Bass
Nexus of the World
Maybe I'm jaded in regards to KICK-ASS being considered "good", but there's no way IRON MAN 2 is a "winner". Even Favreau didn't like it.
Planet-man
Well-Known Member
It got largely positive reviews and made dumptrucks full of money at the box office, the most of any comic book film this year. Fanboy and even director approval aren't the only things that can make a film a winner.
Zombipanda
My Boom-Boom's mostly gay
No. Kick-Ass was most assuredly not good.
I do think that, given what it was going up against, you could call Iron Man 2 a winner. I certainly have my issues with it. There were clearly some fundamental flaws in the script, but some of the action sequences were stunning and the acting was far above the standard for superhero movies (Scarjo and Sammyjack excluded). I think it probably has the best cast of any superhero movie produced yet. It wasn't perfect, but it was enjoyable. It wasn't great, but it was good, and while Scott Pilgrim was the better movie, IM2 is (to me at least) probably more rewatchable.
I do think that, given what it was going up against, you could call Iron Man 2 a winner. I certainly have my issues with it. There were clearly some fundamental flaws in the script, but some of the action sequences were stunning and the acting was far above the standard for superhero movies (Scarjo and Sammyjack excluded). I think it probably has the best cast of any superhero movie produced yet. It wasn't perfect, but it was enjoyable. It wasn't great, but it was good, and while Scott Pilgrim was the better movie, IM2 is (to me at least) probably more rewatchable.
Planet-man
Well-Known Member
Even Kick-Ass was hugely enjoyed by most, including most of this board. I guarantee that if they hadn't inexplicably picked one of the only blocks of the year when much of its demographic simply can't go see it(college finals season) to release it, it would've been a runaway hit. Even so, it still turned a profit.
Zombipanda
My Boom-Boom's mostly gay
Planet-man
Well-Known Member
Okay. That's different from the films being "in no way a winner" or "most assuredly not good", in response to an article judging the overall success of the films.
Zombipanda
My Boom-Boom's mostly gay
Well, it is in no ways good. It's borderline terrible, really. The only thing it has going for it is mustache extensions.
Planet-man
Well-Known Member
Daybreakers - Really creative, constant tension, stacked cast, damn good film. Really liked what they did with the concept. 8/10
The Wolfman - This really could've been great, but a lot of the usual things went wrong. Insane amount of CGI, jump-heavy blockbuster scares without much atmosphere or showmanship to them, bizarre pacing, etc. I love a lot of Joe Johnston's stuff but I think he's just not a horror director. M. Night Shymalan could've done a great job with this. Every actor does very well though. Hopkins saves the whole film. 5.5/10
I just read that they cut 17 minutes from the final cut of the film for theaters because the studio wanted audiences to get to the first Wolfman transformation sooner. Joe Johnston's putting these back for the DVD, which I want to see.
Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland - I think as entertainment this is pretty much critic-proof. It has a lot of the same problems with missed showmanship that Burton's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory had, but at the end of the day it's a fun tribute to Carroll's world packed with colourful, captivating visuals, a great cast, and a good old-fashioned fantasy quest element woven through which it's fun to see the well-known characters participate in. Where else are you going to be able to see
6.5/10.
The Crazies - An interesting take on the Zombiepocalypse genre and an effective, suspenseful, scary film overall. Literally every second is suspenseful, never letting up. 7.5/10
Hot Tub Time Machine - Absolutely The Hangover meets Back To The Future, this was hilarious. With a little more effort they could've approached a BTTF level of changed-the-future emotion and satisfaction at the end, but it was still a borderline great movie. 8.5/10
Kick-Ass - Apart from a few details I would've changed, and maybe a different lead actor, this was so ****ing good. 9.5/10
Clash Of The Titans - This wasn't directed very well, and is one of the poorest uses of the 3D process I've seen yet. Worthington's still good, everyone was, especially Mads Mikilsen, there were some AWESOME moments(the whole
was probably my favourite part), and it benefits from the original story still being so good. In a lot of ways it's a great old-fashioned movie, but one of the most powerful feelings it elicted in me is still "appreciation for Peter Jackson". But I still enjoyed it. 7/10
A Nightmare On Elm Street - Barely scary and cluelessly directed, for the most part. But Haley is great and this film's story, and Freddy Krueger, are excellent and way, way more interesting than in the original. Some real horror direction, subtlety and scary imagery could've made the most of that story, but as it is this was still decent overall. 6/10
Iron Man 2 - This was amazingly engaging and entertaining, filled with captivating performances and some of the best effects-fueled action sequences in the whole superhero movie genre. The story parts didn't flow quite as well as in the first film, but the story was far bigger and more ambitious too, and in my opinion, worth that price. I loved every minute of it. 9.5/10
Ridley Scott's Robin Hood - Take Gladiator, mix it with 300, Kingdom of Heaven, and Beowulf and Grendel, now strip it of all the character, the spirit, the fun and the point. Pretty much. A "gritty reboot" of a character whose legend has been kept alive for a thousand years largely because of the merry, swashbuckling, fantastical elements was simply a bad idea. Crowe was great as usual and a potential sequel could really be something. This was not. 5/10. Ebert's review is spot-on.
Edge Of Darkness - I was basically expecting your usual Taken type of thing, but this was so much more(both plot-wise and overall quality). I forgot it was a Martin Campbell film until the end credits, but it's certainly up to his standard. Mel Gibson was amazing. 8.5/10
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus - This is vintage Gilliam. The only frustrating thing is that CGI has replaced his traditional models and clay, which used to account for so much of his signature brand of surreality. Nevertheless, this is a fine film with a great story, tons of excellent performances from an eclectic, amazing cast and the fact that Burton's Alice In Wonderland made like ten times as much at the box office is pretty much a disgrace. Oh well. This will endure where it counts. 9.5/10.
Shutter Island - I swear to god, I watched the first minute of the first trailer when it appeared, decided I wanted to see it and shut my eyes for the remainder of the trailer, and hoped that.... this.... wouldn't be how it ended. When the all the hype over "the twist" started popping up, I assumed that it couldn't be what I was thinking of. At yet it was. I don't know how "the twist" got any hype or acclaim. I barely even get how they decided to put up the effort to make the whole movie and seriously do that ending, let alone also drop rock-solid hints to it throughout. However, every single other aspect of the entire film, acting, directing, editing, cinematography, and most of all characterization and development, was so good that it's still totally worth seeing. Also,
8/10
Splice - The first great creature feature I've seen in a long time. Excellent effects drive a daring story, with really dark humour, solid leads and loads of suspense. Delphine Chaneac's "Dren" is hypnotic. I also was fortunate enough to see it with a great audience who was really into it, laughing and clapping at all the right moments. Anyway, recommended. 8/10
The Book Of Eli - Fallout 3 with Christianity instead of the American Dream. The main reason I was looking forward to this was to balance out the bleakness of The Road(a great film) and explore the more fun side of the post-apoc genre, but it was quite a bit better than I expected. It has a lot of the stuff I hate about religion and faith, but also stuff I love about the idea of God, and they explore it from different sides fairly well. The action was excellently stylized, but sometimes felt kind of out of place in this film. Gary Oldman and his character were excellent, and the musical score was my favourite yet this year.
An entertaining and powerful film. 8/10
If you get it on disc, make sure to check out the animated mini-comic about Billy Carnegie as a kid. More great music too.
Toy Story 3 - Aside from easily being the best film I've seen so far this year, and easily Pixar's best since The Incredibles, this can sit on the shelf next to 1 and 2 as one of the most amazing movies ever made. The twelve year wait made it even more special, and it's a good thing it requires 3D glasses at this point because I don't think there was a dry eye in the house at the end. I remember seeing 1 at age six and 2 at age nine(same ages as Andy) in the theatres as clearly as anything. Seeing 3 at age twenty was another one of a kind experience, and purely epic. 10/10
Inception - "You've heard of an idiot plot? This movie is an idiot plot fractal. No matter how far down into the details you wallow, you still find a whole new, glorious idiot plot." ~ The Agony Booth's review of A Sound Of Thunder (2005)
Replace every instance of the word "idiot" with the word "genius" and you'll get a pretty good idea. I've scarcely seen a movie that has so many, many of the things that make film as a whole great rolled into one. 10/10. Brrrrrrrm.
The Ghost Writer - An intriguingly quirky thriller that gets better and better as it goes on and features Ewan McGregor's best performance in ages. Pierce Brosnan matches him. Polanski remains a truly formidable filmmaker. Definitely recommended. 8/10
Scott Pilgrim VS The World - Too many conflicting circumstances to rate this one properly. In some situations, it might've become one of my all-time favourite movies. In others, I might've been annoyed as heck by it. I've only seen it once. It was a bizarre film to watch in August rather than February. Overall, I really liked it and will probably enjoy further viewings in many different ways.
The Night Chronicles: Devil - Another one basically unratable by me. It's ridiculous and frequently so-bad-it's-good, but it's also just unambitious given that it was working with a premise that could've gone so many places and been a classic. The "scares" are either laughable or incidental. I saw this with TwilightEL and we were like the only people in the theater and we loudly rifftraxed the bejeezus out of every moment and line and it was a riot. I'd be stunned by anyone who took it seriously being satisfied, and it's depressing when you think about how many brilliant, original films out there are going unmade because their writer is a nobody. Shyamalan could salvage his career by just funding projects like that for a while.
The Social Network - The screenplay is almost sexually satisfying in its brilliance, all the actors are dead-on(I genuinely forgot it was Justin Timberlake and not Sean Parker), this might be Fincher's best film along with Zodiac. Inception(which is still my favourite film of the year so far) and this each deserve a screenplay Oscar for original and adapted respectively. Atticus Ross, after an inspiring job on The Book Of Eli score, delivers yet again and it enriches the experience even more. A fascinating story that needed to be told and preserved. We're very lucky they took a chance and made it so well. 10/10
Get Him To The Greek - I was expecting a much more Apatow-ish wild party film that is content to be a hilarious adventure of drug-fueled disasters and thrilling excess. But it only did just enough of that to get by. It's actually a very capable exploration of the definitive Rock Star lifestyle that bothered to make Aldous Snow a really good, fully formed character. In fact, I felt like it was at its worst when it tried to be a goofy modern R-comedy. The substance was great here, and a few moments in particular are unforgettable. Worth it. 7.5/10.
