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Movies Seen in 2010

Sherlock Holmes [B-]
Men in Black [A]
Up in the Air [A]
Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
I'm Not There [A]
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
American Violet [B ]
Inglourious Basterds [A]
Death at a Funeral [B ]
A Serious Man [A]
The Hurt Locker [A-]
Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
The Book of Eli [C-]
Elegy [B+]
Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
The Invention of Lying [B-]
Gamer [C]
Timecrimes [A]

I've heard a few positive things about this film and some negative on this board, but I'm glad I finally took the time to rent it. A dark and twisted take on the time travel thriller. Not as technical as Primer, but just as effective. I'll have to add it to my collection at some point.
 
Saw Toy Story 2 3D tonight. Great seeing it on the big screen, missed it the first time around and it's been long enough since I last saw it for it to seem like a new experience... especially with it being redone in 3D.
 
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007)

It's fun, yet silly... filled with great actors doing mediocre work. On the other hand, I have a new mancrush on Bruce Greenwood.
 
Watched The House Bunny last night, the girlfriend picked it when we went to Blockbuster the other night.

It was predictably cute, and she was glad it was just a rental & not a purchase.
 
Saw Legion on Sunday. It was all right. Mediocre, at best. It works better in the first act when it's more satirical... when it starts taking itself seriously, it devolves into a generic action film.
 
And now, two very different movies:

DVD Review: Citizen Kane [A]

Alright "greatest movie of all time", let's see whatcha got.

Separating this from the weight of expectations, which really can't be met, it's a very solid film. While it can never be as revolutionary as it was at the time, I've seen enough movies or clips of movies from that era to get a sense of what your average filmed looked like, and this felt pleasingly modern, for the most part (some of the scene transitions and musical cues are kind of jarring). Welles is great as the lead, and the supporting cast is also good (I gradually identified The Third Man's Joseph Cotten as Jeb, where he was the lead and Welles supporting); the actress playing Susan was kind of annoying at times (mainly the voice, but that was part of the character, I think), but she has a great final scene with him. One thing I really noticed was the age makeup, which is surprisingly good for this era, though the black-and-white doubtless helps with that.

Saw-it-in-advance Review: Planet Hulk [B+]

Planet Hulk, an adaptation of the Marvel Comics storyline of the same name by Greg Pak (who is involved in the production), is a full-length story, and it is by far the best thing Marvel Animation's DVD program has done, and ranks with my favourite DC DVDs.

We're dropped right into the story, as the Hulk (voice of Rick Wasserman) awakens to find himself traveling through space, with a video from the Illuminati (Iron Man [Marc Worden, reprising his role from various other Marvel DVDs], Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange, and Black Bolt) explaining that his constant destructive rampages have forced them to send him away to a peaceful world where he can at last be left alone. Nice idea, but the Hulk doesn't take this well, and destroys the instrumentation, sending the ship careening into a wormhole and crashlanding on the planet Sakaar. Captured and forced to fight in gladiator games for the entertainment of the despotic Red King (Mark Hildreth), he finds himself the unwilling companion of the Warbound, a collection of fellow-gladiators. Many come to see the Hulk as the Sakaarson, the saviour of the planet, but others, including the Red King's lieutenant Caiera (Lisa Beley), insist that the King himself fulfills that role. And the Hulk himself doesn't have a lot of interest in it...

If it sounds a bit like the movie Gladiator, it is. But it's Gladiator with the action quotient increased to eleven. The story is a fairly faithful condensation of the original epic (which ran for over a year in the comics), with a few character roles and plot elements shifted around. Most notably, for those who have read the original, Beta Ray Bill has been substituted for the Silver Surfer, which works extremely well, and is a tremendous little depiction of the character.

The voice actors all do a good job with their parts, including Wasserman as the Hulk, who is far more talkative here than general audiences will be used to (in the comics, he's been typically sentient since the 1980s). And for those who like their cartoons a bit bloodier than they'll show on Saturday morning, this is your story. There are some truly brutal action scenes here, and the Spikes are depicted like creatures from a horror movie (would doubtless have really terrified me at age 12 or so). One real flaw would be a really glaring bit of villain stupidity that was clearly just included to move the plot along quickly, compared to the original story.
 
Updates:
Boondock Saints (10)
The Book of Eli (8)
Cencoroll (8)
District 9 (8)
G-9 (6)
Inglorious Bastards (7)
Oldboy (9)
 
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What I've seen so far in January:

Avatar - Went to see it in IMAX 3-D, and it did not disappoint in that format. Visually, the film is astonishing, and the created world of Pandora is completely immersive. Yes, the story is somewhat clichéd and predictable, but Cameron tells it with skill. Very good, if not quite excellent.

