Updated for Trick r' Treat, (500) Days of Summer, Avatar, and Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek: A+
I can't think of anything I didn't like about this movie. I thought it was by far the most enjoyable movie I've seen this year and probably last year too (I liked it more than The Dark Knight, which although it was a great movie didn't really seem to know when to stop). Loved it.
Inglorious Basterds: A+
Great movie. The ending was especially great. Brad Pitt isn't my favorite actor but he was great in this. It had a lot more funny parts than i expected too. simple great.
(500) Days of Summer: A
Loved this movie. The part at the very beginning was great and hilarious ("The following is a work of fiction..."). I liked all of the cast, especially Joseph Gordon Levitt. Nice soundtrack too.
Hangover: A
Hilarious. The three main leads were great together, and I really liked how they told the story. Ed Helms' fiancee was a *****, so I was glad that he ditched her for Heather Graham. Very good.
Wonder Woman: A
I loved it. This convinces me that a live action Wonder Woman movie can work well. Steve Trevor was awesome. I seriously can't think of anything I didn't like about it.
Adventureland: A-
I liked this movie alot. Nice blend of comedy and real emotion. All of the actors were good, and it was nice to see that there weren't alot of traditional cliches.
Avatar: A-
The CGI in this movie was without a doubt the best I've ever seen. Cameron has claimed that this technology can produce photo realistic looking humans, but I have my doubts. At times I thought the Na'vi's looked odd...particularly Sigourney Weaver's. I did think that politics of the movie were far too heavy handed and there were a few plot holes. The blue aliens also got annoying. I'm probably focusing on the negative too much. All in all it was very impressive. While the story wasn't great, it worked. On a related note, did anyone else notice the marine that one two seperate occasions yelled "Get some!!" while firing a machine gun at the blue aliens? Best character ever!
Up: B+
Very good. I wouldn't say this is my favorite Pixar movie, that still goes to The Incredibles, but this was still good. I'm only knocking it a bit because I didn't really feel that connected to any of the characters, but that could have had something to do with the way I saw it. Doug was the best though.
Watchmen: B+
I may be being too generous but I thought it was fairly good. After thinking about it there are quite a few things that Snyder should have done differently (Oxymandias, some of the ending stuff, the fighting sequences, big blue penis, Hallelujah...) but more or less I think he got it right. I can't wait for the extended edition.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: B
Pretty good. I've never been a huge fan of the Harry Potter movies, but it did strike me in this movie just how amazing what they have done is. Six movies (soon to be eight) with primarily all the same cast members. It's pretty exceptional when you think about it. This was probably one of the best of the lot. I had no problem with the changes, but then again I have no idea what changes they made.
Trick r' Treat: B
At the very least this movie was extremely fun the entire time. Really captured the spirit of Halloween. I did think that it was a mistake to show Sam's actual face...he's far scarier with his mask on.
Jennifer's Body: B-
Not nearly as bad as some of the feedback would lead you to believe. I thought it was pretty good personally. I even thought Megan Fox's acting was pretty good in this movie. It is hard to tell though because her character is very "Megan Fox like". If that makes any sense. Anyway, it was pretty good.
G.I. Joe: C+
I will admit that I had moderate expectations going in, and very little knowledge of the G.I. Joe universe. That said, I thought this was at the very least a very fun and entertaining film. It knows what it is, a movie about action figures, and it doesn't try to be anything else. Snake Eyes was badass. The plot between him and Storm Shadow was probably the best of the movie. Some of the CG needed work though. As others have said Joseph Gordon Levitt was fantastic as Cobra Commander, although I would have prefered they use the hood.
Paranormal Activity: C+
It was entertaining but it really wasn't that scary. I liked the way that the paranormal stuff that happens is understated, thus making it seem more realistic.
Sherlock Holmes: C+
Not sure what to make of this. Half the time I couldn't understand what the hell they were saying, particularly Downey as Holmes. It was fun though, and I liked the score. The opening scene just before the title was great, but I have to admit that was probably the best part of the movie. Downey and Law had good chemistry, but I wasn't too impressed by McAdams. Mark Strong was a good baddie...seemed like he'd make a great Dracula. While I was watching it I couldn't help but wish it was a Dracula movie instead. The relationship between Holmes and the girl (can't remember her name) reminded me of Batman and Catwoman). All in all decent and fun but not great.
Confessions of a Shopaholic: C
Isla Fisher was hot as usual. Besides that nothing special. It was at least entertaining though.
Taken: C
This was a great action movie...that's about it. The performances weren't that impressive, and SPOILER! the reunion between Neeson and the daughter felt off. Badass fights though.
Terminator Salvation: C
While it wasn't as good as the first two Terminator movies, it seemed better than the 3rd (I haven't seen it in a while). In general, it was a decent action movie with patches of awesomeness. Most of these moments belonged to Sam Worthington, who stole the show. Am I the only one that is starting to think that Bale is becoming a bit one note? I don't think this was nearly as bad as some people make it out to be.
Green Lantern: C-
I honestly wasn't too impressed with this. I didn't feel any connection to any of the characters. I know that more of Hal's origin was covered in New Frontier but I think they should have added more to this. Simply put I didn't think Hal Jordan was very interesting. I liked Sinestro. The final fight between him and Hal seemed to go on and on though.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: C-
I didn't like this as much as the first one, but it was entertaining. Some awesome CGI. The story kinda made sense, at least enough to get me through the movie. I'm trying not to think about the plot too much. The fight between Optimus and the Fallen was surprisingly anticlimactic, especially incomparison to the battle that's going on before this. All in all it was enjoyable though more than a bit mindless. Far too long.
Defiance: D+
I thought this was kinda boring. It wasn't nearly as "actiony" as I thought it was going to be. But then again that may be my fault. Certainly worth checking on DVD, but I don't think it was worth the $8 I paid to see it in a theater.
I Love You Man: D+
I really didn't think this was that funny. Maybe I just expected too much from Rudd and Segel. Was it just me or did anyone else think that Segel's character was pretty creppy? I exepcted him to kill Paul Rudd at any moment. Maybe it was the fact that he always wore a sport jacket and scarf.
Bruno: D
While some of the stuff in the movie was funny, alot wasn't. Some of it was stuff that was either featured in ads, or was used by SBC in promoting the movie. I liked Borat more. I could have done without the swinging penis, but I guess I should have expected that.
Wolverine: F
While I didn't go in expecting a great movie like Iron Man or TDK, I thought it might be fun. Sadly, with the exception of Deadpool, this movie was pretty boring. I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen in previous movies.
When you consider that there's been over 20 Sherlock Holmes movies and there's never been a movie just called that, it is kind of a big deal of them to use it as their title.
Imagine if they came along with a Bond movie called "James Bond". Do you not think people would find that to be a bit overconfident or cocky?
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Updated above with Up in the Air: UP IN THE AIR
Best Picture. Best Director. Best Actor. Best Supporting Actress. Best Adapted Screenplay. Up in the Air deserves to win all of these. Will it? I don't know but it's a wonderful film. Jason Reitman's third movie is his best yet. The story is touching and incredibly important, especially in today's current economic situation. The cast is fantastic - all of the actors are great and some of them are only in one scene. George Clooney continues to blow me away. He is a movie star if I've ever seen one. If you're going to have a main character whose job is to fire people, then you better get an actor who is incredibly charming and who's more charming than Clooney, as Reitman has said. While I expect there to be a few surprises at the Oscars this year, I expect Up in the Air to be nominated and probably win quite a few awards. Jason Reitman made Thank You For Smoking in 2005, Juno in 2007 and now this movie - I can't imagine what he is going to do next but the guy just cemented himself as one of my favourite directors.
When you consider that there's been over 20 Sherlock Holmes movies and there's never been a movie just called that, it is kind of a big deal of them to use it as their title.
Imagine if they came along with a Bond movie called "James Bond". Do you not think people would find that to be a bit overconfident or cocky?
When you consider that there's been over 20 Sherlock Holmes movies and there's never been a movie just called that, it is kind of a big deal of them to use it as their title.
