2011

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - I like Daniel Craig in this.  Not quite enough character development for the girl but I heard the book is that way.  Rated R for a reason.  Good overall, but be warned about graphic/explicit content.  The Swedish movie series is MUCH better, though.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - slow build cerebral thriller.  Excellently cast, film noir-esque - very very careful about costumes and sets to really take you back to 1973 - very nostalgic.  But, the lack of blue sky/sunshine the whole movie was a little over done.

We Bought a Zoo - Nice family story.  Matt Damon is good and there's a darling little girl in it, too.  A little saccharine, yes, but I like that.

Sherlock Holmes  2011 - Started out a bit rough, was ultimately fun.  I have to set my Jeremy Brett and Doyle canon purist tendencies aside to get into these.  Costumes very awesome.

Hugo - didn't love it - it tried to be charming and had a few moments, but ultimately failed for me.  The best parts were interactions with people in the station.

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol - ridiculously unrealistic, forgettable, but kind of fun.  Still a little creeped out by Tom Cruise, though.

The Muppets - Nostalgic and wonderful!  Just a very cute story, adorable.  
Tower Heist - old school fun.  Murphy with Stiller was a mix that worked.
The Big Year - very interesting - made me read the book, which is even better.  I want to be a birder now!


Real Steel - very cool.  Jackman is charming and the rock-em sock-ems are pretty awesome.
Dolphin Tale - very family friendly movie, safe and inspirational.

Midnight in Paris - This was a good, charming movie, although a tad slow at times.  It had to be good for me to like it because Woody Allen is very very slimy to me.

Friends with Benefits - Raunchy, but excellent chemistry and humorous.  I liked it in spite of myself.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - I'm an old-school Planet of the Apes fan by virtue of my brother, and this is by far the best in the series.

Crazy Stupid Love - This one works, if you like Steve Carrell.  I do.

Cowboys and Aliens - totally stupid premise but Daniel Craig can make anything believable.  Quite fun!


The Change-Up - I like the two leads Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, but this just didn't quite work - not terrible, but not so great, either.

Captain America: The First Avenger - I wanted to like this.  I honestly found it boring, though.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Excellent ending of the series.  The only movie since Avatar where I thought maybe the 3D was actually worth it.

Zookeeper - This is Mall Cop set at the zoo.  Stupid but relatively harmless.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The new girl is ridiculous, the digs at Megan Fox were obvious, the story and action were way over the top.  Transformers are cool and Shia LeBeouf has appeal, but the whole package was a little off.

Cars 2 - One of the dullest movies I saw all year.  Maybe a 4 year old boy would like this.

Super 8 - This is darker than E.T., but has a lot of its charm and wonder.  Love Kyle Chandler.  This was very well scripted, acted, and casted.

Green Lantern - A lot more corny than most superhero films, but I enjoyed the whole Green Lantern origin story and the humor worked.  Its look was a little dumb, though - couldn't quite decide if that was part of the humor, or if they just failed.

X-Men: First Class - All these superhero movies are starting to run together in my brain, but I remember thinking this was a rather successful addition to the X-Men franchise.  Some of its tones were quite like Captain America.

Kung Fu Panda 2 - Not quite as good as the first, but still one of the better animated films I saw this year.

Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides - Contributed nothing to the series that I can recall, had some fun moments and Jack Sparrow still has appeal, of course, but overall doesn't really work.

Something Borrowed - I like the actors, but this movie pretty much sucked.

Fast Five - Absolutely ridiculous story and action - but it is basically a fun amusement park ride.

Hop - Cute holiday film.

Water For Elephants - I liked this better than I thought I would.  But come on, Pattinson is 10 years junior to Reese and it shows badly.  The story is kind of dark but compelling.

Source Code - Not much in the way of good Sci-Fi this year, this was pretty much tops.

Rio - Cute bird cartoon, it works as an original story.

Arthur - Stupid as it gets, but kind of works.  Kind of.

Limitless - So-so sci-fi action thriller.  See Source Code instead.

The Lincoln Lawyer - Stellar role for McConaughey.  Wicked story, Philippe is nasty and scary.  Made me read the book - recommended.

The Adjustment Bureau -  Sci-fi without all the tech, interesting story.  I liked it.

Rango - I wanted to like this, but I pretty much hated it.  Not a good story, creepy but well-done animation, not funny at all - quite dark.

Hall Pass - Yet another reminder that just because I like the actors doesn't mean I'll enjoy the stupid nastiness of rated R comedies.

Just Go With It  - Aniston is beautiful as ever, but the whole movie doesn't work.