Leaves Of Grass - This was blatantly going to be good, but it ended up being one of my favourite films of the year. The Norton-Norton duo - done to perfection - alone would have made the film worth seeing, but everything else in it is just as good. It manages to be both direct and wonderfully subtle, reflecting its own themes without being.... preachy? It's hard to describe. It's as real and absorbing as movies get, and I hope the Oscars and a wider release give Tim Blake Nelson his due, but whatever the case, I loved it and hope you see it. 10/10
Harry Brown - The concept of your standard street vigilante justice film, but starring Michael Caine, is a great one. However, it really is just that - your standard street vigilante justice film, with almost nothing new to say or add to the genre. After five Death Wish films and the excellent, subversive The Brave One, you have to get more creative than this. Caine is great though and a deleted scene about Chess was one of the best parts of this. 6/10
Predators - Pretty much what it should be, which is a true Predator film(which believes in and understands the concept of the series) and a true '80s-'90s action film with updated effects. The effects were also something to watch for, with extremely realistic CGI being used to enhance the excellent practical effects we expect from the series. The cast worked well enough in general, but Adrien Brody really stood out, playing wildly against type as a grizzled, meaty combat veteran and is totally convincing. Very impressive. The downside is the very open ending which resolves very little. It might as well have had a "To Be Continued" sign before the credits. It BETTER be continued. 7/10
Perrier's Bounty - An aptly-described "urban western" also reminiscent of Crank and Lock Stock. Cillian Murphy owes €1000 to some mobsters, lead by Darren Perrier(Brendan Gleeson), who plan on collecting the night the film starts. Jim Broadbent plays his dad who quickly gets involved in the mess and believes he met the Grim Reaper several nights previous. Instant adventure with a good comic script whose performances make it great. Lots of fun. 8.5/10
How To Train Your Dragon - Fantastic. It defied a lot of my expectations, especially in that it was - at most - 50% a comedy. Everything was well-executed, but the flying sequences and dragon effects in particular really stood out. They also really put some effort into the music, which these films always should. Very impressive and will hopefully quell all the Dreamworks bashing once and for all. 9/10
Unstoppable - This looked really good, but it just.... meh. Maybe the concept was doomed from the start, because the only thing the train can really do is hit things, and after the first time that happens they take everything off the track. They never really treat the train as an antagonist or give it any sort of menacing air, which I think also took it down a peg. Anyway, nothing much happens, the few action sequences are by-the-numbers, and it's completely forgettable. 6/10.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I - Perhaps as expected, this had an inescapable LOTR feel, which was mostly a good thing, but it also makes me want them to have gotten Peter Jackson to direct it. It's beautifully shot, but honestly, I think Yates is the worst of the series' four directors. He has so little sense of timing and showmanship. Things just kind of....happen, and in a story that's already so full of really crazy stuff coming out of nowhere, it really brings it down. There's also been increasingly less focus on music throughout his films, whereas it was one of the best and most cohesive things about the first four. None of the Williams music was used in HBP, and only a few bars of it here. HAVING SAID THAT, there are loads of great moments throughout the film, and frankly.... its still a Potter film, and I'll take any of them any day of the week. 8/10
Valhalla Rising - Bizarre film about a wordless one-eyed slave-warrior(Mads Mikkelsen, aka Le Chiffre from Casino Royale) killing his captors and leading a small band of vikings across the Atlantic to the New World around 1000 A.D., in search of God and other planes of existence. Frequently surreal and confusing, but exceptionally well-shot and filled with interesting layers of symbolism. Some of the best single shots of the year are in this film. Really hard to rate and pends a lot of examination. The making-of doc where you see that they made the whole thing with a crew of about 30 people camping in the mountains of Scotland is very impressive. 7/10
Knight And Day - I expected to like this and was right. Cruise has a lot of fun spoofing himself in a film that's basically one long aside-glance at misogynistic spy films from the 60s and his own usual action films, but is also a solid and entertaining one in its own right. 7.5/10
The Town - Excellently directed, but surprisingly generic otherwise. The way this has been getting raved over just seems to say that the public has an appetite for the same affable blue-collar criminal stories over and over again. An Oscar nomination for Affleck's direction wouldn't be out of line, it's a fine film, it's just not some landmark masterpiece. 7.5/10
Salt - Exactly what you'd expect, with good action and stunts and many layers of twists and turns that're fun to follow. I was entertained and I hope it gets a sequel, which would likely be even better. 7/10
The Oxford Murders - Downright bizarre film about a grad student(Elijah Wood) and a famous professor of Logic(John Hurt) trying to solve a series of murders going on in the Oxford University community by analyzing strange math-based clues. It's very erratic and theatrical. A lot of the dialogue and scenes seem like something out of a play rather than a film(despite being adapted from a Spanish-language novel), and the relationships between all the characters get surreal at times. The crazily elaborate mystery is captivating though, and Hurt is brilliant. I don't know how to rate the film but I certainly enjoyed watching it.
True Grit - For the most part very solid and always well-scripted, and Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld and Damon all become their characters. It's a pretty definitive western.... but I wanted something more, especially out of a Coen brothers film. The John Wayne version was a more memorable and enjoyable adaptation. I would've preferred them to take the story to new heights, especially its ending, than simply film the book. There's so much you could do with Mattie Ross here. It's good, but it's a missed opportunity and didn't reach the haunting levels of that first teaser. 8/10
Black Swan - The most epic Goosebumps episode ever. Mesmerizing, intense and unrestrained. Strangely, it uses a number of things that specifically ruin most modern horror movies, but somehow makes them work. Admirable stuff. Natalie Portman deserves to - and probably will - win the Best Actress Oscar. It also feels like there are so many clever little details almost subliminally hidden throughout the film that it would require multiple viewing to fully appreciate. Right now, 9/10. Sander Cohen would be pleased.
Dinner For Schmucks - The french version, Le Dînner Des Cons, was excellent. I was really interested in comparing the two, and love Steve Carell, but was expecting this to be pretty inferior. However, while the original is still a much more tightly-written film.... the remake was wonderful. It's a kind of loose expansion of the original(in Cons, the titular dinner is planned for the night after the movie takes place and we don't see it. Schmucks takes place over the course of a few days and includes the dinner). While somewhat hit and miss with its humour and bits, the overall plot was extremely satisfying, as were Carell, Rudd, and pretty much everyone invovled. I can see why the reaction at large has been mixed, but I loved it and it made me happier than the vast majority of this year's films. 9/10. I'm tempted to go higher.
The Wolfman - This really could've been great, but a lot of the usual things went wrong. Insane amount of CGI, jump-heavy blockbuster scares without much atmosphere or showmanship to them, bizarre pacing, etc. I love a lot of Joe Johnston's stuff but I think he's just not a horror director. M. Night Shymalan could've done a great job with this. Every actor does very well though. Hopkins saves the whole film. 5.5/10
I just read that they cut 17 minutes from the final cut of the film for theaters because the studio wanted audiences to get to the first Wolfman transformation sooner. Joe Johnston's putting these back for the DVD, which I want to see.
Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland - I think as entertainment this is pretty much critic-proof. It has a lot of the same problems with missed showmanship that Burton's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory had, but at the end of the day it's a fun tribute to Carroll's world packed with colourful, captivating visuals, a great cast, and a good old-fashioned fantasy quest element woven through which it's fun to see the well-known characters participate in. Where else are you going to be able to see
a Jokerized Johnny Depp using a garment mannequin to swordfight a one-eyed Crispin Glover?
The Crazies - An interesting take on the Zombiepocalypse genre and an effective, suspenseful, scary film overall. Literally every second is suspenseful, never letting up. 7.5/10
Hot Tub Time Machine - Absolutely The Hangover meets Back To The Future, this was hilarious. With a little more effort they could've approached a BTTF level of changed-the-future emotion and satisfaction at the end, but it was still a borderline great movie. 8.5/10
Kick-Ass - Apart from a few details I would've changed, and maybe a different lead actor, this was so ****ing good. 9.5/10
Clash Of The Titans - This wasn't directed very well, and is one of the poorest uses of the 3D process I've seen yet. Worthington's still good, everyone was, especially Mads Mikilsen, there were some AWESOME moments(the whole
Medusa sequence
A Nightmare On Elm Street - Barely scary and cluelessly directed, for the most part. But Haley is great and this film's story, and Freddy Krueger, are excellent and way, way more interesting than in the original. Some real horror direction, subtlety and scary imagery could've made the most of that story, but as it is this was still decent overall. 6/10
Iron Man 2 - This was amazingly engaging and entertaining, filled with captivating performances and some of the best effects-fueled action sequences in the whole superhero movie genre. The story parts didn't flow quite as well as in the first film, but the story was far bigger and more ambitious too, and in my opinion, worth that price. I loved every minute of it. 9.5/10
Ridley Scott's Robin Hood - Take Gladiator, mix it with 300, Kingdom of Heaven, and Beowulf and Grendel, now strip it of all the character, the spirit, the fun and the point. Pretty much. A "gritty reboot" of a character whose legend has been kept alive for a thousand years largely because of the merry, swashbuckling, fantastical elements was simply a bad idea. Crowe was great as usual and a potential sequel could really be something. This was not. 5/10. Ebert's review is spot-on.
