Movies

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I finally saw this for the first time. I laughed and laughed and laughed. It's just a really fun movie with great characters and great writing. And it's set in Chicago!

Sherlock Holmes

This movie was extremely entertaining. Robert Downey Jr. is a brilliant actor, one of my absolute favorites. Guy Ritchie and Hans Zimmer were pretty good. Big win here.

Up

An hour into this movie, I was skeptical. But Pixar won me over in a big way yet again, mixing imagination, creative humor, and one of the most heartwarming moments in Pixar history together to form another masterpiece.

The Fog Of War

This movie was centered on Robert McNamara and his 11 lessons of war. I found it exquisitely done, fascinating, and eye-opening. It's definitely one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, and lent a public eye to the mainly private and intensely human situations, reasoning, and decisions involved in running a country, especially through wartime.

Public Enemies

This was a fantastic movie. The music, though used minimally, was unbelievable. There were a few scenes that could be considered among the best of the year for their cinematography. Johnny Depp was brilliant once again; Christian Bale was great; Marion Cotillard was fantastic and beautiful. I loved it.

A Serious Man

Classic Coen Brothers. Dark, extremely witty, with some of the best writing in the business. If you like the Coen Brothers, this is a definite must-see.

Angels & Demons

This movie was visually stunning, cinematically wonderful, with a great score. The plot, while suspenseful and possessing a few twists, did leave much to be desired. Overall, it was a very entertaining movie. The shots of the Vatican lit up at night were awe inspiring.

Julie & Julia

It was entertaining enough, especially since I love food so much. Meryl Streep was downright hilarious as Julia Child. The shortfall of this movie was Amy Adams, which I think everyone is finding out is not a whole lot more than a pretty face.

Extract

Funny; not a whole lot of depth; good, not great acting; good not great characters. So, a little above average.

The Goods, Live Hard Sell Hard

It's an entertaining, crass comedy with shallow writing and partly interesting characters. The few scenes with Will Ferrell brought the whole movie up.

Paper Heart

This was a cute movie with an interesting concept. I did enjoy it, but won't be seeing it again.

Transformers

This movie was completely dumb. The acting was poor all around. Just terrible. I do understand some of the fuss about Megan Fox now.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I guess I should be embarrassed that I watched this, but we all need to care less about what people think of us. On the movie, this was one of the most epic failures of writing and cinematography I have ever witnessed on the silver screen. Line after line of the most cliche dialogue; scene after scene of complete amateurism; scene after scene of the least believable acting ever. Did even the target demographic enjoy this?

One side note: I was watching a few scenes from Casablanca last night. Some call old movies boring, I rather find them fascinating. Without the aid of all the cheap thrills of the modern day, old movies relied on writing and dialogue, exquisite cinematography, and excellent acting. The scenes featuring "As Time Goes By" have to be among the most captivating in film history.

On another side note, I just saw that "Smokin' Aces 2" was released on dvd. The first one wasn't any work of genius, but to go straight to dvd is quite a fall.

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.