No Strings Attached - I'm not sure exactly what I don't like about Portman.  This is basically the same movie as Friends with Benefits, but not as successful.

(I may add to this if I see a few more 2011 movies in 2012.  Thinking of seeing Tin Tin, or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.)

2010 Movies I Saw

In backwards date order for 2010:

The Hereafter
- Not a thriller. Slow look at three people's lives, affected by death. Interesting, but not revolutionary nor particularly thought-provoking (although it seems to think so of itself). Liked it, but maybe I was biased by Matt Damon's presence.

The Social Network
- Decently made, and fairly interesting. I liked it, but I'm not sure what all the hype is about.


Tron
- Potential in concept and coolness, but seriously lacking in real story/character. The story is a shadow of a story and the characters are shadows of characters. Kind of neat, but incomplete.

The Fighter
- Great movie. Definitely rated R. Based on a true story. What a family. Now I hope Christian Bale goes back to a normal weight.

Little Fockers
- Average movie. Some funny moments, but not great. Owen Wilson was prolific but did not pick them well this year. Ben Stiller did all right here.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
- I liked this one, but I find it hard not to like Shia LeBeauf. I did see what was coming but I thought it was a well-made, engaging, timely tale.

Remember Me
- Eh. Pattinson is a little wooden. Heavy-handed, brooding, with a 'surprise' dark ending that many hated but some loved. I don't think this piece worked.

Inception
- This movie should hold your attention. Intriguing and well-played.

Jonah Hex
- Interesting concept poorly executed - a lot of fight scenes where you can't even tell what is going on or why. Could've been much better.

The Town
- I'm not a Ben Affleck fan, really, but this is a pretty good movie.


How Do You Know

- Ugh this Reese Witherspoon movie was dull and stupid.


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

- Nothing spectacular, but nice telling of the C.S. Lewis book.

The Kids Are All Right

- I liked the part about the kids meeting their dad, but the whole dynamic between the two moms and the dad I just hated.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

- Just what I expected, and worth seeing.

Morning Glory

- Okay, formulaic, kinda like instant coffee.

Life as We Know It

- In a horrible year for romantic comedies, this was better than most, but still not great.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

- Beautifully animated, nice story, but a little weak for adults.

You Again
- Horrible movie. Nothing to like about any of the female characters at all, and I can't remember any of the men in it.

Easy A
- Fun and relatively fresh.

The American
- Very slow-paced and self-important. Well acted, but just not worth making in the first place.

Going the Distance
- Relatively charming. Big time bring-back-the-80's fashion for the cast.

The Other Guys
- Pretty dumb, but maybe okay if it comes on TV.

The Switch
- Nice casting, but a bit sleepy.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Too many boyfriends to kill, but cute and clever. If you're over 45 you might be too old to appreciate this.

Killers
- Charismatic cast but again not that great of a story - could've been better.

Charlie St. Cloud
- Nice, sweet movie.

Ramona and Beezus
- Absolutely darling, highly recommended, safe for all audiences.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- There's just something about Nicolas Cage and Disney. Nothing Oscar worthy but a nice basic adventure.

Grown Ups
- A lot more story than I expected, and some laughs, too.

Toy Story 3
- I can't imagine someone not crying at this very well-made movie.

The Karate Kid
- Very enjoyable movie - love Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith did very well.

Marmaduke
- Pretty lame.

Shrek Forever After (Shrek 4)

- What a waste of animation.

Robin Hood
- A little heavy or trudging at times, but a worthy rendition. A more serious 'epic' take on Robin Hood.

Letters to Juliet
- One good idea, but annoying-as-heck characters. Who are these people?

Just Wright
- Now here is a romantic comedy where the people seem like real people. As they all are, it is predictable, but at least the woman lead isn't a shrill insipid maniac and the man isn't a boorish thug or swooning gigolo fool.

The Book of Eli
- You could possibly be surprised by the ending, but will you believe it? Not destined to be a classic, but not bad.

Iron Man 2
- This one is over-cooked. It may satisfy a basic need for comic-to-movie fare but the first one was better.

Furry Vengeance
- Run, run far far away. This movie is just terrible!

Death at a Funeral
- Better than I expected it to be, should get at least some laughs.

Date Night
- In my book, this was one of the better 'light' movies of the year. Fun.

Green Zone
- My mom fell asleep in this, but I thought it was good.

Hot Tub Time Machine
- Like most comedies these days, lots of base humor, some of it just too much, but you might like some of the 80's nostalgia.

The Bounty Hunter
- What redeeming qualities do either character possess? They deserve each other, I guess.

Cop Out
- This movie felt like it was made 30 years ago and mediocre then.