Imagine if they came along with a Bond movie called "James Bond". Do you not think people would find that to be a bit overconfident or cocky?
I originally thought that too, but there have been Sherlock Holmes movies before with just the title "Sherlock Holmes." Not to mention, the majority of the Holmes novels are just short stories (I know there have been James Bond short stories that have been made into movies, but still .... most Holmes story names wouldn't be very good movie names). And I think this movie was actually based on a Holmes graphic novel, I'm not sure what the name of it is.
I originally thought that too, but there have been Sherlock Holmes movies before with just the title "Sherlock Holmes." Not to mention, the majority of the Holmes novels are just short stories (I know there have been James Bond short stories that have been made into movies, but still .... most Holmes story names wouldn't be very good movie names). And I think this movie was actually based on a Holmes graphic novel, I'm not sure what the name of it is.
When you consider that there's been over 20 Sherlock Holmes movies and there's never been a movie just called that, it is kind of a big deal of them to use it as their title.
Imagine if they came along with a Bond movie called "James Bond". Do you not think people would find that to be a bit overconfident or cocky?
But there hasn't been a Sherlock Holmes movie in the past, what?, 15 years maybe. Probably more actually. I don't see what's wrong with them calling a Sherlock Holmes movie "Sherlock Holmes". I don't see the need to make the title longer than it needs to be.
The difference is that the James Bond movies are a part of a franchise, the same cannot be said for Sherlock Holmes movies. This was a new movie, with no connection to any previous films, in what is clearly attempting to be a new movie franchise. Calling it anything other than "Sherlock Holmes" simply doesn't make any sense.
1. Up in the Air - 9.5/10 - The best film of the year... Jason Reitman is slowly becoming one hell of a director, and I see an amazing future coming from him... Clooney was great, but Farmiga and Kendrick were the real stars of the movie... I just can't express how fantastic this is.
2. Inglourious Basterds - 9.5/10 - Dang, Quentin, you've done it again. The film might not be shot with the exquisite care Tarantino typically gives his films, but at the same time, it doesn't mean that this wasn't great. Hans Landa is already one of my favorite characters of all time. After seeing this again, I bumped it up to second place
3. Where The Wild Things Are - 9.5/10 - A nearly perfect film... Possibly Spike Jonze's best work. I know some people were underwhelmed by this, but I don't think i've ever seen a more honest or compelling portrayal of childhood wonder and anxiety and fear and loneliness as in this film. Max Record was incredible, and James Gandolfini was beyond phenomenal. I can't wait to see it again.
4. Coraline - 9.5/10 - The first movie I've ever seen to use 3D to enhance the experience rather than for cheap thrills. A Brilliant movie. By far Sellick's best work, and that includes Nightmare Before Christmas. Seeing this again reminded me of its brilliance, and I hope it beats Up for Best Animated at the Oscars (although we'll have to see if Ponyo blows both out of the water)
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox - 9.5/10 - Further consideration might place this ahead of Coraline, but just know that this is a ****ing phenomenal film that everybody should see.
6. The Informant! - 9/10 - Despite Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds, Matt Damon puts in my favorite role of the year thusfar. This film is more complicated than it seems at first glance. It's funny and when it starts to novedive into the insanity of what Mark Whitacre did, it's amazing.
7. In The Loop - 9/10 - Very well executed critique of British and American actions before the start of an unnamed war (which can very much be assumed to be Iraq). Absolutely hilarious, there are laugh out loud moments throughout.
8. The Cove - 9/10 - A dark beautiful documentary about the ****ed up **** going on in Japan in regard to their ruthless and overwhelmingly pointless slaughter of dolphins. The end of the film is hard to watch... But its important that people see this movie. People need to know.
9. Up - 9/10 - Another brilliant escapade by the fantastic people at Pixar. I wasn't all that interested in this movie, but it won me over in the first few minutes.
10. Funny People - 8.5/10 - Clearly not a perfect movie, but everything that it does well succeeds wildly. Seth Rogen is amazing, as is the entire supporting cast. The funniest drama i've ever seen, but it really isn't a Comedy... It's not a happy movie. And that's a ballsy move by Apatow I really respect.
11. The Brothers Bloom - 8.5/10 - Rian Johnston continues to be one my favorite up-and-coming directors. I don't know that I like this more than Brick, but still a fantastic film.
12. District 9 - 8.5/10 - A good film, but not the great one everyone seems convinced it is... I definitely think all the Oscar talk is overstating it... It could make it in one of the ten slots, but it wouldn't make it in the five. But still, props need to be given to such an original science-fiction concept. Its an unbalanced film, and the characters aren't as fully realized as they should be, and neither are the Aliens. The Action is brilliant, though, and this is a movie any fan of the genre needs to see.
13. Sherlock Holmes - 8/10 - Just straight-up fun. Didn't expect anything more than an action movie starring Holmes, and that is exactly what this is. I highly recommend this to everybody. I am excited to see it again.
14. Drag Me To Hell - 8/10 - Fun, Scary... A far cry better than Raimi's mediocre at best work on the Spider-Man moves.
15. (500) Days of Summer - 8/10 - Upon first seeing this, I was prepared to put it at the very top of my list for 2009, but seeing the movie again really helped me see a lot of the problems it suffers... My friends ended up hating it, but I still think its a beautiful, sweet movie... And Joseph Gordon Levitt should be in everything forever.
16. Star Trek - 8/10 - Pure, Unadulterated Fun... A little less overwhelmingly awesome on the second go, and there are certainly problems, but this was a great reintroduction to the universe of Star Trek
17. State of Play - 8/10 - Great Acting. Great Story... This makes me want to be an investigative reporter as much as it makes me want to watch the original BBC miniseries.
18. Moon - 8/10 - Great first film for Mr. Jones. Parts of it dragged, but Sam Rockwell was incredible in this movie, and it was great to see something so original in the Sci-Fi genre.
19. Zombieland - 8/10 - A solid, fun comedy. Much better than expected. Still nowhere near the subtle brilliance of Shaun of the Dead.
20. Ponyo - 8/10 - Not one of Miyazaki's best. The Animation is beautiful, though, and I loved Tina Fey's voice acting. Its a fun, adorable movie, but not nearly as deep or moving as his last three films.
21. Adventureland - 8/10 - A sweet movie, but nothing all that original to it. Doesn't really deal well with the deeper issues it tries to address, but still an enjoyable film.
22. Humpday - 8/10 - A good movie about friendship... Despite this, probably not the movie you should watch with your best guy friend. That will probably just get uncomfortable.
23. Avatar - 7.5/10 - Without the graphics, this film wouldn't be half of what it is. I was entertained, but it was mostly a shallow entertainment, which really isn't befitting a guy who typically has made smart Sci-Fi movies.
24. Paper Heart - 7.5/10 - Sweet little psedo-documentary about love. Doubt I'll see it a second time, but glad I saw it once.
25. Trick 'r Treat - 7.5/10 - Not the brilliant tour-de-force of Horror Comedy that some of the blogs made it out to be, but this is a quality party film. If you have a bunch of people over on Halloween next year, and you want to watch something gruesome, and funny, this is the best pic.
26. Terminator Salvation - 7.5/10 - Much better than I expected, although it should have focused entirely on Kyle Reese and John Connor... Any scene with just Marcus was lame and unnecessary.
27. 17 Again - 7.5/10 - This film had no right being as good, as funny, or as heartwarming as it ended up being.
28. Bruno - 7.5/10 - Funny. Not quite as good as Borat, but I might have laughed a little harder this time around.
29. Observe and Report - 7.5/10 - Lacks the real punch of Eastbound & Down, but does a lot to show Seth Rogen's range as an actor... Look forward to seeing more dark, ****ed up comedies from Jody Hill.
30. Julie and Julia - 7.5/10 - Cute. Sweet. Proves Amy Adams is a versatile actress despite her section of the film being the least interesting. Meryl Streyp's section was really good, although maybe a little bland.
31. Last Chance Harvey - 7.5/10 - This film wouldn't be anything without Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, but with them it becomes a rather touching romantic comedy that never gets too sappy.
32. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 7.5/10 - The best looking and probably best acted of the HP franchise. Most of its problems come in its failure to set up the Deathly Hallows films... Probably the most cohesive story yet, so despite my disappointment, I have to admit I was pretty pleased overall.
33. Knowing - 7/10 - This is a fun movie that ramps up to silly and ridiculous and not in a fun way towards the end. I think it could have been much much better, but I approve of these "Twilight Zone" style movies.
34. Angels & Demons - 7/10 - I could have sworn that I had reviewed this on here... I saw it back in Ireland for pete's sake... Anyways, this was better than the first film but not by far.
35. Monsters vs. Aliens - 7/10 - By no means a great movie, but a lot of fun, and a surprising amount of heart. Enjoyed it much more than I expected to.
36. Jennifer's Body - 6.5/10 - A mediocre film... I mean, I fully expected to hate it, and sure... it's got the same fake slang everyone grew to loathe in Juno, but it also has some good moments. But for each good moment there's a terrible one. A weirdly balanced film, overall.
37. Taking Woodstock - 6.5/10 - Eh... Suprisingly mediocre. Having characters be Secretly Gay is now apparently Ang Lee's . And I mean... That's fine and all, but this time it just seemed unnecessary. Like, either make him openly gay, or make it a central plot that he hasn't come out. Operating in the middle is meaningless. Liev Schrieber is great, though.
38. The Men Who Stare At Goats - 6.5/10 - Another surprisingly mediocre film. There just isn't much to this movie, which really had the potential to be something special. Worth seeing at least once just to hear about the crazy **** that really happened in the military, but for that, you'd be better off reading the book anyway.
39. The Hangover - 6.5/10 - Disappointingly Mediocre. Didn't laugh once, and I never believed the friendship between these guys like I did with Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn in the far superior Old School (by the same director)
40. He's Just Not That Into You - 6.5/10 - Not an awful movie, just mostly uninteresting... And incredibly predictable. And not as cute as it wanted to be.
41. It's Complicated - 6.5/10 - This film would just have slipped by if not for the cast, which, admittedly, was quite good. The script was pretty awful, though.
42. Watchmen - 6.5/10 - In the end I liked it more then I didn't like it. It got a lot right, more than certainly I ever expected. But at the end of the day it just wasn't capable of packing the punch of the original.
43. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - 6/10 - Incredibly stupid, but a lot of fun... It was cartoony and ridiculous, but never pretended it wasn't... JGL had the perfect voice as the Doctor, and they shouldn't have changed it for the last 20 minutes. The Cobra Commander outfit was pretty much awful. But I had fun, and I would totally see a sequel.
44. I Love You, Man - 6/10 - Disappointingly mediocre. Has some good moments, and I still love the concept, but it just didn't follow through at all.
45. 2012 - 6/10 - Stupid. Fun. Lots of Explosions. Ends with a poop joke. This is exactly what you expect it to be, and if you go into this film conscious of all that, you'll have a damn good time.
46. The Box - 6/10 - A real mess of a film. Richard Kelly pulls off something closer in comprehensibility to Donnie Darko than Southland Tales, but ultimately this is just a jumbled mess that makes little sense, and probably even less sense the more you think about it.
47. Taken - 6/10 - Liam Neeson sleepwalks through this movie, in regards to his acting, I'll admit he's pretty bad-***, but its a mediocre film at best... I had actually forgotten to add it to my list, despite having seen it almost 3 months ago now.
48. Public Enemies - 6/10 - An Aimless, Pointless film. The shaky cam was completely unnecessary. The script was terrible. Not a single character was remotely developed. The acting was good, but far from impressive. I thought this looked good, but god, it just pissed me off how bad it was.
49. X-Men: Origins - Wolverine - 5.5/10 - Everything they needed for a halfway decent film was in there, but they just didn't follow through.
50. The Year One - 5/10 - Meh. You'll get a few laughs, then never really want to see it again.
51. Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel - 5/10 - Mediocre Sci-Fi comedy shlock that has some good moments and some good ideas, but in the end just leaves you with a wholly mediocre film.
52. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen - 5/10 - Bad on every level other than CGI, I suppose, but even the Transformers mythology was bland and uninteresting... I wasn't expecting much, but Jesus, this was a piece of **** move.
53. Land of the Lost - 3/10 - Why did I watch this movie? Cruder than funny, and too stupid to find vaguely interesting.
Still intend to see: An Education, The Hurt Locker, Precious, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and probably a few others.
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Updated for Big Fan, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Hangover and Zombieland:
WATCHMEN
I'm not sure how to rate this. It's good but not great. Enjoyable. A worthy adaptation. Probably the closest we'll come to a great film version of Watchmen. But there are still flaws... flaws that would always be there because it was a comic, not a film. But yeah... it's good enough for me. 4 might be too high but 2 might be too low, so I think 3 is right for me. The movie made me realise even more how brilliant the story Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons have created is and I doubt I will ever see this again as I'd rather read the graphic novel instead.
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
Predictable story but great animation and a brilliant voice cast. Really enjoyable and a lot of fun.
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
A lot of potential that is completely wasted. A movie that is sometimes about Wolverine but mainly all over the place. I had low expectations and even I was incredibly disappointed. I can't believe filmmakers get away with stuff like this after comic movies like Iron Man and The Dark Knight.
STAR TREK
I loved it. I had high expectations for this movie and it met them. It is flawed but so well done that the flaws don't matter - incredibly enjoyable and just a fantastic experience all over.
ANGELS & DEMONS
A decent movie with a pretty good cast that seem to be wasted. It's entertaining and an average thriller and worth seeing but I doubt I'll ever bother seeing it again. Tom Hanks deserves to be in better movies than this.
STATE OF PLAY
An interesting thriller and an entertaining movie. Some of it does get bogged down with the twists but the excellent cast makes up for it. Like DSF, I now want to see the original mini series and it has me interested in a career in journalism. I don't know if it will stand up on repeated viewings so it may lose a point in the future.
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
I didn't like it as much as the first one but it was still an entertaining action movie. Some of it was annoying and some of it was actually really funny. Not sure if the comedy is a good or a bad thing. Wanted to see more of Isabel Lucas (Alice, the Decepticon Pretender that went after Sam at college). Some really epic fights and amazing special effects. The more I think about this though, the more I think how different it would be if I got a crack at it. And it sort of disappoints me that this is what we have to settle with.
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
While some of it is really stupid, it doesn't take you out of the movie and the cast's charm and strength makes up for any mistakes. The movies are mediocre adaptations from the books (I wonder how well I would enjoy them if I hadn't read the books, for example) but I really like the style and the tone of each movie as the series progresses. While I disagree with the idea of splitting the last movie into two, I will see them, probably enjoy them, but probably never have a desire to see them again. More than anything, these movies make me realise how much I enjoyed the books, and I guess that's a good enough reason for seeing the movie.
PUBLIC ENEMIES
I was really excited for this but was prepared for disappointment when I heard the mixed reviews. I was always worried about Mann and his camera and while it did get pretty annoying sometimes, I got used to it and I think this is the first time I've been fine with it. I really liked the cast and while there wasn't much characterization, it was still a lot of fun. And those guns were badass.
CORALINE
This was good. I think I still prefer The Nightmare Before Christmas but this was still a great animated movie. And man... some of that animation was amazing. I loved how unique it was. It was like Selick's previous animated movies on another level. The story was good too (Neil Gaiman knows how to tell a story) though there were a few iffy bits which I don't think were explained well enough or at all. However, these were few and far between and didn't subtract from the overall charm of this film.
DISTRICT 9
One of the most unique movies I've seen in years and incredibly well done. A lot of effort and thought has been put into this movie and it's really fun. Great special effects and action while remaining quite intelligent. Very recommended.
