight in Paris (B+)
87. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (B+)
88. Key Largo (B-)
89. Bridge on the River Kwai (A)
90. The Apartment (A-)
91. Captain America: The First Avenger (A-)
92. Ordinary People (A-)
93. Days of Heaven (B+)
94. Yojimbo (A-)
95. Tangled (A)
96. Cowboys and Aliens (B)
97. Crazy, Stupid, Love (A-)
98. Beginners (A-)
99. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (A+)
100. Bonnie and Clyde (A-)
101. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (A-)
102. Elmer Gantry (B+)
103. Sanjuro (A-)
104. The Help (B+)
105. Dark Passage (B+)
106. Easy A (B)
107. Rob Roy (B+)
108. The Great McGinty (C+)
109. Christmas in July (B-)
110. The Tree of Life (B+)
111. The Lady Eve (A-)
112. Sullivan's Travels (B+)
113. The Palm Beach Story (A+)
114. A Passage to India (A-)
115. Glengarry Glen Ross (A-)
116. Hail the Conquering Hero (B-)
117. The Great Moment (C+)
118. Platoon (A)
119. Atonement (A+)
120. Patton (A)
121. Pan's Labyrinth (A+)
122. The Debt (B+)
123. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (A-)
124. The Pawnbroker (A-)
125. Double Indemnity (A)
126. Mildred Pierce (B+)
127. The Postman Always Rings Twice (C-)
128. The Great Dictator (A+)
129. La Belle et la Bete (B+)
130. Contagion (B+)
131. The Age of Innocence (B+)
132. The Remains of the Day (A+)
133. His Girl Friday (A)
134. Howards End (B+)
135. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (A)
136. The Lion King 3D (A+)
137. Paths of Glory (B+)
138. Big Fish (B+)
139. The Magnificent Ambersons (B+)

140. Dumbo (A-)
141. Smiles of a Summer Night (A)
142. The Ides of March (B)

Not a great movie, but a good one. It's rather like Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck in that the trailer pitches it as much more dramatic than it actually is; Clooney's dramatic instincts on his own projects tend to be fairly low-key. As the reviews have noted, there's nothing new here in terms of message, though to be honest I'm not sure whether there's much new to be offered about the moral nature of modern political campaigns. It's a dirty business, and everyone knows it. Anyway, the film's a solid piece of adult-oriented filmmaking. It has a great cast who all do good work, including another strong Ryan Gosling performance this year. The cast standout is really Evan Rachel Wood, whose role contains the most surprises if you're only watching the advertising; if anyone here deserves awards consideration, it's her. The director himself is also very good in his big scene at the end.

143. Moneyball (A-)

Baseball bores me to tears as a spectator sport (as do, well, most spectator sports other than hockey), but this was a very good movie. Capote, Bennett Miller's previous movie, I thought had an admirable level of craft but was too antiseptic to fully succeed. Here I think he strikes a much better balance; it never becomes sentimental, but the human element really comes across. Particularly given that this is a movie about statistics supplanting "common sense" baseball tactics, the balance of statistics versus sentiment is especially important. Soderbergh was originally going to direct this, and it'd be interesting to see how he approached it, but I think Miller's style is a pretty good fit with Soderbergh. Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillan's screenplay does a great job of making a movie that is basically about statistics interesting to watch; fittingly, given the subject-matter, the actual players are only seen in glimpses and none have real arcs, but the bits we see of them are very effective. Brad Pitt gives a great lead performance, backed up nicely by Jonah Hill in a supporting role considerably more understated than then norm. The final message about succeeding in changing the game but not personally winning the big prize is nicely bittersweet (and taken from real life, so I suppose they really couldn't approach it another way).