Alice in Wonderland
- Fantastic and freakish rendition of the Lewis Carroll story.

When in Rome
- All of these stupid romantic comedies can be enjoyed a little if you can get past just how bad they are. This one has some stuff that's kind of 'cute', but I just don't like Kristen Bell.

Shutter Island
- This is the kind of 'horror' I like - suspenseful, thrilling, psychological, and intelligent.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
- Not bad. Good enough I could see them making more of these. The same quality as Voyage of the Dawn Treader without trying nearly as hard or taking itself as seriously.

The Tooth Fairy
- Very cute movie for little kids.

Away We Go
- Interesting, not bad, kind of sweet.

The Spy Next Door
- I'm a sucker for Jackie Chan, so I liked this, but it will be too kiddie and lame for some.

Leap Year
- I could write the same thing for almost all the romantic comedies this year - if you really really don't think very much you can get some enjoyment out of it, but these characters are so unlikable and ridiculous, and the stories so trite that it is hard to overlook.

Recommended:The Fighter,Inception, The Town, The Karate Kid, Charlie St. Cloud, Toy Story 3, Date Night, Wall Street, Harry Potter, Easy A, Scott Pilgrim, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Ramona and Beezus, Green Zone, Alice in Wonderland, Shutter Island, Percy Jackson, The Tooth Fairy

2009 in Review

The 2009 movies we saw:


The Favorites
Invictus
Where the Wild Things Are
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
(500) Days of Summer
State of Play
17 Again
Star Trek
Up
The Proposal
I Love You, Man
Race to Witch Mountain
Knowing
New in Town
Gran Torino
Imagine That


Average Rating
Sherlock Holmes
Avatar
Everybody's Fine
The Blind Side
Disney's A Christmas Carol
The Men Who Stare at Goats
Amelia
Whip It
The Invention of Lying
Julie & Julia
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
All About Steve
Love Happens
Angels and Demons
Fast and Furious
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Hotel for Dogs
It's Complicated

Less than Average
The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Pink Panther 2


Didn't Like That Much
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
The Informant!
Land of the Lost
The Ugly Truth
Made of Honor
Monsters vs. Aliens
He's Just Not That Into You



My Choices for Best (Favorite) and Worst (Least Favorite) of 2009:

Best: State of Play, Where the Wild Things Are, Star Trek

Worst: Made of Honor

2008 Movies -

My favorite of 2008 - Wall-E and Gran Torino

Worst: The Women

The winners:
Eagle Eye
Secret Life of Bees
Mamma Mia!
Kung Fu Panda
Nim's Island
Iron Man
Wall-E
Yes Man (I saw this one in 2009, but had a great time! a bit long but fun, and funny ending!)
Gran Torino (I saw it in 2009, thought it was a very good movie.)

Honorable Mention:
Horton Hears a Who
Dark Knight
Henry Poole is Here
Bedtime Stories

The mediocrity pool:
Jumper
Drillbit Taylor
Be Kind Rewind
Madagascar 2

The Big time losers:
Four Christmases
My Best Friend's Girl
The Women
Don't Mess with the Zohan
every romantic comedy made in 2008 as far as I could tell




The favorites are in bold!

Marley and Me - good, but I don't like crying at movies. About a family and their difficult dog.

Jumper - forgettable, weak, but okay. About a young man who can instantly transport to any location and people trying to kill anyone with his ability.

Ghost Town - nice, a bit slow now and then, and a bit understated, but kind of refreshing even though it is predictable. About a man who has a near-death experience and sees ghosts who needs his help afterward.

Seven Pounds - good, although we had the whole plot worked out before we sat down. About a man who goes to extremes to try to atone for his role in an accident.

Drillbit Taylor - so-so. About kids who hire a bum as a bodyguard at their school.

Be Kind Rewind - I didn't like it. About guys who film their own short versions of movies after they accidentally erase the entire store stock of VHS videos.

Bedtime Stories - Adam Sandler stars in a movie in which he plays an uncle who tells bedtime stories to his niece and nephew while their mom is away and the stories start coming true. Very nice.

Australia - not bad, a bit too long. About a woman who goes to Australia and takes over her husband's cattle business and falls in love.

Tropic Thunder - okay. About difficult movie stars who are filming a Vietnam war movie and are tricked by being put in real situations to make a better film.

Four Christmases - I thought it was too adult and mean-spirited. About a couple visiting their families for the holidays and deciding to change their relationship.

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? - okay. Morgan Spurlock goes to the Middle East and asks a bunch of people if they know where Osama is.