Sherlock Holmes - A fun movie, but kind of lightweight, and not terribly distinguished among other action films. Downey and Law do good work together, but Rachel McAdams, who I normally like, just seemed a little out of place here; her character just didn't seem to add as much as the filmmakers were clearly hoping she would. Still, I enjoyed RDJ's take on the famous detective, and the film as a whole is generally solid.

Daybreakers - An interesting riff on the concept of vampires; I liked the scientific perspective (although I find it a little odd that vampires still have no reflection in this movie, despite the notable absence of fantasy/magic elements... eh, whatever). It's too bad that, so soon after the release of New Moon, audiences have probably had their fill of vampires for a while, leaving this film largely (and unfairly) ignored. No, it won't revolutionize the vampire genre, and it has it's flaws, but it's worth checking out, especially if you're looking for an antidote to the lameness of Twilight.

That's pretty much it for new films, but I have seen a few others lately:

Transsiberian (2008) - I rented this a couple weeks ago on a whim, and I'm glad I did. It's a taut, well-crafted thriller. I enjoyed the slow build-up of suspense, the Russian winter setting, and the performances, particularly Emily Mortimer's. Ben Kingsley, of course, is always watchable as well, although Thomas Kretschmann was a tad wasted in his role. A small-scale film, but highly recommended.

The Thing From Another World (1951) - I was kind of disappointed in this one. I think there were a few too many characters, for one thing, and the romantic sub-plot was half-assed and unnecessary. I also didn't really care for the negative portrayal of the scientist who wants to learn from the alien, to try diplomacy rather than violence. I could sympathize with his admirable intentions, but of course, the film turns him into an obsessed nut whose actions get two people killed. The movie had a few decent tense moments, but overall, I didn't find it very effective -- I much prefer John Carpenter's 1982 version.

Bridge to Terabithia (2007) - Not being at all familiar with the book on which it was based, I went in expecting it to be a children's fantasy film, similar to The Chronicles of Narnia or The Spiderwick Chronicles. I wouldn't have minded that, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was more of a coming-of-age story, with the fantasy aspects (which occur entirely in the imaginations of the two young protagonists) almost secondary. I enjoyed the sweet friendship that developed between Leslie and Jess, though I wasn't quite sure how captivated I was... until the final act. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but damn. :( I was almost in tears, and it's rare that a movie does that to me. A very effective film, owing in no small way to the talents of the filmmakers and the young leads (Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb). I was a little sidetracked with some stuff during the first half of the movie, regrettably, so I missed a few things... I'll have to watch this again sometime, without any distractions.
 
Sherlock Holmes [B-]
Men in Black [A]
Up in the Air [A]
Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
I'm Not There [A]
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
American Violet [B ]
Inglourious Basterds [A]
Death at a Funeral [B ]
A Serious Man [A]
The Hurt Locker [A-]
Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
The Book of Eli [C-]
Elegy [B+]
Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
The Invention of Lying [B-]
Gamer [C]
Timecrimes [A]
Metropolis [A]
Pandorum [B ]

Metropolis: How do you grade the most influential science fiction film of all time? Especially when over a third of the film is missing, replaced by awkward titles or at times, just black frames (the audio commentary is helpful in filling in the gaps). Still, very enjoyable, with some truly iconic sequences.

Pandorum: This one was badly reviewed when it came out, and I'm not sure why. The ending could be a *tad* more coherent, though I suppose the intent is to inflict upon the audience the same disorientation inflicted upon the characters, and I might peg one fight scene as gratuitous, but other than that, I thought it was a very efffective sci-fi thriller. Well-acted by Quaid, Foster, and the supporting cast. Well-photographed. Great production design. Great make-up. Worth seeing.
 
Movies Seen in 2010
Duplicity - C-
The Hurt Locker - A
Moon - A
The Princess and the Frog - B
Crazy Heart - B+

It's Award season, and that means watching movies that are up for Oscar considerations, and one of them with the buzz of best Actor was Crazy Heart. First, to get this out of the way, Jeff Bridges was excellent as Bad Blake. He's a pretty good country singer too, but it carried this movie and deserves the awards he gets. I think he is slightly better than Clooney from Up in the Air because, well, Clooney was playing Clooney. Bridges shows some good range in this one and it was nice to see.

Now as for the movie, I couldn't help but think movies like Walk the Line and Ray were better. This movie had some slow parts that dragged a bit, but I hate to spoil anything so I'll just say it was a great movie, but I wouldn't say it was the best picture of the year, if it's nominated.
 