Edge Of Darkness - I was basically expecting your usual Taken type of thing, but this was so much more(both plot-wise and overall quality). I forgot it was a Martin Campbell film until the end credits, but it's certainly up to his standard. Mel Gibson was amazing. 8.5/10
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus - This is vintage Gilliam. The only frustrating thing is that CGI has replaced his traditional models and clay, which used to account for so much of his signature brand of surreality. Nevertheless, this is a fine film with a great story, tons of excellent performances from an eclectic, amazing cast and the fact that Burton's Alice In Wonderland made like ten times as much at the box office is pretty much a disgrace. Oh well. This will endure where it counts. 9.5/10.
Shutter Island - I swear to god, I watched the first minute of the first trailer when it appeared, decided I wanted to see it and shut my eyes for the remainder of the trailer, and hoped that.... this.... wouldn't be how it ended. When the all the hype over "the twist" started popping up, I assumed that it couldn't be what I was thinking of. At yet it was. I don't know how "the twist" got any hype or acclaim. I barely even get how they decided to put up the effort to make the whole movie and seriously do that ending, let alone also drop rock-solid hints to it throughout. However, every single other aspect of the entire film, acting, directing, editing, cinematography, and most of all characterization and development, was so good that it's still totally worth seeing. Also,
the last line in the film is kind of a mini-twist in its own right and makes it a whole point higher.
Splice - The first great creature feature I've seen in a long time. Excellent effects drive a daring story, with really dark humour, solid leads and loads of suspense. Delphine Chaneac's "Dren" is hypnotic. I also was fortunate enough to see it with a great audience who was really into it, laughing and clapping at all the right moments. Anyway, recommended. 8/10
The Book Of Eli - Fallout 3 with Christianity instead of the American Dream. The main reason I was looking forward to this was to balance out the bleakness of The Road(a great film) and explore the more fun side of the post-apoc genre, but it was quite a bit better than I expected. It has a lot of the stuff I hate about religion and faith, but also stuff I love about the idea of God, and they explore it from different sides fairly well. The action was excellently stylized, but sometimes felt kind of out of place in this film. Gary Oldman and his character were excellent, and the musical score was my favourite yet this year.
Most surprising of all, I liked the ending way more than that of ''Shutter Island''.
If you get it on disc, make sure to check out the animated mini-comic about Billy Carnegie as a kid. More great music too.
Toy Story 3 - Aside from easily being the best film I've seen so far this year, and easily Pixar's best since The Incredibles, this can sit on the shelf next to 1 and 2 as one of the most amazing movies ever made. The twelve year wait made it even more special, and it's a good thing it requires 3D glasses at this point because I don't think there was a dry eye in the house at the end. I remember seeing 1 at age six and 2 at age nine(same ages as Andy) in the theatres as clearly as anything. Seeing 3 at age twenty was another one of a kind experience, and purely epic. 10/10
Inception - "You've heard of an idiot plot? This movie is an idiot plot fractal. No matter how far down into the details you wallow, you still find a whole new, glorious idiot plot." ~ The Agony Booth's review of A Sound Of Thunder (2005)
Replace every instance of the word "idiot" with the word "genius" and you'll get a pretty good idea. I've scarcely seen a movie that has so many, many of the things that make film as a whole great rolled into one. 10/10. Brrrrrrrm.
The Ghost Writer - An intriguingly quirky thriller that gets better and better as it goes on and features Ewan McGregor's best performance in ages. Pierce Brosnan matches him. Polanski remains a truly formidable filmmaker. Definitely recommended. 8/10
Scott Pilgrim VS The World - Too many conflicting circumstances to rate this one properly. In some situations, it might've become one of my all-time favourite movies. In others, I might've been annoyed as heck by it. I've only seen it once. It was a bizarre film to watch in August rather than February. Overall, I really liked it and will probably enjoy further viewings in many different ways.
The Night Chronicles: Devil - Another one basically unratable by me. It's ridiculous and frequently so-bad-it's-good, but it's also just unambitious given that it was working with a premise that could've gone so many places and been a classic. The "scares" are either laughable or incidental. I saw this with TwilightEL and we were like the only people in the theater and we loudly rifftraxed the bejeezus out of every moment and line and it was a riot. I'd be stunned by anyone who took it seriously being satisfied, and it's depressing when you think about how many brilliant, original films out there are going unmade because their writer is a nobody. Shyamalan could salvage his career by just funding projects like that for a while.
The Social Network - The screenplay is almost sexually satisfying in its brilliance, all the actors are dead-on(I genuinely forgot it was Justin Timberlake and not Sean Parker), this might be Fincher's best film along with Zodiac. Inception(which is still my favourite film of the year so far) and this each deserve a screenplay Oscar for original and adapted respectively. Atticus Ross, after an inspiring job on The Book Of Eli score, delivers yet again and it enriches the experience even more. A fascinating story that needed to be told and preserved. We're very lucky they took a chance and made it so well. 10/10
Get Him To The Greek - I was expecting a much more Apatow-ish wild party film that is content to be a hilarious adventure of drug-fueled disasters and thrilling excess. But it only did just enough of that to get by. It's actually a very capable exploration of the definitive Rock Star lifestyle that bothered to make Aldous Snow a really good, fully formed character. In fact, I felt like it was at its worst when it tried to be a goofy modern R-comedy. The substance was great here, and a few moments in particular are unforgettable. Worth it. 7.5/10.
Leaves Of Grass - This was blatantly going to be good, but it ended up being one of my favourite films of the year. The Norton-Norton duo - done to perfection - alone would have made the film worth seeing, but everything else in it is just as good. It manages to be both direct and wonderfully subtle, reflecting its own themes without being.... preachy? It's hard to describe. It's as real and absorbing as movies get, and I hope the Oscars and a wider release give Tim Blake Nelson his due, but whatever the case, I loved it and hope you see it. 10/10
Harry Brown - The concept of your standard street vigilante justice film, but starring Michael Caine, is a great one. However, it really is just that - your standard street vigilante justice film, with almost nothing new to say or add to the genre. After five Death Wish films and the excellent, subversive The Brave One, you have to get more creative than this. Caine is great though and a deleted scene about Chess was one of the best parts of this. 6/10
Predators - Pretty much what it should be, which is a true Predator film(which believes in and understands the concept of the series) and a true '80s-'90s action film with updated effects. The effects were also something to watch for, with extremely realistic CGI being used to enhance the excellent practical effects we expect from the series. The cast worked well enough in general, but Adrien Brody really stood out, playing wildly against type as a grizzled, meaty combat veteran and is totally convincing. Very impressive. The downside is the very open ending which resolves very little. It might as well have had a "To Be Continued" sign before the credits. It BETTER be continued. 7/10
Perrier's Bounty - An aptly-described "urban western" also reminiscent of Crank and Lock Stock. Cillian Murphy owes €1000 to some mobsters, lead by Darren Perrier(Brendan Gleeson), who plan on collecting the night the film starts. Jim Broadbent plays his dad who quickly gets involved in the mess and believes he met the Grim Reaper several nights previous. Instant adventure with a good comic script whose performances make it great. Lots of fun. 8.5/10
How To Train Your Dragon - Fantastic. It defied a lot of my expectations, especially in that it was - at most - 50% a comedy. Everything was well-executed, but the flying sequences and dragon effects in particular really stood out. They also really put some effort into the music, which these films always should. Very impressive and will hopefully quell all the Dreamworks bashing once and for all. 9/10
Unstoppable - This looked really good, but it just.... meh. Maybe the concept was doomed from the start, because the only thing the train can really do is hit things, and after the first time that happens they take everything off the track. They never really treat the train as an antagonist or give it any sort of menacing air, which I think also took it down a peg. Anyway, nothing much happens, the few action sequences are by-the-numbers, and it's completely forgettable. 6/10.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I - Perhaps as expected, this had an inescapable LOTR feel, which was mostly a good thing, but it also makes me want them to have gotten Peter Jackson to direct it. It's beautifully shot, but honestly, I think Yates is the worst of the series' four directors. He has so little sense of timing and showmanship. Things just kind of....happen, and in a story that's already so full of really crazy stuff coming out of nowhere, it really brings it down. There's also been increasingly less focus on music throughout his films, whereas it was one of the best and most cohesive things about the first four. None of the Williams music was used in HBP, and only a few bars of it here. HAVING SAID THAT, there are loads of great moments throughout the film, and frankly.... its still a Potter film, and I'll take any of them any day of the week. 8/10
Valhalla Rising - Bizarre film about a wordless one-eyed slave-warrior(Mads Mikkelsen, aka Le Chiffre from Casino Royale) killing his captors and leading a small band of vikings across the Atlantic to the New World around 1000 A.D., in search of God and other planes of existence. Frequently surreal and confusing, but exceptionally well-shot and filled with interesting layers of symbolism. Some of the best single shots of the year are in this film. Really hard to rate and pends a lot of examination. The making-of doc where you see that they made the whole thing with a crew of about 30 people camping in the mountains of Scotland is very impressive. 7/10
Knight And Day - I expected to like this and was right. Cruise has a lot of fun spoofing himself in a film that's basically one long aside-glance at misogynistic spy films from the 60s and his own usual action films, but is also a solid and entertaining one in its own right. 7.5/10
The Town - Excellently directed, but surprisingly generic otherwise. The way this has been getting raved over just seems to say that the public has an appetite for the same affable blue-collar criminal stories over and over again. An Oscar nomination for Affleck's direction wouldn't be out of line, it's a fine film, it's just not some landmark masterpiece. 7.5/10
Salt - Exactly what you'd expect, with good action and stunts and many layers of twists and turns that're fun to follow. I was entertained and I hope it gets a sequel, which would likely be even better. 7/10
The Oxford Murders - Downright bizarre film about a grad student(Elijah Wood) and a famous professor of Logic(John Hurt) trying to solve a series of murders going on in the Oxford University community by analyzing strange math-based clues. It's very erratic and theatrical. A lot of the dialogue and scenes seem like something out of a play rather than a film(despite being adapted from a Spanish-language novel), and the relationships between all the characters get surreal at times. The crazily elaborate mystery is captivating though, and Hurt is brilliant. I don't know how to rate the film but I certainly enjoyed watching it.