KNOWING
This movie has an interesting idea but is let down by basically everything else in the movie. The cast is wasted (Nicholas Cage is terribly boring and Rose Byrne is wasted), the special effects are iffy (the plane sequence was fantastic and I thought the train sequence was poor, but the stuff at the end was neat) and all the other technical bits (lighting, sound etc.) seemed really off for some reason. I wanted to like this but I just couldn't.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
I'm a massive Tarantino fan so I might be biased, but I loved this movie. If you thought Death Proof was weak, then you'll be glad Tarantino is back. This is so essentially Tarantino yet so completely different - I don't know how to explain it. The characters, dialogue and soundtrack are just as fantastic as they've always been. My audience loved it and applauded at the end, which is a very rare occasion in my cinema-going history here. I don't know if it's his masterpiece but it's up there. Great movie and now I enter the depressingly long wait until his next, and I fear this may be his last...
GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT
I thought this was pretty mediocre until the point where Sinestro goes to the Qwardian Weaponer and gets his yellow ring. And then I started paying attention. It got pretty awesome. I think most of this would be perfect for the live action Green Lantern movie. I hope they don't **** that up. Anyway, the voice cast was of a particular high quality, especially Victor Garber as Sinestro, who was badass.
OBSERVE AND REPORT
I think this might be brilliant. It's so radical and yet so simple. For some reason, I thought this was another Judd Apatow production (I guess because Seth Rogen was involved) but now that I see it's by this Jody Hill guy, I want to go back and watch The Foot Fist Way and Eastbound & Down. The cast was unusual yet perfect in their small doses and I continue to really like Seth Rogen, no matter how deranged he becomes. I'm not sure if this is a great movie (or even a particularly good one) but it seemed so different to every other comedy I've seen recently, and I like it for that.
ADVENTURELAND
This was really sweet. I am a fan of these recent teenage drama comedy things (Superbad, Juno etc.) because I am at a similar age and they make me rethink things I've experienced in my life and whether I did the right thing or if I'm on the right path. The soundtrack and cast were great (especially the lead guy who I've never seen before - I guess he's the new Michael Cera?) and I'm really looking forward to Mottola's next movie, Paul.
I LOVE YOU, MAN
For such a simple movie, this was surprisingly good. I thought this was really funny and I laughed at it a lot more than any other comedy this year. Jason Segel and Paul Rudd have great chemistry together and I'd love to see the two together in an insane adventure movie in the vein of Pineapple Express. Some of the stuff Rudd said was ridiculously hilarious. I would be his friend.
CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
This was ridiculous. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. I like these movie for their insanity but I got bored during this one. Jason Statham is cool but he's cooler in movies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, where he's much more subtle rather than movies like Crank and The Transporter where he's allowed to go nuts. Amy Smart is nice but I wish Statham would have chopped Bai Ling's head off. She was so annoying.
UP
This was fantastic. I think it's probably the best Pixar movie I've ever seen. I loved all the characters, the storyline was simple but brilliant, and the animation was fantastic. The moment where the balloons first pop out of the house and it lifts off the ground... magical. Total Miyazaki moment right there. Pixar continue to be the masters of animated films and are constantly proving that they are an entirely credible medium. Every Pixar movie I see inspires me to try and write something on that level and I thank them for the inspiration.
THE BOX
This could have been so good. The premise is amazingly simple yet brilliant - a mysterious man offers you a box with a button - press the button, you get $1 million... but someone dies. Do you press the button? I don't think I like Richard Kelly. Donnie Darko is an interesting movie but one I don't particularly enjoy. Southland Tales was an incomprehensible mess. The Box lies somewhere in between. Half of it is really good... and the other half is just boring, typical Richard Kelly stuff - weird **** that doesn't get explained. I can understand directors that do this in order for the audience to make up their own mind - Stanley Kubrick and 2001 comes to mind - but at least Kubrick had an idea for what 2001 was about. I don't know if Kelly does. He obviously has a lot of unique ideas but I think he needs to figure out what he's doing. He is talented and the movie is well directed but I just didn't care about it because I was wondering what the **** was going on for the whole time. You can't let the audience fill in the story three times in a row. I think that's a cheat. I have no desire to see it again.
BRUNO
This was pretty funny but it wasn't as good as Borat. While Borat seemed very real, Bruno seemed very set up - I got the impression that a lot of it was staged. I don't know if this is true or not but it sort of took me out of the movie. I still think Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant and this was still an enjoyable movie but he has done better. Now that he's so well known, I am interested to see what he does next.
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123
I really enjoyed this. It's not a great film but it's very entertaining. I am a fan of these Tony Scott/Denzel Washington collaborations and while they're both capable of making better films, sometimes I just want to sit back and watch a movie like this and not have to think. And while I would like to see Unstoppable, I think it's a mistake to do another train movie right after this one.
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
Poor, poor Heath Ledger. He was becoming such a great actor. I'm so happy that Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell helped Gilliam finish the movie - because it was a fantastic experience. Delightfully insane and scarily beautiful, this is Gilliam having fun. All of the references to death and fate were very bizarre, considering what happened to Ledger but I think they help make the film that much more effective. The entire cast was fantastic - the gorgeous Valentina, the amusing Anton and Percy, the sinister Mr Nick and of course, the extraordinary Doctor Parnassus. The visual effects were absolutely mindboggling. It was like nothing I had seen before and while I haven't seen all of Gilliam's films (the ones I haven't have definitely moved up my list), I think this one is my favourite. A film from Heath Ledger and friends indeed.
THE BROTHERS BLOOM
I was... underwhelmed. It wasn't a bad movie, it just failed to keep me interested. I found this odd considering the great cast. Brick sort of did the same thing. Both movies were neat though.
DRAG ME TO HELL
I didn't think I would like this but I was pleasantly surprised. Just the right amount of horror and comedy.
I knew that Justin Long had taken the button and I expected it to end with him being dragged to hell, which I thought would have been a better ending. I was disappointed that she went through all that only to lose.
A SERIOUS MAN
Damn. That was brilliant. The Coen Bros. continue to prove why they're currently the best filmmakers in America. Perhaps even better than No Country For Old Men. See it.
THE INVENTION OF LYING
Despite the fact that when you apply actual thought to this movie it doesn't work at all, it is still very entertaining, thanks to the delightful cast. Seeing one of my heroes interact with all of these great comedic actors was fun to behold. While it won't be ranked among The Office or Extras or The Ricky Gervais Show, I still found it quite funny and it was better than I thought it would be. I am much more excited for his next movie, Cemetery Junction, which is co written and co directed with Stephen Merchant, which both Ghost Town and this movie lacked (though I did enjoy his cameo). I'm thinking about vanilla with skunks flavoured ice cream.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
I have been waiting for this for years. I kept hearing mixed reviews and was scared that it might disappoint... but I loved it. On the surface it doesn't seem like there's much to it but the more I think about it, the more I am amazed at how much Spike Jonze was able to achieve. I loved Max, the monsters, the cinematography, the soundtrack... this movie is love. This is a kid's movie viewed through the eye's of an adult and therefore it is quite personal... and I think that makes it Spike Jonze's best. Those that like it probably decided they did before they ever saw it and those that didn't like it... well, obviously they don't have a Wild Thing inside of them.
MOON
A movie I've been quite excited for ever since I stumbled upon it on the Internet randomly one day but missed when it was here on a limited release... I downloaded a DVD rip and just watched it tonight. Superb. I've always liked Sam Rockwell but this movie proves how great an actor he really is. I can't believe this movie was made for only $5 million. This puts most blockbusters to shame. There is no reason for these rubbish movies to have hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on them when you can tell a great story like this one for such a low cost. The set design/special effects were beautiful. The soundtrack was haunting. The movie was sad and touching yet surprisingly funny. I look forward to future Duncan Jones movies (I've heard about three of them and they all sound great). I hope it wins something because it definitely deserves it.
TERMINATOR SALVATION
This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. But it also wasn't that good either. It just felt... unnecessary. I think you could make a great Terminator movie showing what happened in the future and how John sends Kyle back but this wasn't it. It was a lot of wasted potential. The entire cast was wasted except for Sam Worthington as Marcus, who was the best thing about the movie. I can't believe that McG (I don't care whether your family calls you that name, it's still a ****ing joke) wants to direct not one but TWO more. What would they be about? And why?