Flesh and Blood - Not Verhoeven's best film, most of the characters are so repulsive its hard to watch. Lots of Jennifer Jason Leigh nudity, though. Too bad I never liked her. D

2012 - It delivers on its end of world premise. It's crazy over the top at times, but enjoyable in the ways mega disaster movies are. B-

Armored - There's not much to this one beyond the trailers. Why they expected audiences to go see it is a mystery, because even paying the dollar I did still made me feel like I was wasting my time. It's watchable, but really, more like an episode of a t.v. show or a t.v. movie. Fishburne and Jean Reno are wasted, and well, Matt Dillon always sucks. C-
 
Saw Edge of Darkness. A really effective, slow burn thriller. Martin Campbell is on a bit of a winning streak after Casino Royale. Let's hope Green Lantern continues that streak. Also, Mel Gibson is one hellueva actor, personal circumstances aside.
 
Sherlock Holmes: Nothing mind-blowing, but overall, it's an enjoyable watch. Downey and Law are excellent together, but the rest of the cast is fairly bland. B-

Iron Man (2008): Again, this was nothing fantastic, but as a huge Iron Man enthusiast, I liked it a lot.
 
Sherlock Holmes [B-]
Men in Black [A]
Up in the Air [A]
Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
I'm Not There [A]
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
American Violet [B ]
Inglourious Basterds [A]
Death at a Funeral [B ]
A Serious Man [A]
The Hurt Locker [A-]
Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
The Book of Eli [C-]
Elegy [B+]
Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
The Invention of Lying [B-]
Gamer [C]
Timecrimes [A]
Metropolis [A]
Pandorum [B ]
Raiders of the Lost Ark [A]
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A]
Moon [A]

Raiders and Crusade: These films still hold up after all these years. Some people complain that Brody was turned into a comedic character in the third film, but he's hardly in the first, and the change doesn't bother me. As far as popcorn movies go, they can't be beat.

Moon: I saw this in theatres, and really enjoyed it. Picked up the Blu-Ray (which looks great) and still think its my favorite science fiction film from 2009 (and one of my favorites, period).
 
Updates:
Boondock Saints (10)
The Book of Eli (8)
Cencoroll (8)
District 9 (8)
G-9 (6)
Inglorious Bastards (7)
Oldboy (9)
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen (8)
 
Sherlock Holmes [B-]
Men in Black [A]
Up in the Air [A]
Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+]
I'm Not There [A]
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-]
American Violet [B ]
Inglourious Basterds [A]
Death at a Funeral [B ]
A Serious Man [A]
The Hurt Locker [A-]
Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C]
The Book of Eli [C-]
Elegy [B+]
Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A]
The Invention of Lying [B-]
Gamer [C]
Timecrimes [A]
Metropolis [A]
Pandorum [B ]
Raiders of the Lost Ark [A]
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A]
Moon [A]
Fun with Dick and Jane [C]
Sunshine [C]

Fun with Dick and Jane: This Jim Carrey remake is far better than it has any right to be, which is probably due to the supporting cast, particularly Alec Baldwin and Richard Jenkins. Not much else to say. Won't be seeing it again.

Sunshine: Danny Boyle never ceases to underwhelm me. This film cost fifty million dollars, has a good cast, solid production design, and well-done visual effects. But I can't for the life of me understand how anyone green-lit the picture, or how anyone signed on to act in it, based on the script. Everyone talks about how the wheels come off the wagon in the third act--and, boy, do they come off--but the first two acts aren't especially groundbreaking, either. Characters make mistakes they should have been able to easily avoid, act out in ways that would be incredibly stupid in a real spacecraft, and it's best not to think to deeply about the science (forget about the sun dying out about five billion years too early, explain to me gravity onboard the ship...on second thought, don't).

And don't get me started on the appearance of Pinbacker. I assume Boyle never let's the camera focus on him because it would all but cement how cheesy and nonsensical the character is?

For fifty million dollars, Duncan Jones could have made Moon ten times. Alas.
 
Starship Troopers - C+
District 9 - A
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - B+
The Wrestler - B
V for Vendetta - C+
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - C
Corpse Bride - C

Caught up on a bunch of older movies lately.

I enjoyed The Wrestler. Poignant tale of glory days gone by. Not much to add that hasn't been said before. B

V for Vedetta - My first time seeing the movie the Wachowski brothers made after The Matrix. An odd mix of stuff I liked and stuff I didn't like. I enjoyed the literate hero and the fact that we never saw what his face looked like. The part in the middle where he reprograms Natalie Portman's character or whatever he does seemed ridiculous and unnecessary. Nice camera work. Nice sets. C+

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - First time watching it in about 5 years. Good god could this movie have been any longer. This isn't Lord of the Rings, this is light family fare. Could easily be a B if it weren't so long.

Corpse Bride - Basically appealing in the same way that A Nightmare Before Christmas was appealing except watered down. There were what, 4 Danny Elfman songs, in the whole movie? The last 1/3rd or so was a lot of fun though. C
 
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