Bolt - Good - see it in 3D Sweet story about a dog who plays a superhero on TV but thinks it is real.

Quantum of Solace - good, not as much as Daniel Craig's first, but still good. About Bond dealing with the aftermath of his love's death and the organization behind it all.

Madagascar 2 - take it or leave it. About the animals trying to go back home but finding love instead.

High School Musical 3 - okay for what it is. A musical about their senior year.


Secret Life of Bees - wonderful movie About a girl who runs away to learn about her mother and finds a new home.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - not as good as I hoped. About two teenagers who fall for each other while pretending to be a couple.

Eagle Eye - good, unrealistic but done well enough you can buy-in. Alien is too much like Hal from 2001. About a man and women who are forced into service in a "Big Brother" type scenario, but they discover what is going on and try to set things right.

My Best Friend's Girl - Having trouble remembering it, I think it was very nasty, mean, bad. About a guy who earns money by dating girls after they dump a guy and behaves horribly with them so they will want to go back to the other guy.

The Women - Just a horrible movie, stay away. About a woman who discovers her husband is cheating on her with a beautiful make-up counter girl at a department store.

The Longshots - Nice sweet story about a girl's relationship with her father and uncle and how she becomes a football quarterback.

The House Bunny - Lame. About a playboy bunny ditzo who becomes a house mother at the most cliche nerdy sorority ever.


Henry Poole Is Here - Very different, good. About a depressed man who moves into a home where people think they see a stain on the side of the house in the image of Jesus Christ and keep coming to his house for miracles, much to his consternation.

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D - Fun. A take on the Jules Verne novel.

Mamma Mia! - Most fun and ridiculousless I had at a movie in years - a guilty pleasure - and no, it doesn't make much sense About a young woman of unknown paternity who is planning to get married and invites all potential fathers to her wedding to try to find out who her father is.

The X Files: I Want to Believe - I hoped for so much more being an X-Files fan. Nothing really paranormal here, really about serial killers and a person surviving by "extreme" organ transplantation.

The Dark Knight - good, of course. About the joker and Two-Face.

Hancock - good movie, but the "plot twist" kind of ruined it for me. About a superhero who doesn't want to be one.

Wall-E - Must see this. About a robot alone on an abandoned Earth until he meets a probe sent to look for life on Earth, falls in love with her, and then follows her back to the mother ship where all remaining humans reside in naive, unhealthy lifestyles.

Get Smart - Enjoyable, nothing Oscar worthy but who cares. A Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 caper.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan - Ugh, stay away from the vulgarity. About an Israeli super soldier/agent who runs away to the U.S. to become a hair-stylist and something much more vulgar.

Kung Fu Panda - Very nice! About a panda who wants to be an elite martial arts expert that is needed to save his village.

What Happens in Vegas - okay, mean-spirited, not as funny as I think the writers hoped, no real chemistry. About two people who get drunk in Vegas, get married on their first meeting, and upon splitting up the next day with plans to divorce win a large jackpot. The judge forces them to live together as man and wife as part of the settlement over the money.

The Andromeda Strain - good TV movie. About a very dangerous pathogen and efforts to save humanity from it.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - okay, a bit disappointing but is similar to previous Indys, just not as fresh. About aliens and Nazis.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Fine. Based on the novel.

Speed Racer - A bit slow at times, but I loved this movie - you have to watch it understanding it is live-action anime. Based on the old cartoon.

Iron Man - best superhero movie I've seen in a long time Based on the comic book.

The Forbidden Kingdom - nice movie for the family to see About a young man brought to an alternate reality to be a martial arts hero and fix his own life, too.

Leatherheads - I do not like the girl! About the beginnings of a football league in the 1920's or so, when it is a dirty sport with few rules that are adhered to.


Nim's Island - Delightful! Based on the children's book, about a girl left alone on an island when her father goes missing and the neurotic author who tries to save her but is not up to the role.

Horton Hears a Who! - I loved this, too! Based on the Dr. Seuss story.

Penelope - Nice. About a girl with a piggish nose from a curse that only true love can break, in modern fairy-tale style.

Definitely, Maybe - Very nice. About a man trying to explain to his daughter the story of how he and her mother met at a time when they are divorcing.

27 Dresses - so-so. About a woman who has been the maid of honor for 27 weddings but remains single.

Fool's Gold - so-so. About a couple whose relationship and lives are endangered by the pursuit for lost treasure at sea.

Over Her Dead Body - pretty bad. About a ghost-woman who tries to interfere with her fiance's fledgling relationship after she dies.

Late additions:

Babylon A.D. - the story itself is not much of a story - disappointing plot or lack thereof. But there is still Vin Diesel.

