I give it a 8/10 only because I dislike when I can easily predict what's going to happen. Sean Penn is wonderful of course, and it was nice to see Emma Stone in something new other than a girly type of movie.
Really loved the cinematography and slow motion gun scene in the hotel lobby.
Here Comes the Boom - 6/10 for an adult, 7/10 for family
Surprised about the PG rating considering the physical pounding and minor blood in the third act.
Lotta (nice) semi-subtle Christian acts sprinkled throughout.
It's a decent family film for 10 and up.
Sinister - 4/10
Sucked donkey balls.
Don't even waste your time on this unless you just fell off the horror turnip truck.
But it made a sh!tload of money for its budget, and that's the important thing to keep in mind.
The Master - 5/10
Boring as dirt. Gorgeous to look at. CLASSSSSIC awards fodder.
If you're in the mood for some faux mystical mumbo-jumbo self-naveling pretentious rubbish - YOU'LL LOVE IT!
I gave it an extra point JUST for the cinematography + color grading alone, which are study worthy.
Coriolanus - 2/10
... zzzz...
Insufferable recitation of Shakespeare in modern events.
Spare me.
However, if you like this material then I'd also recommend The Tempest.
Something for everyone, I suppose.
Beasts of the Southern Wild - 5.5/10
Beats the cr@p outta me why everyone went ga-ga over this.
Maybe it's because I despise dysfunction as entertainment; the circumstances, while ostensibly touching, are just too f#cked up for me to enjoy.
That said, the camera work is something to appreciate.
The Campaign - 6/10
Had a few good laughs in it, but they were too far in between.
Lumpy pacing.
Lotta buggered opportunities to make an actually better film, instead they took the low-road to humor.
Both leads have done much better work.
Killer Joe - 2/10
WTF wazzat?
Don't even waste your time.
Skip right over this when you see the title.
"Darkly comic" my pasty white @ss. Effing retarded is more like it.
Identity Thief: 6/10
Jay and Silent Bob go Irish: 7/10 (not really a movie, but was still a decent watch)
Jack Reacher: 5/10
Parental Guidance: 6/10
The Hurt Locker: 6/10
Wreck it Ralph: 6/10
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: 5/10
Chinese Zodiac: 5/10
Okay, the ending fell a little flat. The ending seems less than brilliant to me, at least at the moment. It's almost as though they ran out of money to complete the shoot, or just didn't know how to end it or where to go with it (understandable), lazy maybe (which I doubt considering how much they put into the rest of the picture), or I don't know what.
So it probably shouldn't get an A. Except that I much enjoyed the rest of it. Different. Unconventional. Fun.
So darn, not quite a home run. But I wanted it to be. And I still want to give it a high rating 'cause I thought it was pretty entertaining.
A Lynchian rock 'n' roll musical in space with a really low budget. But also not Lynchian in that it's more fun, comedic, and lighthearted than anything Lynch. I dug the music and the off-the-wall creativity of it.
I just watched AMOUR, and I'm in the minority that felt a bit cold from watching it. Maybe because I was expecting so much more given its rave reviews.
Performances were understated in a great way, but it felt a bit clinical. I get a sense that Haneke wanted to tell the story in a matter-of-fact way with the intent of giving the story that much more realism (with the hopes of greater emotional punch because of that matter-of-fact realism), but that intent (at least to me) seemed to have backfired. I was also surprised because the story itself isn't alien to my own personal experience right now witnessing my own parents dealing with my grandmother who is so similar to Riva's character in many ways.
The first 10 minutes of UP got to me more, given its narrative parallels.
The Panic in Needle Park - 6/10 - eh, it was ok, thought that Al Pacino and Kitty Winne were good, but just didn't get too into it
Grave Encounters - ?/10 - had to turn it off after about 30 minutes, just didnt pick up fast enough for me
Land of the Dead - 6/10 - awful zombie movie, but was just what I needed when I watched it
Ed Gein - 6/10/ - eh, was not too sure how close the actor actually portrayed him so had some trouble believing it
Safety Not Guaranteed - 7.5/10 - was actually pretty decent film, very quirky and had some funny parts
Frontline: The Confessions - 9/10 - biased because I love legal/criminal documentaries, especially when I get to see a state so hell bent on convicting someone that all rationality is thrown out the window
Spring Breakers - 8/10 - biased because I like some of Harmony Korine's work, also biased because I do not see anything wrong with seeing girls frolick along in bikini's for 90% of a movie - plus Franco was so over-the-top, it was absurd
Beautiful Losers - 7/10 - interesting documentary about a collective of artists, good stuff
The Way - 8/10 - even though it was very forumlaic, I really liked this film, thought that Martin Sheen did a good job
[Rec] 3: Genesis - ?/10 - fell asleep as soon as the action stareted, will have to try again another day
Brother's Keeper - 8.75/10 - great documentary about the Ward brothers, was very impressed with it'
Stolen - 6/10 - eh, there was some of the story that I didn't think made sense, but it was decent for what it was. Had to give an extra point for having Rhona Mitra in it
Just Another Love Story - 8.5/10 - really surprised by this film, I enjoyed it more than I originally thought that I would
I hate trying to give it a mark, but here are some brief thoughts
Oblivion - Wasn't exactly what I was expecting but pretty damn good! I enjoyed this, will watch at least once again
Olympus has Fallen - Typ American disaster kind of movie but a bit better actually, was a little more believable and you actually felt tense a little bit
Iron Man 3 - Only seen no. 1, not even The Avengers yet unfortunately, but it was pretty good, was surprisingly funny
Predictable, stupid, shallow, nonsensical... it's OK for a bit of mindless entertainment but even then I was kinda bored by the end of it. If Arnie hadn't of backed the shit out of it, it would've been direct to DVD, if it was made at all.
