Movies Seen in 2012

[Captain Craig]

^^^
It was also about 15-20 minutes too long. Too much journey in the film. A Conan film shouldn't have down time for too long. When it was right, it was right, it just didn't stay on that beat consistently enough.
Thought Mamoa made for a really good Conan though.

 

[tomalak301]

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-

I'm not sure how talked about this movie was last year but I was recommended it by a podcast I listen to. Not only that, but this is the time of year where I do try to seek out those "Quality" small release movies and I actually hadn't heard about this film until maybe a month ago, again from the same podcast I listen to.

This film is written by Jeff Nichols and stars Michael Shannon as a family man has hallucinations about a powerful storm and those hallucinations and delusions takes a toll on is family and job. That toll comes mainly due to an obsessive need to improve their bomb shelter in the back yard. The film also stars Jessica Chastain, who probably was one of the more quality actresses last year, with this movie, the Help, and the Tree of Life, even though I didn't like that movie one bit (And apparently, the critics ate it up, go figure).

Anyway, as far as psychological thrillers go, I really liked this one. You had this sense of dread from this man and his normal family (Which includes a deaf daughter) and some of those hallucinations were crazy. Also, there was a scene where the family goes to try to be normal and he lashes out in probably the most emotional scene in the entire movie. Why Shannon and Chastain weren't nominated for oscars I don't know. Hell, I would have rather nominated this movie for best picture over, say, The Descendants (I haven't seen that 9/11 movie). The only reason why I gave it an A- was because of the second ending. I'm not sure if that ending took away from the core of the movie or not but I really wonder if the impact would have still been the same without it.

Still, this is a great movie and I would recommend anyone see it. Also, for a small movie, the special effects of the lightning were incredible. All these big budget movies being nominated for best visual effects, I wonder why this movie wasn't. The special effects should add to the movie right? Well, these special effects added to the movie and did a whole lot more than that.

Theatre: 2
BluRay: 2
On Demand: 0
Itunes: 3 (+1)

 

[Admiral_Young]

9. "Star Trek" (2009) A + Chris Pine, Zachery Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Salanda, Leonard Nimoy, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood.

I've already given my review of this film elsewhere, so I'm not going to repeat it. I've seen this several times and continue to love it. I know this film has it's detractors but really I think JJ did the best he could and so did Orci and Kurtzman. There are a lot of flaws in this movie, I detect new ones upon each viewing, but I choose to ignore them because I really enjoy the movie. I've seen it over a dozen times now. It has grown to become my favourite of the "Star Trek" movies. Michael Giaccino's sweeping epic score is one of my favourite things about the film despite a few minor irritations about the constant repeating of the main theme throughout the film. It's still pretty awesome. I love the opening with the USS Kelvin. I await the sequel next summer with great anticipation.

 

[Starbreaker]

The Muppets (2011) ✭✭✭½

A really good movie. The only thing I was disappointed in were the mostly bad musical numbers. I think with some catchy new tunes this could movie could have been a lot better. That being said, it was great to see Kermit and Swedish Chef again.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ "The Muppets" is a 2011 film Unless this is a different film I don't know about?

 

[Starbreaker]

Crossed timelines again.

 

[od0_ital]

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

Stopped off at a Blockbuster havin' a close out sale the other day, and picked up the two-disc DVD for the extended cut of Ghost Rider for $7.99, plus tax. Figured it was a good deal, since Wal-Mart has the single-disc theatrical cut for $5.

Plus, gotta rewatch it to get ready for the sequel, right?

Honestly, its been so long since I saw the first one, I can't tell what was added for the extension, except maybe some of the stuff with Johnny's dad, some stuff with the Caretaker, but that seems to be about it to me.

I'll see the sequel in 3D some time later this week.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Spoiler: The rest of my list.

