Movies

The Brother's Bloom-9

Mark Ruffalo, Adrian Brody, and Rachel Weisz team up in this awesome movie. The trailer instantly hooked me, but the movie received lukewarm reviews from Metacritic. A glowing review from Matt renewed my interest and I eagerly waited for it to be available on Netflix. It did not disappoint, mixing fantastic acting, intrigue, humor, and beauty together into a masterpiece for the eyes. Go see it. Its debut on my ranking is the highest since The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, and Magnolia. Rarefied air.

Away We Go-7

At times deep and serious, hilarious and heartwarming at others. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph play their parts wondrously. It's definitely a movie for certain moods, but a great watch.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder-7

I've now seen all the Die Hard movies. John McClane is the just the most baller and bad ass cop ever. He wins and this movie wins.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium-7

Just a through and through fun movie with Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman. Fantastic, you'll smile a ton.

Rambo: First Blood-7

I'd never seen this classic before and it did not disappoint. It definitely sets the stage for the future Rambo movies.

The Insider-6

Chronicles the experience of a whistle-blower. Russell Crowe is engaging and believable.

Ripley's Game-6

I can't get enough of John Malkovich, this time as a somewhat creepy, always mysterious, con/killer.

The Color of Money-6

Paul Newman wins.

RocknRolla-5

I enjoyed this Guy Ritchie film much more than Snatch. Just great action.

Yes Man-5

I'm not usually a fan of Jim Carrey, but this movie was pretty good. I think the fact that it was ridiculous and true made it worth it.

Rudy-4

Classic underdog movie; I finally watched it. I've never been a fan of Sean Astin, but you can't help but root for him.

Hackers-4

Computer hackers roller skating around and thumbing their noses at the establishment? Awesome.

Gangs of New York-3

Epic and a tad gratuitous.

The Hurt Locker-3

Good, not great.

The Sentinel-3

Good, not great.

Two For The Money-2

I don't like McConaughey at all. The movie was corny and not very well written. Still good for a laugh.

The French Connection-2

I guess it's a classic, and the car chase was great, but the rest of it was blah.

Pride & Prejudice-1

Just terrible. I wanted to think it was okay, and it did have Keira Knightly in it, but it just failed. Not only was I bored, the movie made me cringe often.

Man On The Moon-0

Awful, off-putting, not funny, Jim Carrey, putrid, smelly, rudimentary.

Movies

Movies

Visioneers-9

I may be in the minority on this movie, but I loved it. Zach Galifinaikas is downright hysterical. It's a dark comedy, chronicling the life of a man rich through inheritance, working at a large global company. The sarcasm, bizarre-ity, and inane dialogue made me laugh at every turn.

Sleepless In Seattle-7

I don’t like a lot of what would be termed “chick flicks.” I find them mostly cliché, forced, manipulative, and utopic. This one however, just like the later You’ve Got Mail, was nothing but endearing. You root for them both the entire time. And being set in Seattle definitely helped too.

Confidence-6

A con movie. If you like these type of movies (Layer Cake, The Usual Suspects, etc), you’ll like this one. Dustin Hoffman is hilarious.

Marley & Me-6

I absolutely fell in love with this movie. There’s just something about the bond with a dog.

Gigantic-6

I’d wanted to see this movie for a while, but it was a limited release, so I never got to see it in theatres. It wasn’t all I had hoped for, but it was close enough. John Goodman is sarcastically uproarious, Zooey Deschanel is really cute, and Paul Dano is unassuming as usual. The movie has some pretty real moments in it.

The Game-6

Very entertaining if you can suspend your disbelief. Michael Douglas is an investment banker who gets drawn into “the game.”

The Count of Monte Cristo-5

Man gets beaten down, betrayed, and loses his wife. Given for dead, he transforms his body and mind with the help of an unlikely, decrepit master. He returns unknown to get revenge. Classic plot that we all love.

Die Hard-5

Everyone knows what Die Hard movies are, and this one sets the series in motion. It’s awesome to see Bruce Willis systematically dominate inept after inept criminal.

Taken-4

What is it about revenge? I think it’s two things. First, we want to care about someone that much, that incredibly deeply. Second, once we do, we’ll do anything to protect them, above or below the law, and possibly against our morals. Liam Neeson uses every bit of himself, his fearsome side, to retake the one he loves, turning the lights out on anyone who gets in his path.

Blood Diamond-4

A powerful movie, with great performances from DiCaprio and Honsou.

Changeling-4

Angelina Jolie is at her best in movies like these (A Mighty Heart, not Lara Croft, Wanted, Mr. and Mrs. Smith). The movie dragged on a bit, but Jolie kept us watching.

Defiance-4

While redundant and a bit long, the ideal and determination underlying this movie kept it going. The sheer will of Daniel Craig’s character and the people he led was something much more than commendable. It was impossible.

Dirty Harry-4

Clint Eastwood as a very effective cop, who employs some unsavory means to achieve his goals.

The Great Escape-3

Classic. It ran a bit long.

You Me And Dupree-2

It holds some entertainment, but really not a lot here.

Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid-2

I didn’t really enjoy this movie, even though I’m a fan of Newman and Redford. The plot was loose.

The Reader-2

This movie dragged on a ton, with large pockets of snoozer material.

Music and Lyrics- (-100)

I rank all the movies I watch. My list now contains around 650. After the first 300-350, I stop differentiating between them and lump them all together. I also have a “special” group at the end, containing the worst movies I have ever seen. These number around 15-20. Music and lyrics won the honor of joining that group. Nuff said.