Wanted - Lame - they try to make it really cool but the story/writing/plot can't support it. The idea could be cool, but the movie is a waste. The main character is alright, but no one else is - they aren't even characters - not developed enough.

War Inc. - This got some bad reviews but I liked it. I really enjoy John Cusack in just about everything I've seen him in. The satirical message was not lost in the entertainment.

21 - Forgettable film about an MIT genius who is recruited by a slimy professor to count cards in Vegas. I wouldn't give him the Harvard scholarship.

The Great Debaters

I just wanted to encourage people to get out and see this film. Yes, its overall http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifstoryline is predictable and the debates are a bit canned, but this is a truly important, well-made story. This movie puts you in the shoes of racism and in the cradle of the civil rights movement with very real, human, interesting characters. You'll see some real courage and real horror in this film.

Here's a link to the review.

What was good in 2007?

I will probably, insha'allah, see one more movie this year - I think my family will see National Treasure 2 next weekend.

I have seen a lot of movies as mom and I go most weekends, but still missed some I would've like to have seen and of course saw some I wish I hadn't.

I believe this is a complete list of what I've seen, in no particular order:

I Am Legend - saw this last weekend. It was well-acted, but the whole zombie thing just isn't my favorite.

Golden Compass - This movie was totally lame, and the agenda of the text author shows.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - I actually really liked this movie, but didn't think I would up front. Very charming, clean.

Enchanted - I liked this, but not quite as much as I wanted to like it.

Fred Claus - Completely forgettable.

Bee Movie - Another forgettable movie.

Dan in Real Life - I liked this much more than I expected to. Most of it is quite awkward but somehow appealing.

Disturbia - Not bad at all for the type of movie it is.

1408 - If you want to see a thriller, this is a great one.

The Simpson's Movie - I didn't have high expectations, but I laughed more at this movie than any I can remember.

Shooter - I liked it.

Spiderman 3 - I thought it was kind of over done, but I still have to like Spidey.

Freedom Writers - I disliked this movie, the teacher made me quite angry from a teacher's perspective. Good idea, but didn't come out well in my eyes.

Stomp the Yard - Okay, not so great.

Ocean's Thirteen - Fine.

The Astronaut Farmer - I really liked this movie.

Wild Hogs - This was enjoyable overall.

Premonition - I hardly remember it, it wasn't that great.

Reign Over Me - This was pretty good.

TMNT - Okay, my nephew wanted to see it. Not easy for an adult to stay awake, but okay.

Blades of Glory - Not bad, totally stupid.

Firehouse Dog - Charming. No great plot, forgettable, but nice.

The Invisible - Okay, kind've hard to remember now.

Georgia Rule - The topic of this movie was unexpected and totally shocking, awful.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - I like superhero movies, but of course it isn't one of the best.

Michael Clayton - Well made movie, but soooooooo slow.

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising - Ummmm, plot anyone? Totally a waste of film - too bad because I really wanted to like this.

The Game Plan - Very cute, fun.

Sydney White - I liked the allegory with Snow White, better than I thought but totally typical teen/college movie lame.

The Brave One - My mom really liked this. It is well-made, but honestly I just hated the whole story, it made me too uncomfortable.

Superbad - Embarrassed I saw this one, it was sooooooo raunchy and bad, we didn't realize how bad it was. I did laugh sometimes but mostly I was just ashamed to be there and keeping my eyes and ears closed.

Transformers - A little light on plot but very cool.

The 300 - Much better than I thought, I kind of liked this.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - I think most of these trilogies become a bit too big by the end, compromising some of the fun and charm. True here, but still not bad.

Norbit - One of the worst, most mean-spirited movies I have ever seen. Nothing that was supposed to be funny was funny, it was just sick!

Ghost Rider - Okay.

Music and Lyrics - Better than expected, it was a good girl's evening out movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Pretty good, but completely flat compared to the books.

Hairspray - Not bad.

The Bourne Ultimatum - For a third of three, it came off well. I love the whole trilogy even though it deviated much from the books.

Rush Hour 3 - We love Jackie Chan, we loved the first Rush Hour. This just should not have been made.

Because I Said So - mediocre, annoying, but moderately satisfying on the chick flick level - only if you don't think too much.

National Treasure 2 - very implausible, but totally fun

The Great Debaters - wonderful and important

The Lookout - very good story, well-written and well-acted, beautiful too



Here are the year's favorites from my perspective:

Bourne Ultimatum
Transformers
Astronaut Farmer
The Great Debaters
The Lookout

And the least favorite:

Norbit
Superbad
Georgia Rule