True Grit - For the most part very solid and always well-scripted, and Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld and Damon all become their characters. It's a pretty definitive western.... but I wanted something more, especially out of a Coen brothers film. The John Wayne version was a more memorable and enjoyable adaptation. I would've preferred them to take the story to new heights, especially its ending, than simply film the book. There's so much you could do with Mattie Ross here. It's good, but it's a missed opportunity and didn't reach the haunting levels of that first teaser. 8/10
Black Swan - The most epic Goosebumps episode ever. Mesmerizing, intense and unrestrained. Strangely, it uses a number of things that specifically ruin most modern horror movies, but somehow makes them work. Admirable stuff. Natalie Portman deserves to - and probably will - win the Best Actress Oscar. It also feels like there are so many clever little details almost subliminally hidden throughout the film that it would require multiple viewing to fully appreciate. Right now, 9/10. Sander Cohen would be pleased.
Dinner For Schmucks - The french version, Le Dînner Des Cons, was excellent. I was really interested in comparing the two, and love Steve Carell, but was expecting this to be pretty inferior. However, while the original is still a much more tightly-written film.... the remake was wonderful. It's a kind of loose expansion of the original(in Cons, the titular dinner is planned for the night after the movie takes place and we don't see it. Schmucks takes place over the course of a few days and includes the dinner). While somewhat hit and miss with its humour and bits, the overall plot was extremely satisfying, as were Carell, Rudd, and pretty much everyone invovled. I can see why the reaction at large has been mixed, but I loved it and it made me happier than the vast majority of this year's films. 9/10. I'm tempted to go higher.
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ProjectX2
Don't expect me to take you with me when I go to s
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2004
- Messages
- 25,007
Top 10 Films of 2010.
Honorary mentions: Rabbit Hole, The Kids Are All Right, Shutter Island, Somewhere, The Fighter.
Honorary mentions: Rabbit Hole, The Kids Are All Right, Shutter Island, Somewhere, The Fighter.
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Planet-man
Well-Known Member
Updated above for Black Swan.
There are a few more films I want to see before doing a 2010 Top-Five list, namely Hereafter and The King's Speech. I'm also really interested in Catfish.
There are a few more films I want to see before doing a 2010 Top-Five list, namely Hereafter and The King's Speech. I'm also really interested in Catfish.
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J. Agamemnon
Well-Known Member
I've heard mixed reviews of the King's Speech. I've heard it's a very well made time piece and then I've heard it's Colin Firth's worst role since Mamma Mia. I'm not into musicals save for Fiddler on The Roof so I stay away from reviewing them. This includes Firth's performance in Mamma Mia.
Ultimate Houde
UC's Resident Genetic Recombinator
Firth was typecasted in that movie.
It was annoying.
It was annoying.
ProjectX2
Don't expect me to take you with me when I go to s
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2004
- Messages
- 25,007
The Fighter – A good film with a great performance by Christian Bale. I'm glad David O. Russell directed this instead of Darren Aronofsky because then we might have never seen Black Swan, which is a much better film.
The American – A simple film about George Clooney as an assassin hiding out in a small Italian town. Visually, it's a great film, but there's not much else to it.
127 Hours – A fantastic film with a great performance by James Franco. Danny Boyle continues to be one of my favourite directors.
I knew I would regret making my Top 10 Films list before I saw 127 Hours. The only problem is I don't know what film it would replace. Making lists is hard work.
The American – A simple film about George Clooney as an assassin hiding out in a small Italian town. Visually, it's a great film, but there's not much else to it.
127 Hours – A fantastic film with a great performance by James Franco. Danny Boyle continues to be one of my favourite directors.
I knew I would regret making my Top 10 Films list before I saw 127 Hours. The only problem is I don't know what film it would replace. Making lists is hard work.
Planet-man
Well-Known Member
Updated above for Dinner For Schmucks.
Captain Canuck
The poster formerly known as captaincanuck65
====(In Theatres)====
Datenight -- C+
Greenzone -- B
How to Train A Dragon -- A-
Iron Man 2 -- A-
Robin Hood -- B-
Toy Story 3 -- A
Avatar: The Last Airbender -- D+
Inception -- A+
The Sorcerer's Apprentice -- C
Despicable Me -- B+
The Expendables -- C-
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World -- B
The American -- F
Bunraku -- C+
Devil -- C-
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader -- B-
The Fighter -- A-
True Grit -- B+
The Social Network -- A This was a really great movie. I think i liked just about everything about it. Andrew Garfield in particular did a great job playing the flustered friend. When he
i laughed so hard! Also, Justin Timberlake played a really good hatable character. You could just tell he was slimy right from the beginning. Good movie, one of my favourites of the year.
==== (On DVD)====
Edge of Darkness -- C+
The Book of Eli -- B-
The Losers -- B+
The Karate Kid -- B+
The Other Guys -- C- Man this movie was dumb. There was a lot of potential to make a clever, funny, buddy cop comedy but it just reeked of typical Will Ferrel stupidity. And by typical I mean reusing old gags that were dumb the first time. Homeless people talking about sex; straight from his SNL days. I don't understand why mind-numbing stupidity and shock value gross-out "jokes" pass as humour.
That said, the Tuna/Lion scene, as well as Sam Jackson's "You have the right to remain silent, but I wanna hear you scream!!!!" and a few other parts were truly genius.
Datenight -- C+
Greenzone -- B
How to Train A Dragon -- A-
Iron Man 2 -- A-
Robin Hood -- B-
Toy Story 3 -- A
Avatar: The Last Airbender -- D+
Inception -- A+
The Sorcerer's Apprentice -- C
Despicable Me -- B+
The Expendables -- C-
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World -- B
The American -- F
Bunraku -- C+
Devil -- C-
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader -- B-
The Fighter -- A-
True Grit -- B+
The Social Network -- A This was a really great movie. I think i liked just about everything about it. Andrew Garfield in particular did a great job playing the flustered friend. When he
freaked out and dumped his girlfriend
==== (On DVD)====
Edge of Darkness -- C+
The Book of Eli -- B-
The Losers -- B+
The Karate Kid -- B+
The Other Guys -- C- Man this movie was dumb. There was a lot of potential to make a clever, funny, buddy cop comedy but it just reeked of typical Will Ferrel stupidity. And by typical I mean reusing old gags that were dumb the first time. Homeless people talking about sex; straight from his SNL days. I don't understand why mind-numbing stupidity and shock value gross-out "jokes" pass as humour.
That said, the Tuna/Lion scene, as well as Sam Jackson's "You have the right to remain silent, but I wanna hear you scream!!!!" and a few other parts were truly genius.
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Bass
Nexus of the World
I'm looking forward to THE SOCIAL NETWORK on dvd as I'd like to see it again. I think it was very well done.
nigma
Well-Known Member
to finish out the year.....
True Grit 7.5/10 never have been able to stand the western genre as a whole, still gave it a try. not a bad movie, but they'd loose me every once in a while with the old school proper English stuff.
The Fighter 8.1/10 Good film overall, favorite scene had to be when his girlfriend breaks one of his sisters nose on the front porch. I don't know whether to be impressed or scared at how well Christan Bale does a crack addict.
Tron Legacy 7.4/10 great special effects, story line was....okay. but it just didn't grab me. took me about 3 days to watch it cuz i'd find something more interesting or i'd leave it on in the background.
Stone 7.8/10 its one of those movies where you have to watch it twice to really get it. Edward Norton really does a great job, similar role to American History X.
Tourist 7.6/10 good sit down with some popcorn type of movie. good pace and a decent blend of action, mystery, suspense, and just enough hints to keep you going.
and the year end full list...
grading scale post
True Grit 7.5/10 never have been able to stand the western genre as a whole, still gave it a try. not a bad movie, but they'd loose me every once in a while with the old school proper English stuff.
The Fighter 8.1/10 Good film overall, favorite scene had to be when his girlfriend breaks one of his sisters nose on the front porch. I don't know whether to be impressed or scared at how well Christan Bale does a crack addict.
Tron Legacy 7.4/10 great special effects, story line was....okay. but it just didn't grab me. took me about 3 days to watch it cuz i'd find something more interesting or i'd leave it on in the background.
Stone 7.8/10 its one of those movies where you have to watch it twice to really get it. Edward Norton really does a great job, similar role to American History X.
Tourist 7.6/10 good sit down with some popcorn type of movie. good pace and a decent blend of action, mystery, suspense, and just enough hints to keep you going.
and the year end full list...
grading scale post
- Black Swan N/A: this is one of a very few movies I can't rate. I can't tell if I should be sexually aroused when Mila Kunis eats out Natalie Portman giving her such a nice face. or shutting myself in a room becuase I think im also going crazy when I see and do things that I really havn't done. cuz that little bit'a darkness inside feels sooo good that it wants out but you can't let it, until it just consumes.
- Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader 7.5/10 decent movie, never read the book. didn't really care for the monster thing at the end.
- Due Date 7.3/10 didn't really care for the movie, liked all the stunts and could sympathize with Robert. i would'a left him and not looked back.
- The Warriors Way: 9.5/10: the movie had its little quirks, but i found everything to be at just the right blend. slow motion tech has stepped up, along with the wires stunts, CGI and blood splatter . I just REALLY liked it. if there is one action movie you watch this year make sure its this one.
edit: I think Sngmoo Lee may one day really make a name for himself. - Life as We Know It: 7.4/10 something about babies today. it wasn't a bad movie, it worked out pretty well. A good date movie.