THE HURT LOCKER
Middle East war movies are boring. Jarhead is boring. The Kingdom is boring. Body of Lies is boring. This one, however, is the exception. It feels unique yet more authentic, possibly because it focuses on one guy and one team that dismantles bombs and that's it. I like that they had big names like Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes and didn't need to rely on them
(and Guy Pearce dies in the opening scene. That takes guts).
While it is a good movie, I don't think it deserves Best Picture. I definitely approve of Jeremy Renner playing Hawkeye.
LAW ABIDING CITIZEN
This was surprisingly entertaining. It's not a great movie but it's worth seeing just for Gerard Butler's performance. This guy can be a great actor. He needs to do less romantic comedies and more roles like this. He was like The Punisher. I thought the story was quite unpredictable, which was good. There seems to be a lot of hate because of how it ended... but I thought it worked.
FUNNY PEOPLE
This is Judd Apatow's best movie. Equal parts comedy and drama, he really managed to make something special. Adam Sandler shows that he can be a great actor depending on the movie and the rest of the cast is really good as well (especially Eric Bana - he needs to do more comedy). It might be a bit long but I didn't even notice the length as I was enjoying it so much. I think that Apatow's movies have gotten better each time so I can't wait for whatever he does next.
AVATAR
It's not the best thing ever... but it's still pretty amazing. People have been criticizing it because of the story or the characters but is there anyone really going to see it just because of that? Everyone is going to see it for the visual effects and to see if it's really worth all this money, time and hype. And they are. The 3D isn't annoying at all and makes everything that much more vivid. The cast is clearly having a lot of fun making this movie and James Cameron knows how to make an entertaining movie. Is it the next Star Wars? We'll have to wait and see but I expect great things in the future now that the technology is ready.
ANTICHRIST
Disturbing. Beautiful. Interesting. Complex. Pretentious. Lars von Trier's film is all of these things. I didn't enjoy watching it but I am glad I can say I did. Chaos reigns.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
This was great. I was unsure of whether I would like it because it sounded like one of those things that could be really bad... but it wasn't. It was lots of fun. The cast is great (Robert Downey Jr. is ****ing good at everything) and the plot comes together quite well. I got really excited at the end because I thought I was going to see the rumoured
Brad Pitt as Moriarty
but it didn't happen... though hopefully for the sequel. To sum up, incredibly entertaining and I will definitely see a sequel.
]AWAY WE GO
I am unsure about Sam Mendes - I really liked American Beauty and Road to Perdition but I couldn't get into Jarhead or Revolutionary Road. However, this is a surprisingly good movie. It's simple and sweet. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph showed how much range they really have and made a great couple.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
This was really good, huh? Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to impress me and is becoming one of my new favourite actors. It was the little things in this movie that got to me - The Smiths, Ringo Starr, architecture... it was really beautiful. What is love?
THE LOVELY BONES
I don't understand why this is getting so many negative reviews. Sure, it's a bit uneven but overall it's still a really strong movie. Peter Jackson may be only making a movie every four years now but you can be assured it will be an impressive one. The cast is the best thing about this movie - from Mark Wahlberg's desperate father to Saoirse Ronan's beautiful Suzie and to Stanley Tucci's chilling George Harvey (who is definitely second on my Best Supporting Actor list) - they really helped elevate this movie and the In-Between is an amazing place, something looking like the fantasy world from Doctor Parnassus. This movie touched me somehow... it is both uplifting and yet truly sad and despite it's occasional flaws it is one of my favourites of the year.
UP IN THE AIR
Best Picture. Best Director. Best Actor. Best Supporting Actress. Best Adapted Screenplay. Up in the Air deserves to win all of these. Will it? I don't know but it's a wonderful film. Jason Reitman's third movie is his best yet. The story is touching and incredibly important, especially in today's current economic situation. The cast is fantastic - all of the actors are great and some of them are only in one scene. George Clooney continues to blow me away. He is a movie star if I've ever seen one. If you're going to have a main character whose job is to fire people, then you better get an actor who is incredibly charming and who's more charming than Clooney, as Reitman has said. While I expect there to be a few surprises at the Oscars this year, I expect Up in the Air to be nominated and probably win quite a few awards. Jason Reitman made Thank You For Smoking in 2005, Juno in 2007 and now this movie - I can't imagine what he is going to do next but the guy just cemented himself as one of my favourite directors.
BIG FAN
Written and directed by Robert D. Siegel, the writer of The Wrestler (a movie I loved), Big Fan is a fantastic character study of an average guy played by Patton Oswalt. Oswalt's acting is superb - funny, dark and tragic. I don't think this is movie is as powerful as The Wrestler but it's still pretty damn good.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
I loved this! It was very witty and unique. I loved the animation and the cast. Wes Anderson is awesome. I was surprised at how funny it was.
THE HANGOVER
I went into this expecting to be underwhelmed but really liked it. The cast is great and the situations are ridiculous. I died when
Ken Jeong
appeared. I don't know what the sequel will be about but I will definitely see it.
ZOMBIELAND
Now this... I was underwhelmed by. It's not a bad movie but there's just not that much to it. What was there was fun... but I expected a lot more from it.
THE ROAD
A great adaptation of a great book. I'm sad that this was pretty much ignored. Everything looked so real and authentic. Viggo Mortensen should have been nominated for Best Actor for this.
BLACK DYNAMITE
Black Dynamite ain't nothing to **** with.
Watchmen - Pretty good. Not how I would've done it, but they put so much effort into how they did it that it payed off. A book-accurate Ozymandias might've made it a whole point higher. It's basically in the same category of b-t-f adaptations as the Potter films - no match for the book, but very cool to see for fans of it. And once in a while, sheer magic. 8.5/10.
Taken - Exciting, straight-forward, cool. Neeson is cool. 6/10.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - I enjoyed this, but basically, they just weren't making a good movie. So they just pumped up what they had as best as they could, and it turned out okay. It also just felt kind of dated.... seenitamilliontimes.... know what I mean? 6/10
Star Trek - First movie I can remember seeing in a while where the special effects actually impressed me. A great, fun action-adventure with a cast that completely sells it. I want more emotion and depth in a film, but this was the rare "great" movie that still manages without it. I hope it's there in the sequels, though. 8.5/10.
Terminator: Salvation - Pointless, dry, completely unengaging. Anton Yelchin was awesome, and Sam Worthington, for some reason, just really has something. I look forward to seeing more of both of them. But Conner was flat and the plot went absolutely nowhere. I'm disappointed in Bale for being so involved with this. And that stupid alternate ending they wanted to use.... damn.... 5/10
Outlander - This was pretty cool. A humanoid alien crash-lands in Viking-Era Norway. I like Jim Caviziel a lot and overall thought this was done pretty well. 8/10.
UP - The best, most touching thing I've seen from Pixar in years. I still wanted more, but as it was there wasn't really anything wrong with it. 9/10.
Tranformers: Revenge Of The Fallen - SFX porn with a likeable cast, especially Sam and his parents. I don't think this one felt as epic as the first, but it was good. 7/10.
Knowing - Stunning. Why isn't Shyamalan capable of this kind of thing anymore? Refreshing, creative, very suspenseful, amazing disaster sequences.... not to overhype it, but maybe the most I've enjoyed a movie this year. They clearly believed in the film they were making, which is more than I can say for a lot of films. 9/10
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince - Probably the best one yet, and certainly the most unique, beautiful, and magical to me. The problems that all the films have had still apply, but even those not as much. I loved it. 9/10.