January

1. Daddy Day Care (✩✩✩½) - TV
2. Wild Child (✩✩) - 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) - TV
8. Batman: Under the Red Hood (✩✩✩✩½) - TV
9. The Andromeda Strain (✩✩✩½) - TV
10. The Last Man on Earth (✩✩✩✩) - TV
11. Network (✩✩½) - TV
12. Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2 (✩) - DVD
13. Starsky & Hutch (✩✩½) - TV
14. The Rundown (✩✩✩½) - TV
15. Mallrats (✩✩✩✩) - DVD
16. My Sister's Keeper (✩✩✩✩½) - TV
17. Valkyrie (✩✩✩½) - TV
18. The Anderson Tapes (✩✩✩) - TV
19. Jack Goes Boating (✩✩✩½) - DVD
20. Margin Call (✩✩✩½) - On Demand
21. Away We Go (✩✩✩½) - TV
22. Superman & Batman: Apocalypse (✩✩✩✩) - TV
23. Pandorum (✩✩½) - TV
24. Paper Man (✩✩✩✩½) - DVD
25. In Like Flint (✩✩½) - TV
26. Blood Diamond (✩✩✩✩) - DVD
27. The Invisible Man (✩✩✩✩) - TV
28. Frankenstein (✩✩✩½) - TV
29. The Dilemma (✩✩✩½) - DVD

February

30. That One Night (✩✩✩½) - Internet
31. Sex Drive (✩✩½) - DVD
32. Chronicle (✩✩✩½) - Theatre
33. Couples Retreat (✩✩✩) - DVD
34. RV (✩✩✩) - TV
35. Chaos Theory (✩✩✩✩) - TV
36. Black Swan (✩✩✩✩✩) - DVD
37. One Missed Call (✩) - DVD

38. Kramer vs. Kramer: (✩✩✩✩½) - TV - Wife (Meryl Streep) leaves husband (Dustin Hoffman), leaving husband to raise their child alone. Then she comes back and tries to regain custody. Finally saw this one and thought it was very good. Meryl Streep at 29 was pretty easy on the eyes.

39. When in Rome: (✩✩½) - TV - Kristen Bell plays a woman who steals 5 coins from a fountain while in Rome. This causes the men who tossed the coins into the fountain to fall in love with her and want to pursue her. She later find out though that the guy she's forming a relationship with is one of the guys who's coin she has. Does this mean that their their relationship isn't real? What to do... It's a subpar rom com, but Kristen Bell is always nice to watch.

40. Possession: (✩✩) - TV - A 1981 movie starring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani. Their marriage is falling apart and some weird creature is involved. This one was over-acted, but Isabelle Adjani was way hot.

41. Sex and the City 2: (✩✩✩½) - DVD - I used to watch the show, so I enjoyed the movie. There isn't much of a story here, it's just a chance for fans to catch up with characters they've enjoyed for years.

42. Little Fockers: (✩✩✩½) - DVD - I enjoyed the first two movies and was happy to get a third installment. The title is odd though because it has little to do with the kids. Here's hoping for a fourth one. Maybe it'll be called The Godfocker. Jessica Alba was in this one and she was probably the hotest I've ever seen her.

Theatre: 1
DVD/Blu-Ray: 15
TV: 23
On Demand: 2
Internet: 1

 

[CaptainCanada]

Spoiler: #1-9.

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-)

The English-language debut of Tomas Alfredson, director of a highly acclaimed Swedish vampire film that I haven't seen, an adaptation of John le Carre's most famous novel (which I have read, and think is overrated) that was previously made into an acclaimed BBC miniseries (which I haven't seen). This is a fairly efficient distillation of the story (indeed, it benefits from culling some of the really extraneous stuff), but the effort to translate le Carre's approach to spycraft to the screen (the anti-Fleming school) comes across as lifeless much of the time. Gary Oldman's performance as the ultra-dour George Smiley is effective (after a while, the moments where he actually does show emotion become almost explosive), and there's a blizzard of character actors in smaller parts (including Downton Abbey's Laura Carmichael). This just feels like a movie that is less than the sum of its parts.