Faster: 8.5/10 It was everything i was expecting it to be. there were no major surprises and there weren't meant to be any and that's what made it so great. it wasn't about a man out for revenge, but retribution that is owned to him. revenge is to kill any and all that get in your way no matter what. for Retribution, only those that need it. - Legend of the Guardians The Owls of Ga'Hoole: 7.7/10 This wasn't what i was expecting. the movie was alot darker than i thought it would be. by the time i got to the end, it all made alot more sense. when i rewatch it again in a couple of months it will probably be a lot more enjoyable. still a great movie to watch.
- Tangled 8.7/10 I really enjoyed it, and you will enjoy it as well, that is my decree!!!!! you laugh, you cry, you cheer, you boo, and you want to reach for your own fry pan :lol:
- Lottery Ticket 6.1/10 great cast, but it just didn't catch me. if ya know what im saying.
- Harry Potter 7 pt 1 7.3/10 for a Harry Potter film it wasn't bad, they better not mess up the bank stuff coming in the next movie.
- MegaMind 8.7/10 another really great film. another one where you will Laugh, Cry, Cheer, Boo, and go for the Black Mamba.
- Red 7.5/10 it was a solid movie, but the old people got to me after a while.
- Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps 8.6/10 Really great movie. Enjoyed every moment of it. most people never understand the difference between the hustle and THE Hustle. this movie does a very good job dealing with both types. if you don't get it, one day you will or maybe never. Money. Power. Respect.
[*]The Town: 7.9/10 crisp, clean and to the point. The Boston accents got to me after a little while. but other than that a well thought out movie.
MACHETE the movie: 8.7/10 its one of those movies that's not really made for the main stream, but just hits the right spot. loved it, even with its faults. - Resident Evil: Afterlife 8.1/10 well made, on par with the rest of the franchise. what, they just had to leave only black guy behind?
- Takers 7.7/10 decent movie all around
- Downstream 7.4/10 A ****ed up movie, that seems SO very possible. you have been warned.
- King of Fighters: 6.4/10 Storyline sucks, but good fighting, except when you know the wires are their.
- Tekken: 6.7/10 Storyline sucks, but good fighting
- Scott Pilgrim storyline= 6.2/10 Graphics=8.5/10 read the review here
- The Expendables:6.5/10. stuff blew up, but that was about it. all the non-blow stuff up parts, you saw in the previews.
- Step up 3: Movie=5.3/10 Dance=9.6/10 The storyline sucked, they always suck. but you don't watch it for the crappy storyline you watch it cuz they can do moves that you know you can't do in your dreams. like the whole scene in the bathroom, holy **** if i could do those moves using a row of sinks. and the stuff at the end with the lights, kept thinking of transformers. and they brought back most of the MSA crew. with Moose as the main supporting cast member.
- Salt: 7.6/10 Really enjoyed the "Silent Action" where the everything is done without any word from the actor and there actions speak for themselves. an enjoyable movie, some of the stunts are a little bit over the top but still believable
- The Other Guys: 6.9/10 Enjoyed the first 15 mins with the Rock and Jackson, after that I didn't really care.
Edit: aim for the bushes.... - Shank: 7.9/10 I'm surprised that I remembered alot of the London slang. Its a movie worth checking out. it reminded me of a cross between Juice and Poetic Justice. The editing and voice over were nicely done with a nicely put together cast.
- Operation Endgame: 6.3/10 it had a good start, but just ended up as a 'lets just kill everyone" fest. with that in mind, the gruesome killings were pretty cool.
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice 7.2/10 Pretty expected story line but decent CGI, storyline could'a used a little bit more work
- Despicable Me: 7.6/10 short, sweet and to the point. pretty decent movie, you know how the movie is going to go, but still nice to watch.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: 4.3/10 it would have been a 3.2, but the i liked the music. full review here and bashing
- Twilight Saga: Eclipse: 7.5/10 Alot like the first two movies in style and everything. they hit all the major plot points, and this time you didn't need to read 200 pages before you got to a plot point. the fight was nicely done, gotta give prop to everyone that put that together. even though it was busy, you could still tell what was going on.
- Grown Ups: 7.9/10 a lot of funny one lines and short clips. loved the girl who played Adam Sandlers daughter just a cute little thing. [what do you mean theres no tooth fairy?] and there was a lot of "suggestive humor" if ya know what i mean.
- Knight and Day 8.4/10 it was a decent movie, some of the stunts were over the top, but what I really liked was the directing and editing of the movie. like drugging Cameron, and then showing snippets of action but not showing the action at the same time. And doing stunts like that in 70's GTO, reminded me of Bullet w/ Steve McQueen.
- Jonah Hex 5.6/10 I don't know what it was, but there was just something about it, that made it suck.....if Robert Rodriguez had done this, it might 'a rocked.
- Toy Story 3: 7.2/10 it was O.K., LOVED the ending ending
- Killers 6.7/10 enjoyed this ALOT better than Date Night
- Green Zone 8.3/10 the street fighting and everything almost felt realist
- A-Team: 7.2/10 Stuff goes BooM
- Karate Kid 9.3/10 Typical heartwarming story, nice progression. worthy of a sequel.
- Date Night 6.1/10 One line funnies.
- Shrek 4 3.4/10 its not funny anymore
- Prince of Persia 8.7/10
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Planet-man
Well-Known Member
Daybreakers - Really creative, constant tension, stacked cast, damn good film. Really liked what they did with the concept. 8/10
The Wolfman - This really could've been great, but a lot of the usual things went wrong. Insane amount of CGI, jump-heavy blockbuster scares without much atmosphere or showmanship to them, bizarre pacing, etc. I love a lot of Joe Johnston's stuff but I think he's just not a horror director. M. Night Shymalan could've done a great job with this. Every actor does very well though. Hopkins saves the whole film. 5.5/10
I just read that they cut 17 minutes from the final cut of the film for theaters because the studio wanted audiences to get to the first Wolfman transformation sooner. Joe Johnston's putting these back for the DVD, which I want to see.
Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland - I think as entertainment this is pretty much critic-proof. It has a lot of the same problems with missed showmanship that Burton's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory had, but at the end of the day it's a fun tribute to Carroll's world packed with colourful, captivating visuals, a great cast, and a good old-fashioned fantasy quest element woven through which it's fun to see the well-known characters participate in. Where else are you going to be able to see
6.5/10.
The Crazies - An interesting take on the Zombiepocalypse genre and an effective, suspenseful, scary film overall. Literally every second is suspenseful, never letting up. 7.5/10
Hot Tub Time Machine - Absolutely The Hangover meets Back To The Future, this was hilarious. With a little more effort they could've approached a BTTF level of changed-the-future emotion and satisfaction at the end, but it was still a borderline great movie. 8.5/10
Kick-Ass - Apart from a few details I would've changed, and maybe a different lead actor, this was so ****ing good. 9.5/10
Clash Of The Titans - This wasn't directed very well, and is one of the poorest uses of the 3D process I've seen yet. Worthington's still good, everyone was, especially Mads Mikilsen, there were some AWESOME moments(the whole
was probably my favourite part), and it benefits from the original story still being so good. In a lot of ways it's a great old-fashioned movie, but one of the most powerful feelings it elicted in me is still "appreciation for Peter Jackson". But I still enjoyed it. 7/10
A Nightmare On Elm Street - Barely scary and cluelessly directed, for the most part. But Haley is great and this film's story, and Freddy Krueger, are excellent and way, way more interesting than in the original. Some real horror direction, subtlety and scary imagery could've made the most of that story, but as it is this was still decent overall. 6/10
Iron Man 2 - This was amazingly engaging and entertaining, filled with captivating performances and some of the best effects-fueled action sequences in the whole superhero movie genre. The story parts didn't flow quite as well as in the first film, but the story was far bigger and more ambitious too, and in my opinion, worth that price. I loved every minute of it. 9.5/10
Ridley Scott's Robin Hood - Take Gladiator, mix it with 300, Kingdom of Heaven, and Beowulf and Grendel, now strip it of all the character, the spirit, the fun and the point. Pretty much. A "gritty reboot" of a character whose legend has been kept alive for a thousand years largely because of the merry, swashbuckling, fantastical elements was simply a bad idea. Crowe was great as usual and a potential sequel could really be something. This was not. 5/10. Ebert's review is spot-on.
Edge Of Darkness - I was basically expecting your usual Taken type of thing, but this was so much more(both plot-wise and overall quality). I forgot it was a Martin Campbell film until the end credits, but it's certainly up to his standard. Mel Gibson was amazing. 8.5/10
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus - This is vintage Gilliam. The only frustrating thing is that CGI has replaced his traditional models and clay, which used to account for so much of his signature brand of surreality. Nevertheless, this is a fine film with a great story, tons of excellent performances from an eclectic, amazing cast and the fact that Burton's Alice In Wonderland made like ten times as much at the box office is pretty much a disgrace. Oh well. This will endure where it counts. 9.5/10.
Shutter Island - I swear to god, I watched the first minute of the first trailer when it appeared, decided I wanted to see it and shut my eyes for the remainder of the trailer, and hoped that.... this.... wouldn't be how it ended. When the all the hype over "the twist" started popping up, I assumed that it couldn't be what I was thinking of. At yet it was. I don't know how "the twist" got any hype or acclaim. I barely even get how they decided to put up the effort to make the whole movie and seriously do that ending, let alone also drop rock-solid hints to it throughout. However, every single other aspect of the entire film, acting, directing, editing, cinematography, and most of all characterization and development, was so good that it's still totally worth seeing. Also,
8/10
Splice - The first great creature feature I've seen in a long time. Excellent effects drive a daring story, with really dark humour, solid leads and loads of suspense. Delphine Chaneac's "Dren" is hypnotic. I also was fortunate enough to see it with a great audience who was really into it, laughing and clapping at all the right moments. Anyway, recommended. 8/10
The Book Of Eli - Fallout 3 with Christianity instead of the American Dream. The main reason I was looking forward to this was to balance out the bleakness of The Road(a great film) and explore the more fun side of the post-apoc genre, but it was quite a bit better than I expected. It has a lot of the stuff I hate about religion and faith, but also stuff I love about the idea of God, and they explore it from different sides fairly well. The action was excellently stylized, but sometimes felt kind of out of place in this film. Gary Oldman and his character were excellent, and the musical score was my favourite yet this year.