Push - Fun, fast, good effects and well-directed action sequences.... the plot was extremely confusing in brief spurts, but I was pretty satisfied by it. A lot of the stuff that made Heroes good in the first place works here. 7.5/10
Horsemen - Detective movie about serial killers patterning themselves after the biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse. Good premise, only okay execution. Clearly made by people who really love Se7en, but aren't in the same leage. Patrick Fugit, the kid from Almost Famous, was the best part. 6/10
Funny People - Has lots of flaws and lots of good stuff. Sandler truly carries the picture, but everyone in it is good. A different and very personal step from Apatow. Odd for a director's third film, it feels more like a tenth. I guess that's the case for Sandler, though. What would really be interesting is if he stops making the type of movies they spoof in the film. 7.75/10
The Great Buck Howard - Swell. Colin Hanks is good here, but I'd really like to see him do a much less reserved, really emotional role soon. The movie is a must-see for any John Malkovich fan and overall was just really sweet and well-done. 7.5/10
I Love You, Man - I'm not usually big on the whole "bromance" thing, but this was awesome. It was really funny first and foremost, but the Segel-Rudd relationship is so much damn fun and steals the show, even when it's not being funny but just plain honest and raw. The whole cast is great and the film is enhanced by the fact that I love Rush. The extended concert scene on the DVD was a ****ing blast. 8/10
District 9 - A completely enthralling, edge-of-your-seat film experience, the most unique in ages. I feel like the whole "documentary/shaky-cam/handicam" thing a lot of them have been trying to use recently to make it feel more like you're actually there was finally perfected by this, with the perfect blend it uses. For the first time since I think 2007..... it's a solid 10/10.
Inglourious Basterds - Sometimes in all the hype and fanfare and his behind-the-scenes persona I forget just what a rich, superb film-maker Tarantino is. So suspenseful, so satisfying, amazing acting and direction and dialouge.... I will be riding high on this movie for quite a while. For the first time since last week...... 10/10.
The Final Destination - You can't really rate this the way you would a normal movie because it's not designed to be a good film, just a really fun, amusement-park-ride type experience. With friends, in the well-utilized 3D, this was very entertaining, and the climax was excellent. 7.5/10.[/COLOR] The lead guy was also really good and I hope he gets a good career. The girl too for that matter.
State Of Play - Russell Crowe is awesome, so was the plot and concept, and the direction, and everyone else. Especially Jason Bateman. "Political Thrillers" usually require me to make an effort to get interested. Not this time. Again, Crowe.... his performance has stuck with me. I'm also glad to see Ben Affleck has really turned into a completely respectable actor who is a pleasure to watch, although I really want to see him direct something again. Gone Baby Gone was terrific and I would've picked him to direct Watchmen based off of it. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 8.5/10
9 - Cool concept that ultimately went absolutely nowhere. The "stichpunks"(name according to Acker) were literally just completely normal, functional people and 9 was the least dimensional character of them all, which is saying a lot. There was a lot of really cool stuff and the director obviously had a vision, but the story needed about another year or two's work and was literally just to get them from one action sequence to the next. The very ending was really good too, but overall it fell miles short of how good it potentially looked from that first trailer. 6.5/10.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs - A triumph. Funniest movie of the year, one of the most exciting too. Loved it from start to finish. See it. 9.5/10
Surrogates - The concept is excellent but it only touches upon doing it justice. Bruce Willis is great though and it's a worthwhile film. 7/10.
Zombieland - Pretty much just as good as it looked. Filled with laughs and characters you latch on to immeadiately. I really hope there's a sequel. 9/10.
Year One - It had it's moments but overall was just an incredibly crude and lazy film. Notable for the DVD including one of the most extensive and expensive alternate endings I've ever seen. It was kind of better than the "real" ending too. 4/10
The Brothers Bloom - I'm not that big into caper movies, but this looked like it could be a lot of fun. What I didn't expect, though, was for it to be about me. Probably the best screenplay of the year and I intend to buy it and do repeat viewings, which could easily make my raiting even higher. 9.5/10
Law Abiding Citizen - This kicked ***. My theater was laughing and cheering all the way through and Gerard Butler was terrific. Jamie Foxx was great too and I will definitely watch this again with other friends when it comes out on DVD. With an extra .5 for Butler's performance sticking with me, 8.5/10.
The Proposal - Blech. I'm not a big Sandra Bullock fan outside of Speed and Miss Congeniality, and Ryan Reynolds bores me at best and pisses me off at worst. This was no exception. Retarded story, one or two unbearable scenes, and a predictably cringe-worthy ending. It's scary to think anyone could consider these two characters to be legtimately in love. Oscar from The Office was good though. 4/10
The Men Who Stare At Goats - Eh, this was all right but not exactly the result of much effort. There were a few hilarious moments, when they tried. 5.5/10.
The Maiden Heist - This should've been publicized more. Christopher Walken in his first and best leading role in ages with Morgan Freeman and William H. Macy right behind him. Holy ****! It was very enjoyable and stuck with me. Love that Walken. 7.5/10.
Angels and Demons - The ingredients are too good for it to be anything but. Howard, Hanks and Hans Zimmer are a great team and it was really cool seeing all the stuff go down in the Vatican after having been there last year. On top of that, Armin Mueller-Stahl totally makes the film. Like The Da Vinci Code, an easy 8/10.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard - It definitely had the right idea and I laughed throughout. I would've liked to see them taken it even farther, more and more over-the-top and feel-good as the movie went on, but it was still pretty damn fun. 7.5/10.
Fantastic Mr. Fox - Very funny and well-made. Wes Anderson was so right for this. 9/10
Avatar - Really disappointing. The story and characters were laughably straw, to the point where I didn't even care enough to get excited during the action sequences. I found the use of 3D way more thrilling in Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and although the CGI is pretty amazing now, it'll be dated again in 5 years. Not that I think I'll have any desire to see it again. 5.5/10
The Hangover - Perfect concept, and they didn't shy away from it at all. They followed through and squeezed so many more jokes and surprises out of it than a lot of movies would have. My only real gripe is the frequent transitions between scenes using just the intro of some song and then it quickly fading out, which I usually find kind of amateurish. Still, pretty much an 8.5/10.
Extract - A stupefying experience. Office Space is probably one of my Top-20 films and has one of the tightest and most rewatchable sceenplays ever. How the same guy could've made this unbelievably apathetic, empty, no-stakes film is a mystery. It gets a 3 only because I enjoy watching the actors and I did laugh a few times, but overall, I actually can't figure out how you'd go about writing a full screenplay with as little energy or direction as this. The Men Who Stare At Goats would be a wildly ambitious and controversial film in comparison to this.3/10.
Moon - So, so great. In a stand-out year for science fiction films, this may be the best one. Other than the Best Picture nod - and possible win - for Avatar, I'd say Sam Rockwell getting snubbed for a Best Actor nod is the most likely crime the Oscars are going to commit this year. SEE THIS MOVIE! PROPERLY! 9.5/10.
Wall*E - 9/10
Watchmen - 5/10
Wonder Woman - 9/10
Hulk Vs. 8/10
The Soloist - 7/10
Star Trek - 10/10
Terminator Salvation - 5/10
Paul Blart: Mall Cop - 7/10
Valkyrie - 7/10
Taken - 8/10
The Forbidden Kingdom - 7/10
The Wrestler - 10/10
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - 7/10
Bruno - 7/10
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - 7/10
Green Lantern: First Flight - 8/10
Funny People - 9/10
Inglourious Basterds - 8/10
Halloween II - 7/10
Zombieland - 8/10
Adventureland - 9/10
Where the Wild Things Are - 8/10
A Christmas Carol - 7/10
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - 9/10
Observe and Report - 8/10
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - 4/10
The Goods - 6/10
The Hangover - 8/10
Sherlock Holmes - 8/10
Paper Heart - 7/10
This was cute but I was expecting a little more out of it.
500 Days of Summer - 10/10
Favorite movie of 2009.
49. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Another mediocre comic book movie with no real idea what it could be. It makes me sad.
48. The Year One
It really wasn't that funny. Especially considering who was in it, but it had it's moments. And the girls were hot especially that Juno something chick. Damn.
47. Public Enemies
Boring. A problem time period movies have sometimes.
46. Where the Wild Things Are
Meh. A lot of this movie annoyed me, but it was a okay. I didn't see the hype.
45. The Men Who Stare At Goats
Not as funny as I was expecting. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it but none the less it was average, which is disappointing with the cast involved.
44. I Love You, Man
It was a pretty plain comedy. Not what I expect after seeing them in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
43. State of Play
Decent movie starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Rachael McAdams. I enjoyed, but it's one of those movies, that you seen once and than never again.