Cinema: 5
Home Video: 10
Computer: 2

 

[nvek86]

25. Surrogates

A better than I expected sci-fi film. Willis was good in his role (or his two roles, if you count his robot self seperately) and I liked that they showed the chaos he created in the end and did not just gloss over it. It could have been longer to flesh out the world a bit better.
It reminded me a bit of I, Robot with Will Smith (which I liked better) and they even had Cromwell as the grand old inventor figure in this.

^^^
IWhen it was right, it was right, it just didn't stay on that beat consistently enough.

That's a good description of 'Conan' in a nutshell.

 

[od0_ital]

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

Killin' time before my shift starts tonight, caught a midday showin' of the latest from Studio Ghibli. There was a voice in the trailer that I thought was familiar & it was buggin' me...turns out, it's Carol Burnett as the voice of Hera!

YAY! for Carol Burnett!

And the movie was pretty good, too. I liked it.

Just got seated a bit ago for the Oscar-nominated Bullhead. Not sure what the movie is about, since the trailer doesn't have any dialogue, as most foreign films are trailer'ed.

Just hope it doesn't suck, ya know...?

 

[tomalak301]

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

I think I know why I hesitated watching this movie when it first came out, and it really confirmed this in watching the movie itself. I don't entirely like Seth Rogan. Yeah he was good in the first few movies he was in (Knocked Up comes to mind) but I find that he plays the exact same character in most, if not all, of his movies. He plays that crude friend who loves to fuck chicks and get laid, until the very end where he shows that yeah despite his flaws there is still some sort of dignity to him. It's starting to get old and in this movie he pretty much plays that character.

On that end, I thought he was the weakest link in an otherwise good and emotional movie. I really liked Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick (Who I adored in Up in the Air) in this one and the story was well told. There were some slow spots in there, but the ending made up for it nicely. I am glad I ended up seeing it, despite Rogan.

Theatre: 2
BluRay: 2
On Demand: 0
Itunes: 4 (+1)

 

[tomalak301]

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-

There were times watching this movie where I was asking myself why I was watching this movie. It's not a movie I would enjoy based on plot alone, but I guess the reason why I stuck with it was because it starred the two current stars of my two favorite TV shows right now, 30 Rock (Tina Fay) and Parks and Recreation (Amy Poehler). Honestly, I've come to love these two for a few years now and they do provide some outstanding chemistry togther. I think it's that chemistry that held this somewhat average movie together. The plot was pretty thin, it's what you expect from a run-of-the-mill comedy, but Poehler and Fay were good in it so it jumped up to the B-.

Theatre: 2
BluRay: 3 (+1)
On Demand: 0
Itunes: 4

 

[od0_ital]

8) 50/50 (2011) - B

I think I know why I hesitated watching this movie when it first came out, and it really confirmed this in watching the movie itself. I don't entirely like Seth Rogan. Yeah he was good in the first few movies he was in (Knocked Up comes to mind) but I find that he plays the exact same character in most, if not all, of his movies. He plays that crude friend who loves to fuck chicks and get laid, until the very end where he shows that yeah despite his flaws there is still some sort of dignity to him. It's starting to get old and in this movie he pretty much plays that character.

On that end, I thought he was the weakest link in an otherwise good and emotional movie. I really liked Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick (Who I adored in Up in the Air) in this one and the story was well told. There were some slow spots in there, but the ending made up for it nicely. I am glad I ended up seeing it, despite Rogan.

Ya do know that the guy who wrote the movie had cancer & Seth Rogan is one of his best friends, right? So, in 50/50 he wasn't really playin' a character, he was playin' himself, as seen through the eyes of one of his best friends.

 

[tomalak301]

8) 50/50 (2011) - B

I think I know why I hesitated watching this movie when it first came out, and it really confirmed this in watching the movie itself. I don't entirely like Seth Rogan. Yeah he was good in the first few movies he was in (Knocked Up comes to mind) but I find that he plays the exact same character in most, if not all, of his movies. He plays that crude friend who loves to fuck chicks and get laid, until the very end where he shows that yeah despite his flaws there is still some sort of dignity to him. It's starting to get old and in this movie he pretty much plays that character.