An entertaining and powerful film. 8/10
If you get it on disc, make sure to check out the animated mini-comic about Billy Carnegie as a kid. More great music too.
Toy Story 3 - Aside from easily being the best film I've seen so far this year, and easily Pixar's best since The Incredibles, this can sit on the shelf next to 1 and 2 as one of the most amazing movies ever made. The twelve year wait made it even more special, and it's a good thing it requires 3D glasses at this point because I don't think there was a dry eye in the house at the end. I remember seeing 1 at age six and 2 at age nine(same ages as Andy) in the theatres as clearly as anything. Seeing 3 at age twenty was another one of a kind experience, and purely epic. 10/10
Inception - "You've heard of an idiot plot? This movie is an idiot plot fractal. No matter how far down into the details you wallow, you still find a whole new, glorious idiot plot." ~ The Agony Booth's review of A Sound Of Thunder (2005)
Replace every instance of the word "idiot" with the word "genius" and you'll get a pretty good idea. I've scarcely seen a movie that has so many, many of the things that make film as a whole great rolled into one. 10/10. Brrrrrrrm.
The Ghost Writer - An intriguingly quirky thriller that gets better and better as it goes on and features Ewan McGregor's best performance in ages. Pierce Brosnan matches him. Polanski remains a truly formidable filmmaker. Definitely recommended. 8/10
Scott Pilgrim VS The World - Too many conflicting circumstances to rate this one properly. In some situations, it might've become one of my all-time favourite movies. In others, I might've been annoyed as heck by it. I've only seen it once. It was a bizarre film to watch in August rather than February. Overall, I really liked it and will probably enjoy further viewings in many different ways.
The Night Chronicles: Devil - Another one basically unratable by me. It's ridiculous and frequently so-bad-it's-good, but it's also just unambitious given that it was working with a premise that could've gone so many places and been a classic. The "scares" are either laughable or incidental. I saw this with TwilightEL and we were like the only people in the theater and we loudly rifftraxed the bejeezus out of every moment and line and it was a riot. I'd be stunned by anyone who took it seriously being satisfied, and it's depressing when you think about how many brilliant, original films out there are going unmade because their writer is a nobody. Shyamalan could salvage his career by just funding projects like that for a while.
The Social Network - The screenplay is almost sexually satisfying in its brilliance, all the actors are dead-on(I genuinely forgot it was Justin Timberlake and not Sean Parker), this might be Fincher's best film along with Zodiac. Inception(which is still my favourite film of the year so far) and this each deserve a screenplay Oscar for original and adapted respectively. Atticus Ross, after an inspiring job on The Book Of Eli score, delivers yet again and it enriches the experience even more. A fascinating story that needed to be told and preserved. We're very lucky they took a chance and made it so well. 10/10
Get Him To The Greek - I was expecting a much more Apatow-ish wild party film that is content to be a hilarious adventure of drug-fueled disasters and thrilling excess. But it only did just enough of that to get by. It's actually a very capable exploration of the definitive Rock Star lifestyle that bothered to make Aldous Snow a really good, fully formed character. In fact, I felt like it was at its worst when it tried to be a goofy modern R-comedy. The substance was great here, and a few moments in particular are unforgettable. Worth it. 7.5/10.
Leaves Of Grass - This was blatantly going to be good, but it ended up being one of my favourite films of the year. The Norton-Norton duo - done to perfection - alone would have made the film worth seeing, but everything else in it is just as good. It manages to be both direct and wonderfully subtle, reflecting its own themes without being.... preachy? It's hard to describe. It's as real and absorbing as movies get, and I hope the Oscars and a wider release give Tim Blake Nelson his due, but whatever the case, I loved it and hope you see it. 10/10
Harry Brown - The concept of your standard street vigilante justice film, but starring Michael Caine, is a great one. However, it really is just that - your standard street vigilante justice film, with almost nothing new to say or add to the genre. After five Death Wish films and the excellent, subversive The Brave One, you have to get more creative than this. Caine is great though and a deleted scene about Chess was one of the best parts of this. 6/10
Predators - Pretty much what it should be, which is a true Predator film(which believes in and understands the concept of the series) and a true '80s-'90s action film with updated effects. The effects were also something to watch for, with extremely realistic CGI being used to enhance the excellent practical effects we expect from the series. The cast worked well enough in general, but Adrien Brody really stood out, playing wildly against type as a grizzled, meaty combat veteran and is totally convincing. Very impressive. The downside is the very open ending which resolves very little. It might as well have had a "To Be Continued" sign before the credits. It BETTER be continued. 7/10
Perrier's Bounty - An aptly-described "urban western" also reminiscent of Crank and Lock Stock. Cillian Murphy owes €1000 to some mobsters, lead by Darren Perrier(Brendan Gleeson), who plan on collecting the night the film starts. Jim Broadbent plays his dad who quickly gets involved in the mess and believes he met the Grim Reaper several nights previous. Instant adventure with a good comic script whose performances make it great. Lots of fun. 8.5/10
How To Train Your Dragon - Fantastic. It defied a lot of my expectations, especially in that it was - at most - 50% a comedy. Everything was well-executed, but the flying sequences and dragon effects in particular really stood out. They also really put some effort into the music, which these films always should. Very impressive and will hopefully quell all the Dreamworks bashing once and for all. 9/10
Unstoppable - This looked really good, but it just.... meh. Maybe the concept was doomed from the start, because the only thing the train can really do is hit things, and after the first time that happens they take everything off the track. They never really treat the train as an antagonist or give it any sort of menacing air, which I think also took it down a peg. Anyway, nothing much happens, the few action sequences are by-the-numbers, and it's completely forgettable. 6/10.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I - Perhaps as expected, this had an inescapable LOTR feel, which was mostly a good thing, but it also makes me want them to have gotten Peter Jackson to direct it. It's beautifully shot, but honestly, I think Yates is the worst of the series' four directors. He has so little sense of timing and showmanship. Things just kind of....happen, and in a story that's already so full of really crazy stuff coming out of nowhere, it really brings it down. There's also been increasingly less focus on music throughout his films, whereas it was one of the best and most cohesive things about the first four. None of the Williams music was used in HBP, and only a few bars of it here. HAVING SAID THAT, there are loads of great moments throughout the film, and frankly.... its still a Potter film, and I'll take any of them any day of the week. 8/10
Valhalla Rising - Bizarre film about a wordless one-eyed slave-warrior(Mads Mikkelsen, aka Le Chiffre from Casino Royale) killing his captors and leading a small band of vikings across the Atlantic to the New World around 1000 A.D., in search of God and other planes of existence. Frequently surreal and confusing, but exceptionally well-shot and filled with interesting layers of symbolism. Some of the best single shots of the year are in this film. Really hard to rate and pends a lot of examination. The making-of doc where you see that they made the whole thing with a crew of about 30 people camping in the mountains of Scotland is very impressive. 7/10
Knight And Day - I expected to like this and was right. Cruise has a lot of fun spoofing himself in a film that's basically one long aside-glance at misogynistic spy films from the 60s and his own usual action films, but is also a solid and entertaining one in its own right. 7.5/10
The Town - Excellently directed, but surprisingly generic otherwise. The way this has been getting raved over just seems to say that the public has an appetite for the same affable blue-collar criminal stories over and over again. An Oscar nomination for Affleck's direction wouldn't be out of line, it's a fine film, it's just not some landmark masterpiece. 7.5/10
Salt - Exactly what you'd expect, with good action and stunts and many layers of twists and turns that're fun to follow. I was entertained and I hope it gets a sequel, which would likely be even better. 7/10
The Oxford Murders - Downright bizarre film about a grad student(Elijah Wood) and a famous professor of Logic(John Hurt) trying to solve a series of murders going on in the Oxford University community by analyzing strange math-based clues. It's very erratic and theatrical. A lot of the dialogue and scenes seem like something out of a play rather than a film(despite being adapted from a Spanish-language novel), and the relationships between all the characters get surreal at times. The crazily elaborate mystery is captivating though, and Hurt is brilliant. I don't know how to rate the film but I certainly enjoyed watching it.
True Grit - For the most part very solid and always well-scripted, and Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld and Damon all become their characters. It's a pretty definitive western.... but I wanted something more, especially out of a Coen brothers film. The John Wayne version was a more memorable and enjoyable adaptation. I would've preferred them to take the story to new heights, especially its ending, than simply film the book. There's so much you could do with Mattie Ross here. It's good, but it's a missed opportunity and didn't reach the haunting levels of that first teaser. 8/10
Black Swan - The most epic Goosebumps episode ever. Mesmerizing, intense and unrestrained. Strangely, it uses a number of things that specifically ruin most modern horror movies, but somehow makes them work. Admirable stuff. Natalie Portman deserves to - and probably will - win the Best Actress Oscar. It also feels like there are so many clever little details almost subliminally hidden throughout the film that it would require multiple viewing to fully appreciate. Right now, 9/10. Sander Cohen would be pleased.
Dinner For Schmucks - The french version, Le Dînner Des Cons, was excellent. I was really interested in comparing the two, and love Steve Carell, but was expecting this to be pretty inferior. However, while the original is still a much more tightly-written film.... the remake was wonderful. It's a kind of loose expansion of the original(in Cons, the titular dinner is planned for the night after the movie takes place and we don't see it. Schmucks takes place over the course of a few days and includes the dinner). While somewhat hit and miss with its humour and bits, the overall plot was extremely satisfying, as were Carell, Rudd, and pretty much everyone invovled. I can see why the reaction at large has been mixed, but I loved it and it made me happier than the vast majority of this year's films. 9/10. I'm tempted to go higher.
