| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saving Private Ryan - R | November 29, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Shakespeare in Love - R | November 29, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Fools Rush In - PG-13 | November 29, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Titanic - PG-13 | November 29, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Independence Day - PG-13 | November 29, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Romeo + Juliet - PG-13 | November 29, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Scream - R |
While the horror genre thrived in the 80's with the Freddy/Jason-type unstoppable killer movies, the whole genre was pretty much dying in the 90's. Scream came along in 1996 and not only reinvigorated the genre, but completely reinvented it. Wildly popular (and deservedly so) at the time, its reputation has since been tarnished as it often gets lumped in with the countless wanna-bes and knock-offs that followed, including its own relatively inferior sequels. But this was a great horror flick that pushed all the right buttons.
Original and entertaining (if not entirely realistic) dialogue, a cast full of breakthrough performances, and a story that dares be somewhat self-aware and play to the audience with a wink, all result in a film that works as a comedy, works as a spoof, and works as a straight-up horror film. Separate this in your mind from the rest of the glut of teen whodunnit horror flicks and I think you'll find it's just a damn fun movie. ...Not to mention it's nice to remember a time when horror flicks weren't watered down for a PG-13 rating. |
November 29, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Proposal - PG-13 | November 26, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Planet 51 - PG |
I told my daughter we could see a movie, and other than A Christmas Carol (which I will NOT see), this was it for options. But it's voiced by Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, and John Cleese, and the concept was amusing, so there was hope.
It is what it is. Groundbreaking and original? No. But as animated films go this year, surprisingly it's leading the (admittedly weak) pack. It's better than Ice Age, Cloudy/Meatballs, Monsters vs Aliens, and yes, storywise it's far more interesting than Up. Wow, that IS a weak year for animated films. Let's hope Princess & the Frog brings the goods. |
November 24, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Star Trek - PG-13 |
J.J. Abrams has taken Trek and infused it with Star Wars-style action and excitement (in addition to numerous plot similarities). After creating one of the best TV shows ever (Lost), then making the best of the Mission: Impossible films, I was sure he could bring exciting new life to a dying (if not dead) franchise. ...and he didn't disappoint. The action works, the humor works, the drama works... and most importantly the casting is perfect. The best characters in this movie were Bones (Karl Urban) and Scotty (Simon Pegg), and I hope they (along with Anton Yechin's Chekov and John Cho's Sulu) are given much more to do in future installments. Zachary Quinto did a fine take on Spock, though I wasn't blown away like so many people seem to be. If I have one complaint about this film, it's that they chose to focus so much on Spock, whom I've always considered one of the weaker and more overrated characters.
There are other tiny things - the pointless and odd casting of Winona Ryder and Tyler Perry, the use of 20th Century cars and music (written off as "retro"), etc. - but that's mostly just nitpicking. So, while not a perfect film, it's a damn fun ride, and by FAR the best Star Trek movie to date. It's also, so far, the film to beat for 2009. A fun flick on every level. |
November 19, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Gamer - R |
This movie is like if the guys who made the Crank movies made a ripoff of Death Race and threw in elements of The Sims. ...Oh wait, that's exactly what it is.
Yes, the Crank guys have shown they are one-note directors. The style here might have seemed original and fitting of the film's surreal in-game atmosphere, if only they hadn't already used it in their other films. As it is,the film has nothing original, but still manages to be fun. One thing they certainly don't skimp on is the action. And how can you not like a movie that starts out with a live-action teabag?!? The cast is so very random, with small pointless parts for people like Alison Lohman and Milo Ventimiglia. Butler does just fine, but the real standout here is Michael C. Hall, who surprised me by making for a perfect cocky, smarmy, egomaniacal villain. |
November 14, 2009 | N/A | |||
| I Love You Beth Cooper - PG-13 | November 14, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| He's Just Not That Into You - PG-13 |
A few years back, a failed comedian decided to write a lame book masquerading as a breakthrough relationship manual, stating the most obvious facts and cliches, making every woman out to be in oblivious denial, and every man out to be a jerk. For some baffling reason, Oprah gave it her golden seal of approval and all of her zombie followers gobbled it up. Then, Drew Barrymore decided it needed to be a movie, and set out to produce it. Ugh.