On that end, I thought he was the weakest link in an otherwise good and emotional movie. I really liked Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick (Who I adored in Up in the Air) in this one and the story was well told. There were some slow spots in there, but the ending made up for it nicely. I am glad I ended up seeing it, despite Rogan.

Ya do know that the guy who wrote the movie had cancer & Seth Rogan is one of his best friends, right? So, in 50/50 he wasn't really playin' a character, he was playin' himself, as seen through the eyes of one of his best friends.

I know the guy had cancer but I didn't know he and Rogan were best friends. That's an interesting nugget. However, it just seems like Rogan plays that exact same character in all his movies and it comes across as annoying now.

 

[Starbreaker]

Alien ✭✭✭✭ (rewatch)

The perfect blend of horror and science fiction. There's just so much to marvel at. The "space jockey" scene has to be one of the most memorable in all of science fiction. The set, based on a H.R. Giger painting, is just fantastic. All the performances are great, the alien is believable... there's just so much to love about the movie.

Aliens ✭✭✭✭ (rewatch)

And just when you think it couldn't get any better... there's more aliens and a bigger budget and Paul Reiser! I truthfully can't decide if I like Alien or Aliens more sometime.

Rabbit Hole (2010) ✭✭✭

A pretty good film. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart both put on good performances. The movie is about the loss of a young child and both actors are very believable in their roles as the parents. It was kind of paint-by-the-numbers, though. Nothing to really make it memorable.

Vertigo ✭✭✭ 1/2

This is one weird movie. I enjoyed the hell out of Jimmy Stewart's performance as a man obsessed with Kim Novak. The movie is maybe just a little bit too long though. I'm sure it's movie that gets better with repeat viewings. This is definitely something I'd like to watch again.

The Ruins ✭✭✭ 1/2 (rewatch)

One of my favorite horror films. In comparison to Vertigo, my complaint with this movie is that it's two short. I love the setting and the claustrophobic atmosphere and Jenna Malone. Some people think the movie is silly, but I love it.

 

[Harvey]

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)

The Secret World of Arrietty: When the movie focuses on the "Borrowers" and the character of Arrietty especially, it's terrific. It really captures the wonder of these small characters trying to exist in the human world. The "Borrowers" (I'm still not sure why the movie didn't retain the original title of the children's book) also feature the movie's best voice acting and dialogue.

The movie doesn't work, really, when it focuses on the human characters, especially the boy. His dialogue is always forcing the character to wear his emotions on his sleeve, to the point where subtext is stated as text, and it doesn't work. The audience I saw the film with genuinely enjoyed the movie, but whenever the boy was on screen they were laughing at the movie, not with it. Despite this flaw, however, the movie still manages to succeed. It just falls short of being a masterpiece, which I honestly believe it would have been had this character been handled with more subtlety or been eliminated altogether.

Twelve Angry Men: I picked up the Criterion Blu-Ray of this title during their Valentine's Day sale, and I wasn't disappointed by the purchase. The movie, of course, I've seen before -- and it still holds up excellently. Great cast, great script, and great direction (although, from perusing the special features, it appears that a few of Lumet's more masterful camera moves were borrowed shot for shot from the original TV version). Easily one of the best TV-to-film adaptations ever produced.

Theatres: 10 +1
Home Video: 16 +1
Computer: 1

 

[Starbreaker]

The Secret World of Arrietty: When the movie focuses on the "Borrowers" and the character of Arrietty especially, it's terrific. It really captures the wonder of these small characters trying to exist in the human world. The "Borrowers" (I'm still not sure why the movie didn't retain the original title of the children's book)

Probably to distinguish itself from This.

 

[Harvey]

That film does look awful. On the other hand, "The Borrowers" had been adapted two other times before then with the original title, and apparently was adapted in 2011 for the BBC with the original title, too.

 

[od0_ital]

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

Took a few tries to get through the Underworld sequel - havin' to watch DVDs on my laptop, and some places are just too loud for that sort of thing.

Not too bad a movie, I did like how it picked up immediately from the first movie.

It didn't seem as loud as the first movie, which was nice.

And the fights between the various monsters were cool to watch.