The King's Speech - Very entertaining and charming, with a couple of career-tentpole performances. Colin Firth felt made-for-it rather than typecast to me, and Rush was superb too. The story's a classic. 8.5/10
Cemetery Junction - Consistently toeing the fuzzy line between cliched and classic, but well worth it overall. The trio of leads could all become full-fledged movie stars, and everyone in the cast meets the same great levels. The clichedness of a number of key points stresses the film, but as Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant say in the interviews, it's an intentionally romanticized look back in ways. It's pleasurable, exciting and fun and certainly an unexpected creation from the brilliant duo up there. About an 8.5/10, with a number of scenes of total 10ness.
Mr. Nobody - Science fiction. Jared Leto plays Nemo Nobody, the last mortal human, dying of senescence at 118 years old after civilization has become medically immortal. Barely marketed and just out on disc in North America in the last few weeks. This is a film that will divide opinions, mess with minds, affect lives, be slept through and disregarded, be cherished and derided and celebrated and anything like that. I know what it is for me. Please, please go out and find out what it is for you.
The Wolfman - This really could've been great, but a lot of the usual things went wrong. Insane amount of CGI, jump-heavy blockbuster scares without much atmosphere or showmanship to them, bizarre pacing, etc. I love a lot of Joe Johnston's stuff but I think he's just not a horror director. M. Night Shymalan could've done a great job with this. Every actor does very well though. Hopkins saves the whole film. 5.5/10
I just read that they cut 17 minutes from the final cut of the film for theaters because the studio wanted audiences to get to the first Wolfman transformation sooner. Joe Johnston's putting these back for the DVD, which I want to see.
Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland - I think as entertainment this is pretty much critic-proof. It has a lot of the same problems with missed showmanship that Burton's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory had, but at the end of the day it's a fun tribute to Carroll's world packed with colourful, captivating visuals, a great cast, and a good old-fashioned fantasy quest element woven through which it's fun to see the well-known characters participate in. Where else are you going to be able to see
a Jokerized Johnny Depp using a garment mannequin to swordfight a one-eyed Crispin Glover?
The Crazies - An interesting take on the Zombiepocalypse genre and an effective, suspenseful, scary film overall. Literally every second is suspenseful, never letting up. 7.5/10
Hot Tub Time Machine - Absolutely The Hangover meets Back To The Future, this was hilarious. With a little more effort they could've approached a BTTF level of changed-the-future emotion and satisfaction at the end, but it was still a borderline great movie. 8.5/10
Kick-Ass - Apart from a few details I would've changed, and maybe a different lead actor, this was so ****ing good. 9.5/10
Clash Of The Titans - This wasn't directed very well, and is one of the poorest uses of the 3D process I've seen yet. Worthington's still good, everyone was, especially Mads Mikilsen, there were some AWESOME moments(the whole
Medusa sequence
A Nightmare On Elm Street - Barely scary and cluelessly directed, for the most part. But Haley is great and this film's story, and Freddy Krueger, are excellent and way, way more interesting than in the original. Some real horror direction, subtlety and scary imagery could've made the most of that story, but as it is this was still decent overall. 6/10
Iron Man 2 - This was amazingly engaging and entertaining, filled with captivating performances and some of the best effects-fueled action sequences in the whole superhero movie genre. The story parts didn't flow quite as well as in the first film, but the story was far bigger and more ambitious too, and in my opinion, worth that price. I loved every minute of it. 9.5/10
Ridley Scott's Robin Hood - Take Gladiator, mix it with 300, Kingdom of Heaven, and Beowulf and Grendel, now strip it of all the character, the spirit, the fun and the point. Pretty much. A "gritty reboot" of a character whose legend has been kept alive for a thousand years largely because of the merry, swashbuckling, fantastical elements was simply a bad idea. Crowe was great as usual and a potential sequel could really be something. This was not. 5/10. Ebert's review is spot-on.
Edge Of Darkness - I was basically expecting your usual Taken type of thing, but this was so much more(both plot-wise and overall quality). I forgot it was a Martin Campbell film until the end credits, but it's certainly up to his standard. Mel Gibson was amazing. 8.5/10
The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus - This is vintage Gilliam. The only frustrating thing is that CGI has replaced his traditional models and clay, which used to account for so much of his signature brand of surreality. Nevertheless, this is a fine film with a great story, tons of excellent performances from an eclectic, amazing cast and the fact that Burton's Alice In Wonderland made like ten times as much at the box office is pretty much a disgrace. Oh well. This will endure where it counts. 9.5/10.
Shutter Island - I swear to god, I watched the first minute of the first trailer when it appeared, decided I wanted to see it and shut my eyes for the remainder of the trailer, and hoped that.... this.... wouldn't be how it ended. When the all the hype over "the twist" started popping up, I assumed that it couldn't be what I was thinking of. At yet it was. I don't know how "the twist" got any hype or acclaim. I barely even get how they decided to put up the effort to make the whole movie and seriously do that ending, let alone also drop rock-solid hints to it throughout. However, every single other aspect of the entire film, acting, directing, editing, cinematography, and most of all characterization and development, was so good that it's still totally worth seeing. Also,
the last line in the film is kind of a mini-twist in its own right and makes it a whole point higher.
Splice - The first great creature feature I've seen in a long time. Excellent effects drive a daring story, with really dark humour, solid leads and loads of suspense. Delphine Chaneac's "Dren" is hypnotic. I also was fortunate enough to see it with a great audience who was really into it, laughing and clapping at all the right moments. Anyway, recommended. 8/10
The Book Of Eli - Fallout 3 with Christianity instead of the American Dream. The main reason I was looking forward to this was to balance out the bleakness of The Road(a great film) and explore the more fun side of the post-apoc genre, but it was quite a bit better than I expected. It has a lot of the stuff I hate about religion and faith, but also stuff I love about the idea of God, and they explore it from different sides fairly well. The action was excellently stylized, but sometimes felt kind of out of place in this film. Gary Oldman and his character were excellent, and the musical score was my favourite yet this year.
Most surprising of all, I liked the ending way more than that of ''Shutter Island''.
If you get it on disc, make sure to check out the animated mini-comic about Billy Carnegie as a kid. More great music too.
Toy Story 3 - Aside from easily being the best film I've seen so far this year, and easily Pixar's best since The Incredibles, this can sit on the shelf next to 1 and 2 as one of the most amazing movies ever made. The twelve year wait made it even more special, and it's a good thing it requires 3D glasses at this point because I don't think there was a dry eye in the house at the end. I remember seeing 1 at age six and 2 at age nine(same ages as Andy) in the theatres as clearly as anything. Seeing 3 at age twenty was another one of a kind experience, and purely epic. 10/10
Inception - "You've heard of an idiot plot? This movie is an idiot plot fractal. No matter how far down into the details you wallow, you still find a whole new, glorious idiot plot." ~ The Agony Booth's review of A Sound Of Thunder (2005)
Replace every instance of the word "idiot" with the word "genius" and you'll get a pretty good idea. I've scarcely seen a movie that has so many, many of the things that make film as a whole great rolled into one. 10/10. Brrrrrrrm.
The Ghost Writer - An intriguingly quirky thriller that gets better and better as it goes on and features Ewan McGregor's best performance in ages. Pierce Brosnan matches him. Polanski remains a truly formidable filmmaker. Definitely recommended. 8/10
Scott Pilgrim VS The World - Too many conflicting circumstances to rate this one properly. In some situations, it might've become one of my all-time favourite movies. In others, I might've been annoyed as heck by it. I've only seen it once. It was a bizarre film to watch in August rather than February. Overall, I really liked it and will probably enjoy further viewings in many different ways.
The Night Chronicles: Devil - Another one basically unratable by me. It's ridiculous and frequently so-bad-it's-good, but it's also just unambitious given that it was working with a premise that could've gone so many places and been a classic. The "scares" are either laughable or incidental. I saw this with TwilightEL and we were like the only people in the theater and we loudly rifftraxed the bejeezus out of every moment and line and it was a riot. I'd be stunned by anyone who took it seriously being satisfied, and it's depressing when you think about how many brilliant, original films out there are going unmade because their writer is a nobody. Shyamalan could salvage his career by just funding projects like that for a while.
The Social Network - The screenplay is almost sexually satisfying in its brilliance, all the actors are dead-on(I genuinely forgot it was Justin Timberlake and not Sean Parker), this might be Fincher's best film along with Zodiac. Inception(which is still my favourite film of the year so far) and this each deserve a screenplay Oscar for original and adapted respectively. Atticus Ross, after an inspiring job on The Book Of Eli score, delivers yet again and it enriches the experience even more. A fascinating story that needed to be told and preserved. We're very lucky they took a chance and made it so well. 10/10
Get Him To The Greek - I was expecting a much more Apatow-ish wild party film that is content to be a hilarious adventure of drug-fueled disasters and thrilling excess. But it only did just enough of that to get by. It's actually a very capable exploration of the definitive Rock Star lifestyle that bothered to make Aldous Snow a really good, fully formed character. In fact, I felt like it was at its worst when it tried to be a goofy modern R-comedy. The substance was great here, and a few moments in particular are unforgettable. Worth it. 7.5/10.