42. The Ugly Truth
It's wasn't terrible as far as romantic comedies go. Gerald Butler was entertaining and I thought the humor was funny enough.
41. Gamer
It's like the exact same movie as Death Race but the 12 year in me loved it.
40. Funny People
I am undecided where to rank this compared to his other movies. I want to say I liked it better since but that is not saying much since I was never a big fan.
39. Terminator Salvation
Let me get this out of the way. I am not a fan of the Terminator franchise. I really was liking it until the horrible ending.
38. Ninja Assassin
This was watching a videogame. The story wasn't very original and it was very cliche, but I really liked the effects and fight scenes.
37. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
I enjoy this movies despite how stupid they actually are. Some moments were a little too ridiculous and plot holes big enough for Prime to drive through, but I want to watch robots beating the **** out of each other and Megan Fox.
36. Friday the 13th
A beside a couple tired slasher cliches this seems to try and make a new film while still staying true to the originals. I really liked this new type of Jason.
35. Jennifer's Body
Pretty much what I expected. I love the fact that Diablo Cody follows up the successful movie like Juno with this. But it didn't seem to be creepy enough, funny enough, scary enough, corky enough to really be something great.
34. The Informant
The first half of the movie was incredibly boring except for the main characters random thoughts. The second half of the movie however was fantastic.
33. Cloudly With A Chance Of Meatballs
Another movie that didn't look like much, but gave it a chance anyway. Glad I did, it was a fun and creative movie. Steve the monkey was the best.
32. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Not a big fan of the animation used, but it help the tone of the movie. It had some really great moments. Ash was my favorite character.
31. Drag Me To Hell
I have always wanted to see the Evil Dead series and has yet too. But this movie from what I hear is in the same vein. I've never seen horror and comedy combined like this. It was great.
30. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
I really thought I would hate this movie. But I didn't and it was a great action flick. But it could of been an even better with a love scene between The Baroness and Scarlet.
29. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
It's about as good as the others. They really should of started with this one from the get go.
28. The Invention of Lying
It really shows you how second nature it is for people to lie.
27. 9
A pretty interesting idea for a post apocalyptic movie. It really needed a lot more detail to the story, but the animation was brilliant.
26. The Hurt Locker
I've seen this really hyped lately and it really didn't live up the hype. I mean it was great but maybe I never really liked most war movies.
25. The Lovely Bones
Strong cast, great story. The only problem I had was it was like two seperate movies. The strength of the movie was in it's thriller moments. The tension was perfect. The problem was Susie's time in "heaven". It was too much a contast to the rest.
24. A Serious Man
Not as good as the last two Coen brothers but it was enjoyable and confusing and depressing. I had this sense of dread the whole movie but nothing ever came.
23. Saw VI
I will continue to watch these as they continute to be entertaining and coherent. Tobin Bell is really the highlight of the movies.
22. Away We Go
I really like the movie sorely because I really liked the main characters. They were entertaining to watch.
21. Adventureland
I like the new sting of teen romantic comedies that seem more realistic with the awkwardness of dating. This one was average, but I enjoyed it. Kristen Stewart is nice looking.
20. Watchmen
It was very brilliant in some parts and really really terrible at others. The overall narrative seemed to suffer, especially for the ones not familiar with the source material. I was happy to see Rorschach played so well.
19. The Hangover
Another comedy starring people I really have never heard of and it was hilarious. Makes me want to go to Vegas and get wasted.
18. Bruno
Possibly more insane then Borat but not as funny. I still really enjoyed it, some parts I hoped was staged so I don't completely lose faith in the human race.
17. Fired Up
It was actually really funny. References to the classic Bring It On, hell they even watched it in the movie. It was like Wedding Crashers meets Bring It On.
16. Whip It
I always love watching Ellen Page and despite the pretty predictable plot, but overall it was a great movie.
15. Angels & Demons
I may be in the minority, but I loved this movies. I love mysteries and religious based stories.
14. Avatar
Visually stunning. This was my first experience of a 3D movie at the cinemas and I thought it was really fantastic. The story was simple, but I didn't feel that damaged the movie.
13. Crank 2: High Voltage
I don't even know where to begin. This was the most offensive, over the top, insane thing I ever seen. I loved every minute.
12. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Not the fantasy epic I was expecting. I watched a screener since my town isn't playing it. So between the sound quality, mumbling, and accents, it was hard to understand what they were saying again. I mean I still really enjoyed it and really need to see it on Bluray to really understand it.
11. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
I love all the Harry Potter movies for good or bad. People complain about them not comparing to the books, well duh. But this suffers a bit from the pacing problem 4 had.
10. Sherlock Holmes
I've been reading the original Holmes stories and that really enchanced this for me. I knew who a few of the characters were and I love the dynamic between Holmes and Watson.
9. Sunshine Cleaning
Amy Adams is becoming one of my favorite actresses and she is so beautful. This was a wonderful family movie and I want to start my own biohazard remove business.
8. Zombieland
Probably the most fun I had watching a film since Tropic Thunder. Great cast and I think am now a converted zombie fan.
7. The Time Traveller's Wife
This is getting a lot of bad reviews and I'm not sure why. I thought the story was original, Bana and McAdams were great.
6. The Brothers Bloom
Fantastic cast and really one of the best endings to a movie I have seen in awhile.
5. District 9
This was nothing like I expected. I love the documentary idea and I would love to see some kind of sequel.
4. Up
Almost as good as Wall-E. It was pretty wonderful. I didn't watch too many trailers, so I didn't really know anything about it.
3. Star Trek
One of the best Summer blockbuster/Sci-Fi movies I ever seen. Great cast, action, and humor. I never cared for Star Trek at all and now it is cooler than Star Wars.
2. Coraline
Gaiman movies are 3 for 3 in my book. The voice acting and stop animation was perfect. I also seen the Bluray 3D and it was probably the first time I watched a 3D movie and loved it.
1. Inglourious Basterds
The best Tarantino movie ever.
Watchmen - Pretty good. Not how I would've done it, but they put so much effort into how they did it that it payed off. A book-accurate Ozymandias might've made it a whole point higher. It's basically in the same category of b-t-f adaptations as the Potter films - no match for the book, but very cool to see for fans of it. And once in a while, sheer magic. 8.5/10.
Taken - Exciting, straight-forward, cool. Neeson is cool. 6/10.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - I enjoyed this, but basically, they just weren't making a good movie. So they just pumped up what they had as best as they could, and it turned out okay. It also just felt kind of dated.... seenitamilliontimes.... know what I mean? 6/10
Star Trek - First movie I can remember seeing in a while where the special effects actually impressed me. A great, fun action-adventure with a cast that completely sells it. I want more emotion and depth in a film, but this was the rare "great" movie that still manages without it. I hope it's there in the sequels, though. 8.5/10.
Terminator: Salvation - Pointless, dry, completely unengaging. Anton Yelchin was awesome, and Sam Worthington, for some reason, just really has something. I look forward to seeing more of both of them. But Conner was flat and the plot went absolutely nowhere. I'm disappointed in Bale for being so involved with this. And that stupid alternate ending they wanted to use.... damn.... 5/10
Outlander - This was pretty cool. A humanoid alien crash-lands in Viking-Era Norway. I like Jim Caviziel a lot and overall thought this was done pretty well. 8/10.
UP - The best, most touching thing I've seen from Pixar in years. I still wanted more, but as it was there wasn't really anything wrong with it. 9/10.
Tranformers: Revenge Of The Fallen - SFX **** with a likeable cast, especially Sam and his parents. I don't think this one felt as epic as the first, but it was good. 7/10.
Knowing - Stunning. Why isn't Shyamalan capable of this kind of thing anymore? Refreshing, creative, very suspenseful, amazing disaster sequences.... not to overhype it, but maybe the most I've enjoyed a movie this year. They clearly believed in the film they were making, which is more than I can say for a lot of films. 9/10
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince - Probably the best one yet, and certainly the most unique, beautiful, and magical to me. The problems that all the films have had still apply, but even those not as much. I loved it. 9/10.