Sinister
** out of ****
This movie was just simply stupid, however the 8mm squences were really really really twisted.
Drive
**** out of ****
I really can't say enough about this film. Just got around to re-watching it and it's still such a treat. Beautifully crafted.
Oblivion
**1/2 out of *****
Let me say that the OST is the only reason I saw this film, and it was worth every penny. M83's soundtrack only enhanced the already breathtaking art in this film created by Joseph Kosinski. Certainly it retains the director's feel from Tron (a true visual candy land).
Simon Pegg plays the role of a writer who has researched serial killers and becomes paranoid that he's going to be murdered. This leads him to confront his childhood fears and resolve, sort-of, his issues in an... err... unique way.
Dark comedy that I felt was cleverly written, well acted, had some beautiful shots (at least to my untrained eye) and was genuinely funny and entertaining. Not everyone's style but definitely worth giving a shot.
Good job, Keanu. I first paid to see it on YouTube, something I'd never done before or since. Now it's on Netflix, and you can watch it over and over, if you liked. Nice. Good acquisition, Netflix. Easy to recommend to I.T.ers.
Iron Man 3. Pretty decent. Better than 2, I think. But still not as good as 1.
Oblivion. Kind of meh. But hey, anytime anyone wants to spend a lot of money on an at least half decent sci fi film, they're going to score big points with me, even if the result is a bit meh. My appetite for these kinds of films is pretty much unquenchable, so there ya go. So, an easy recommend to other sci fi lovers, just don't expect to have your socks knocked off, either. It's fair.
Defiance, Episode 1, the new SyFy channel series. MmmmmMeh. It's no Game of Thrones, or something, but not so bad for a hungry sci fi lover, either. I'll probably try watching Episode 2 too soon.
Oh, okay, I think I'm more solidly a fan after watching Episode 2. They got me in the resolution with the
"You did the right thing"
moment. Also, I loved the
Nirvana cover, and the montage that went with it
was decent.
I'm also on Episode 5 of Netflix's Harmony Grove. Not so bad either. It's a little bit American Horror Story, I suppose. Or maybe it's more comparable to those vampire series on current TV, none of which I've followed or really watched. Guess I'm working up to starting House of Cards, which has a lot of positive buzz. Anyway, HG ain't half bad so far.
Contagion - Doing a Soderbergh catch up, this was OK. Bit of a schmooze fest with all the A Listers in there for no particular reason... A solid 7
Thirst - Park Chan-Wooks Vampire film... Pretty cool, not as visually awesome as Cyborg or Stoker but had some pretty cool and funny moments. Sound Design was ace. 7.5
Spring Breakers - Really weird film, wasn't convinced by it but the more I think about it afterwards the better it seems. A truly META film in many respects. 8.5
A Place Behind The Pines - Was very disappointed by this, expected a real showcase of acting talent and drama and instead it's a very sleepy story that plods through without any really likeable characters or interesting plot themes. 7
Trance - Danny Boyle tries to cover a rather ambitious and daft plot with LOUD music and jaunty camera angles. 6
Ulysses Gaze - Slow paced and beautifully shot, Harvey Keitel tries to find the first Balkan film. Generally it was OK but there were a few scenes of jaw dropping brilliance... a perfect example is this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3I1ng9hVP0 7.5
Promised Land - if they get rid of the last 3 minutes where Matt Damon's character goes soft, it would get an 8 from me (mostly because I'm a fan of Frances McDormand and John Kosinski ), but as it is...a 6.
The Expendables 2 - 5/10
Uh... if you can just turn off your brain and watch big guys shoot sh!t + blow up sh!t this might be okay.
But if your brain actually stays plugged in and you've seen more than one action flick then you probably won't enjoy this.
Magic Mike - 6/10
This was NOT what I was expecting. I thought it would be fun, but it isn't.
Kinduva bumbling story of a guy that only half knows WTH he's doing in life.
Yay. (Yawn)
Kinda disappointed in Soderbergh on this one.
Made a sh!tload of bank over production budget, and for that it has my respect.
This Must Be The Place - 7/10
Sean Penn plays an former musician (who looks like Robert Smith, name an obvious tribute to Siouxsie Sioux) who goes to find the former nazi who tormented his father. Soundtrack by David Byrne with songs by Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy). That right there should tell you if you will like it or not. I loved it. It was very quirky and endearing (reminded me a lot of True Stories, starring David Byrne).
I also saw Sinister, agree with the low ratings but add that I very much enjoyed it. The films were creepy, the rest was predictable and absurd, but lots of laughs for those of us who like that sort of thing. It does take you about five minutes to see where this film is going to go.
Noobz - ?/10
Stopped watching after about 20 minutes. I rarely stop films. About a bunch of online gamers with aspirations of competition. Specifically, Gears of War 3, which if you didn't figure out, they say about 40 times and everyone is wearing at least one GOW3 article of clothing (I guess sponsorship is nice) When Jason Mewes is the highlight of your film, you know you are in trouble. There was a point, not too long ago, where anything pop culture video game or computer related I'd be excited by. A movie about gamers? Awesome, sign me up! This was pretty unbearable, but I guess if you're into FPS and those style games, it might be a fun movie. It just served to remind me why I hate playing those kind of games.