Leaves Of Grass - This was blatantly going to be good, but it ended up being one of my favourite films of the year. The Norton-Norton duo - done to perfection - alone would have made the film worth seeing, but everything else in it is just as good. It manages to be both direct and wonderfully subtle, reflecting its own themes without being.... preachy? It's hard to describe. It's as real and absorbing as movies get, and I hope the Oscars and a wider release give Tim Blake Nelson his due, but whatever the case, I loved it and hope you see it. 10/10
Harry Brown - The concept of your standard street vigilante justice film, but starring Michael Caine, is a great one. However, it really is just that - your standard street vigilante justice film, with almost nothing new to say or add to the genre. After five Death Wish films and the excellent, subversive The Brave One, you have to get more creative than this. Caine is great though and a deleted scene about Chess was one of the best parts of this. 6/10
Predators - Pretty much what it should be, which is a true Predator film(which believes in and understands the concept of the series) and a true '80s-'90s action film with updated effects. The effects were also something to watch for, with extremely realistic CGI being used to enhance the excellent practical effects we expect from the series. The cast worked well enough in general, but Adrien Brody really stood out, playing wildly against type as a grizzled, meaty combat veteran and is totally convincing. Very impressive. The downside is the very open ending which resolves very little. It might as well have had a "To Be Continued" sign before the credits. It BETTER be continued. 7/10
Perrier's Bounty - An aptly-described "urban western" also reminiscent of Crank and Lock Stock. Cillian Murphy owes €1000 to some mobsters, lead by Darren Perrier(Brendan Gleeson), who plan on collecting the night the film starts. Jim Broadbent plays his dad who quickly gets involved in the mess and believes he met the Grim Reaper several nights previous. Instant adventure with a good comic script whose performances make it great. Lots of fun. 8.5/10
How To Train Your Dragon - Fantastic. It defied a lot of my expectations, especially in that it was - at most - 50% a comedy. Everything was well-executed, but the flying sequences and dragon effects in particular really stood out. They also really put some effort into the music, which these films always should. Very impressive and will hopefully quell all the Dreamworks bashing once and for all. 9/10
Unstoppable - This looked really good, but it just.... meh. Maybe the concept was doomed from the start, because the only thing the train can really do is hit things, and after the first time that happens they take everything off the track. They never really treat the train as an antagonist or give it any sort of menacing air, which I think also took it down a peg. Anyway, nothing much happens, the few action sequences are by-the-numbers, and it's completely forgettable. 6/10.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part I - Perhaps as expected, this had an inescapable LOTR feel, which was mostly a good thing, but it also makes me want them to have gotten Peter Jackson to direct it. It's beautifully shot, but honestly, I think Yates is the worst of the series' four directors. He has so little sense of timing and showmanship. Things just kind of....happen, and in a story that's already so full of really crazy stuff coming out of nowhere, it really brings it down. There's also been increasingly less focus on music throughout his films, whereas it was one of the best and most cohesive things about the first four. None of the Williams music was used in HBP, and only a few bars of it here. HAVING SAID THAT, there are loads of great moments throughout the film, and frankly.... its still a Potter film, and I'll take any of them any day of the week. 8/10
Valhalla Rising - Bizarre film about a wordless one-eyed slave-warrior(Mads Mikkelsen, aka Le Chiffre from Casino Royale) killing his captors and leading a small band of vikings across the Atlantic to the New World around 1000 A.D., in search of God and other planes of existence. Frequently surreal and confusing, but exceptionally well-shot and filled with interesting layers of symbolism. Some of the best single shots of the year are in this film. Really hard to rate and pends a lot of examination. The making-of doc where you see that they made the whole thing with a crew of about 30 people camping in the mountains of Scotland is very impressive. 7/10
Knight And Day - I expected to like this and was right. Cruise has a lot of fun spoofing himself in a film that's basically one long aside-glance at misogynistic spy films from the 60s and his own usual action films, but is also a solid and entertaining one in its own right. 7.5/10
The Town - Excellently directed, but surprisingly generic otherwise. The way this has been getting raved over just seems to say that the public has an appetite for the same affable blue-collar criminal stories over and over again. An Oscar nomination for Affleck's direction wouldn't be out of line, it's a fine film, it's just not some landmark masterpiece. 7.5/10
Salt - Exactly what you'd expect, with good action and stunts and many layers of twists and turns that're fun to follow. I was entertained and I hope it gets a sequel, which would likely be even better. 7/10
The Oxford Murders - Downright bizarre film about a grad student(Elijah Wood) and a famous professor of Logic(John Hurt) trying to solve a series of murders going on in the Oxford University community by analyzing strange math-based clues. It's very erratic and theatrical. A lot of the dialogue and scenes seem like something out of a play rather than a film(despite being adapted from a Spanish-language novel), and the relationships between all the characters get surreal at times. The crazily elaborate mystery is captivating though, and Hurt is brilliant. I don't know how to rate the film but I certainly enjoyed watching it.
True Grit - For the most part very solid and always well-scripted, and Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld and Damon all become their characters. It's a pretty definitive western.... but I wanted something more, especially out of a Coen brothers film. The John Wayne version was a more memorable and enjoyable adaptation. I would've preferred them to take the story to new heights, especially its ending, than simply film the book. There's so much you could do with Mattie Ross here. It's good, but it's a missed opportunity and didn't reach the haunting levels of that first teaser. 8/10
Black Swan - The most epic Goosebumps episode ever. Mesmerizing, intense and unrestrained. Strangely, it uses a number of things that specifically ruin most modern horror movies, but somehow makes them work. Admirable stuff. Natalie Portman deserves to - and probably will - win the Best Actress Oscar. It also feels like there are so many clever little details almost subliminally hidden throughout the film that it would require multiple viewing to fully appreciate. Right now, 9/10. Sander Cohen would be pleased.
Dinner For Schmucks - The french version, Le Dînner Des Cons, was excellent. I was really interested in comparing the two, and love Steve Carell, but was expecting this to be pretty inferior. However, while the original is still a much more tightly-written film.... the remake was wonderful. It's a kind of loose expansion of the original(in Cons, the titular dinner is planned for the night after the movie takes place and we don't see it. Schmucks takes place over the course of a few days and includes the dinner). While somewhat hit and miss with its humour and bits, the overall plot was extremely satisfying, as were Carell, Rudd, and pretty much everyone invovled. I can see why the reaction at large has been mixed, but I loved it and it made me happier than the vast majority of this year's films. 9/10. I'm tempted to go higher.
The King's Speech - Very entertaining and charming, with a couple of career-tentpole performances. Colin Firth felt made-for-it rather than typecast to me, and Rush was superb too. The story's a classic. 8.5/10
Cemetery Junction - Consistently toeing the fuzzy line between cliched and classic, but well worth it overall. The trio of leads could all become full-fledged movie stars, and everyone in the cast meets the same great levels. The clichedness of a number of key points stresses the film, but as Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant say in the interviews, it's an intentionally romanticized look back in ways. It's pleasurable, exciting and fun and certainly an unexpected creation from the brilliant duo up there. About an 8.5/10, with a number of scenes of total 10ness.
Mr. Nobody - Science fiction. Jared Leto plays Nemo Nobody, the last mortal human, dying of senescence at 118 years old after civilization has become medically immortal. Barely marketed and just out on disc in North America in the last few weeks. This is a film that will divide opinions, mess with minds, affect lives, be slept through and disregarded, be cherished and derided and celebrated and anything like that. I know what it is for me. Please, please go out and find out what it is for you.
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Captain Canuck
The poster formerly known as captaincanuck65
====(In Theatres)====
Datenight -- C+
Greenzone -- B
How to Train A Dragon -- A-
Iron Man 2 -- A-
Robin Hood -- B-
Toy Story 3 -- A
Avatar: The Last Airbender -- D+
Inception -- A+
The Sorcerer's Apprentice -- C
Despicable Me -- B+
The Expendables -- C-
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World -- B
The American -- F
Bunraku -- C+
Devil -- C-
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader -- B-
The Fighter -- A-
True Grit -- B+
The Social Network -- A
The King's Speech -- A+ What a great movie! I had hoped that The Social Network would win (well, really i want Inception to, but it won't) but now I'm rooting for this movie. Everyone involved did an amazing job.
I find it rather amusing that in the States this film is rated R for language. Given there are probably around 15 f-words, which is far more than is allowed in a PG-13 movie in the US, but considering the context in which the swearing took place, it just seems asinine to give this movie the same rating as Saw, Pirhanna 3-D, Jackass 3-D, or even the Fighter. I don't think the rating it got in Ontario was proper either (PG) but I can understand the Weinsteins being upset with the MPAA (and even suing them).
==== (On DVD)====
Edge of Darkness -- C+
The Book of Eli -- B-
The Losers -- B+
The Karate Kid -- B+
The Other Guys -- C-
Datenight -- C+
Greenzone -- B
How to Train A Dragon -- A-
Iron Man 2 -- A-
Robin Hood -- B-
Toy Story 3 -- A
Avatar: The Last Airbender -- D+
Inception -- A+
The Sorcerer's Apprentice -- C
Despicable Me -- B+
The Expendables -- C-
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World -- B
The American -- F
Bunraku -- C+
Devil -- C-
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader -- B-
The Fighter -- A-
True Grit -- B+
The Social Network -- A
The King's Speech -- A+ What a great movie! I had hoped that The Social Network would win (well, really i want Inception to, but it won't) but now I'm rooting for this movie. Everyone involved did an amazing job.
I find it rather amusing that in the States this film is rated R for language. Given there are probably around 15 f-words, which is far more than is allowed in a PG-13 movie in the US, but considering the context in which the swearing took place, it just seems asinine to give this movie the same rating as Saw, Pirhanna 3-D, Jackass 3-D, or even the Fighter. I don't think the rating it got in Ontario was proper either (PG) but I can understand the Weinsteins being upset with the MPAA (and even suing them).
==== (On DVD)====
Edge of Darkness -- C+
The Book of Eli -- B-
The Losers -- B+
The Karate Kid -- B+
The Other Guys -- C-
ultimatedjf
Well-Known Member
10. Animal Kingdom
9. Tangled
8. Black Swan
7. 127 Hours
6. The Fighter
5. The Social Network
4. Let Me In
3. Greenberg
2. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
1. Somewhere
9. Tangled
8. Black Swan
7. 127 Hours
6. The Fighter
5. The Social Network
4. Let Me In
3. Greenberg
2. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
1. Somewhere