Push - Fun, fast, good effects and well-directed action sequences.... the plot was extremely confusing in brief spurts, but I was pretty satisfied by it. A lot of the stuff that made Heroes good in the first place works here. 7.5/10
Horsemen - Detective movie about serial killers patterning themselves after the biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse. Good premise, only okay execution. Clearly made by people who really love Se7en, but aren't in the same leage. Patrick Fugit, the kid from Almost Famous, was the best part. 6/10
Funny People - Has lots of flaws and lots of good stuff. Sandler truly carries the picture, but everyone in it is good. A different and very personal step from Apatow. Odd for a director's third film, it feels more like a tenth. I guess that's the case for Sandler, though. What would really be interesting is if he stops making the type of movies they spoof in the film. 7.75/10
The Great Buck Howard - Swell. Colin Hanks is good here, but I'd really like to see him do a much less reserved, really emotional role soon. The movie is a must-see for any John Malkovich fan and overall was just really sweet and well-done. 7.5/10
I Love You, Man - I'm not usually big on the whole "bromance" thing, but this was awesome. It was really funny first and foremost, but the Segel-Rudd relationship is so much damn fun and steals the show, even when it's not being funny but just plain honest and raw. The whole cast is great and the film is enhanced by the fact that I love Rush. The extended concert scene on the DVD was a ****ing blast. 8/10
District 9 - A completely enthralling, edge-of-your-seat film experience, the most unique in ages. I feel like the whole "documentary/shaky-cam/handicam" thing a lot of them have been trying to use recently to make it feel more like you're actually there was finally perfected by this, with the perfect blend it uses. For the first time since I think 2007..... it's a solid 10/10.
Inglourious Basterds - Sometimes in all the hype and fanfare and his behind-the-scenes persona I forget just what a rich, superb film-maker Tarantino is. So suspenseful, so satisfying, amazing acting and direction and dialouge.... I will be riding high on this movie for quite a while. For the first time since last week...... 10/10.
The Final Destination - You can't really rate this the way you would a normal movie because it's not designed to be a good film, just a really fun, amusement-park-ride type experience. With friends, in the well-utilized 3D, this was very entertaining, and the climax was excellent. 7.5/10.[/COLOR] The lead guy was also really good and I hope he gets a good career. The girl too for that matter.
State Of Play - Russell Crowe is awesome, so was the plot and concept, and the direction, and everyone else. Especially Jason Bateman. "Political Thrillers" usually require me to make an effort to get interested. Not this time. Again, Crowe.... his performance has stuck with me. I'm also glad to see Ben Affleck has really turned into a completely respectable actor who is a pleasure to watch, although I really want to see him direct something again. Gone Baby Gone was terrific and I would've picked him to direct Watchmen based off of it. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 8.5/10
9 - Cool concept that ultimately went absolutely nowhere. The "stichpunks"(name according to Acker) were literally just completely normal, functional people and 9 was the least dimensional character of them all, which is saying a lot. There was a lot of really cool stuff and the director obviously had a vision, but the story needed about another year or two's work and was literally just to get them from one action sequence to the next. The very ending was really good too, but overall it fell miles short of how good it potentially looked from that first trailer. 6.5/10.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs - A triumph. Funniest movie of the year, one of the most exciting too. Loved it from start to finish. See it. 9.5/10
Surrogates - The concept is excellent but it only touches upon doing it justice. Bruce Willis is great though and it's a worthwhile film. 7/10.
Zombieland - Pretty much just as good as it looked. Filled with laughs and characters you latch on to immeadiately. I really hope there's a sequel. 9/10.
Year One - It had it's moments but overall was just an incredibly crude and lazy film. Notable for the DVD including one of the most extensive and expensive alternate endings I've ever seen. It was kind of better than the "real" ending too. 4/10
The Brothers Bloom - I'm not that big into caper movies, but this looked like it could be a lot of fun. What I didn't expect, though, was for it to be about me. Probably the best screenplay of the year and I intend to buy it and do repeat viewings, which could easily make my raiting even higher. 9.5/10
Law Abiding Citizen - This kicked ***. My theater was laughing and cheering all the way through and Gerard Butler was terrific. Jamie Foxx was great too and I will definitely watch this again with other friends when it comes out on DVD. With an extra .5 for Butler's performance sticking with me, 8.5/10.
The Proposal - Blech. I'm not a big Sandra Bullock fan outside of Speed and Miss Congeniality, and Ryan Reynolds bores me at best and pisses me off at worst. This was no exception. Retarded story, one or two unbearable scenes, and a predictably cringe-worthy ending. It's scary to think anyone could consider these two characters to be legtimately in love. Oscar from The Office was good though. 4/10
The Men Who Stare At Goats - Eh, this was all right but not exactly the result of much effort. There were a few hilarious moments, when they tried. 5.5/10.
The Maiden Heist - This should've been publicized more. Christopher Walken in his first and best leading role in ages with Morgan Freeman and William H. Macy right behind him. Holy ****! It was very enjoyable and stuck with me. Love that Walken. 7.5/10.
Angels and Demons - The ingredients are too good for it to be anything but. Howard, Hanks and Hans Zimmer are a great team and it was really cool seeing all the stuff go down in the Vatican after having been there last year. On top of that, Armin Mueller-Stahl totally makes the film. Like The Da Vinci Code, an easy 8/10.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard - It definitely had the right idea and I laughed throughout. I would've liked to see them taken it even farther, more and more over-the-top and feel-good as the movie went on, but it was still pretty damn fun. 7.5/10.
Fantastic Mr. Fox - Very funny and well-made. Wes Anderson was so right for this. 9/10
Avatar - Really disappointing. The story and characters were laughably straw, to the point where I didn't even care enough to get excited during the action sequences. I found the use of 3D way more thrilling in Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and although the CGI is pretty amazing now, it'll be dated again in 5 years. Not that I think I'll have any desire to see it again. 5.5/10
The Hangover - Perfect concept, and they didn't shy away from it at all. They followed through and squeezed so many more jokes and surprises out of it than a lot of movies would have. My only real gripe is the frequent transitions between scenes using just the intro of some song and then it quickly fading out, which I usually find kind of amateurish. Still, pretty much an 8.5/10.
Extract - A stupefying experience. Office Space is probably one of my Top-20 films and has one of the tightest and most rewatchable sceenplays ever. How the same guy could've made this unbelievably apathetic, empty, no-stakes film is a mystery. It gets a 3 only because I enjoy watching the actors and I did laugh a few times, but overall, I actually can't figure out how you'd go about writing a full screenplay with as little energy or direction as this. The Men Who Stare At Goats would be a wildly ambitious and controversial film in comparison to this.3/10.
Moon - So, so great. In a stand-out year for science fiction films, this may be the best one. Other than the Best Picture nod - and possible win - for Avatar, I'd say Sam Rockwell getting snubbed for a Best Actor nod is the most likely crime the Oscars are going to commit this year. SEE THIS MOVIE! PROPERLY! 9.5/10.
The Hurt Locker - Thankfully saw this before it swept the Oscars. This was a great premise for a character drama and a good, well-made film but I think it didn't do itself justice. It was 100% predictable and a few of the main defusal sequences were even kind of anti-climactic. Not much actual growth from the characters and the ending played out exactly as setup with no frills whatsover. The technical aspects were all excellent and I'm glad a film that at least attempted to be cerebral and deep beat Avatar at the Oscars, but this was not the film of the year, just a good solid movie. 7.5/10
The Informant! - Definitely one of the strangest movies I've seen in a while. The first half or so was painfully weak and boring with the occasional laugh at Whitacre's mental tidbits, but before you know it you start to realize what's really going on and it's a whole different experience. Damon was very good throughout, and the film definitely demands a second viewing, but I was so bored during the first chunk that I was still kind of uncomfortable during the rest, and it'll be a while before I work up the effort to see it again, if ever. So I can't really give it a proper raiting.
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day - A very satisfying continuation of the story. Any fan of the first film will like it and die-hards will be in heaven. 8/10