Now, let me say right off the bat I have no problem with romantic comedies. There are plenty that I like. Relationships between men and women are perfect fodder for comedy. But while mosty enjoyable, this film is kinda hit-and-miss, but succeeds due to an impressive cast. Yes, like the book, the movie essentially paints every guy as a jerk (to various degrees and in their own different ways), and every woman as in oblivious denial. Sure, there are plenty of funny and cute moments, but the factor that keeps this from being an even better film is the same one that plagues many similar ensemble films like Love Actually: Too many storylines. There are stories and characters you care about, and then there are the ones you don't - The ones that just make you spend every minute of their screentime waiting to get back to the ones you DO care about. Barrymore even casts herself in a completely pointless, tacked-on role that really has no purpose in the film. So the film feels spread too thin, especially over an unnecessary 2 hour and 20 minutes running time. What does work, and quite well, is the individual performances, most notably Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long. It's so great to see them together again after both getting their first big break on Ed. (WHEN will that come out on DVD?!!?) Unusual choices for the leads, to be sure, but they are perfect for their parts. The rest of the actors do fine as well, but they can only carry the film so far before it falls victim to the mediocrity of its source material. In all, it's a fairly amusing flick, but one that thinks it is far more insightful than it really is. *I give it bonus points for a scene involving/discussing the most underrated of John Hughes' films, Some Kind of Wonderful. I feel like I was the only person in the crowded theater who had a clue what they were talking about. |
November 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Brothers Bloom - PG-13 | November 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Braveheart - R | November 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Austin Powers in Goldmember - PG-13 | November 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Date Night - PG | November 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Up - PG |
I liked the film... until about the time the balloons went up. Pixar doesn't make a bad film, but Up is one of their weaker ones, in large part because of an area they are usually masters of: characters. The movie starts out well. We meet our main character and his wife (Carl & Ellie) and they are very likable. We grow quite attached to them and feel for Carl. But aside from those two, there's not much to like. I didn't like the dogs at all (including Dug), I REALLY didn't like (or care about) the bird and that whole part of the plot, and didn't even really care for the kid (Russell). Actually, one other I did like was Muntz, and I think he kinda got screwed. He wasn't a bad guy, and I would have liked to have seen some redemption for him.
Visually, of course, the film is beautifully done (aside from the ugly square-face design of Carl). Pixar is still the master of the genre. But what has made them so successful is their combination of great visuals AND top-notch stories. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the prologue, the rest of the story this time out is uninteresting and kinda lame. Like Monsters Inc and Cars, I'm sure I'll watch it more in the future because of my kids, but I don't think I'd ever go out of my way to see it again. |
November 11, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Monsters, Inc. - G | November 11, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Men Who Stare at Goats - R |
Clooney. McGregor. Bridges.
Three of my favorite actors, plus a great supporting cast. It's gotta be great, right? But too many times I've seen great ensemble casts come together only to be disappointed by a mediocre film. This time, however, it lived up to my expectations. The movie does lose a bit of steam in the last half hour or so, but overall it's definitely an entertaining film. |
November 8, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Box - PG-13 |
The Box is based on a short story by Richard Matheson, and it most definitely feels like it was supposed to be a short story. There's enough story here to maybe fill an episode of Twilight Zone or Tales From the Crypt (though not a very good one), but stretched thin to fill two hours, it is excrutiating. By the time we got to the last half hour or so, I didn't even care how it ended, just as long as it ended.
What story there is starts out slightly intriguing, but it takes some serious wrong turns and the unfolding explanation is head-shakingly awful. One last crime the film commits: being set in the 70's for absolutely no valid reason whatsoever. Adventureland did the same thing earlier this year. Setting the film in that era added NOTHING to this story aside from godawful fashion, hair, and home decor. One of the worst films of the year, with the only redeeming quality being another strong performance by James Marsden. |
November 8, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Michael Jackson's This Is It - PG | November 7, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Sunshine Cleaning - R | November 7, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Fired Up - PG-13 | Surprisingly entertaining. Don't write this off as a "cheerleader movie". It's actually more geared towards guys, and I laughed quite a bit. It's not art, nor does it pretend to be. It's just fun. The plot? Oh, it's totally predictable. The cast? No WAY are 90% of them high school students, but it's still fun. Eric Christian Olsen is a very funny guy who deserves to be getting more comedic roles. | November 6, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Away We Go - R | November 6, 2009 | N/A |
2339 ratings
169 reviews
