November 2012, Movies #234-253

253. Paranorman (2012)

Rating: 7.5/10

Review: For some reason this movie wasn't released in October and I think it would have done a lot better at the box office because of it.  But I really enjoyed this supernatural tale and it wasn't what the trailers had sold me that it was going to be about, but I liked how dark some of the turns are that the film takes at certain points that I wasn't expecting for something that had been sold as a childs film.

252. Killing Them Softly (2012)

Rating: 8/10

Review: This directors previous film Assassination of Jesse James set my expectations pretty high as to what his follow up film would turn out to be also.  I did enjoy this movie but I feel like I wanted to watch another half hour of this story because it only really picks of steam 3/4ths of the way through the film where it hits its stride.  So overall the movie finishes strongly but the earlier parts seem a little more idle than I expected.

251. Paul F Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions (2012)

Rating: 8/10

Review: If you saw this on Comedy Central, they only aired half of the material taped for this special. The audio album and the DVD/VOD are uncut and the only way to really see this.  Paul F. Tompkins is one of my favorite stand up comics working today.

250. Skyfall (2012)

Rating: 7.5/10

Review: I'm a one of the few people that liked Quantum of Solace more than Casino Royale and admitting that bias, most people prefer Casino Royale more but I feel everyone will be happy with Skyfall that enjoyed either previous Daniel Craig Bond film. But for overall action I still put Quantum as my favorite but for a villian performance I'd take Javier Bardem out of the three Craig Bond Villians so far.  While I did enjoy this Bond film, I don't agree with the hype upon release that said this was the best Bond film ever.

249. Brave (2012)

Rating: 6/10

Review: I had skipped all the promos for this movie because it's a Pixar movie that isn't part of the Cars franchise and I had no idea what the plot was going in, and I have to say this movie has everything going for it except the plot.  The main character curses her mother with the help of a witch and her mom turns into a bear and the rest of the movie is spent trying to uncurse her mother.  How To Train Your Dragon is a vastly superior tale in an extremely similar Scottish/Irish variant world which is the first time that I've ever been able to say a Dreamworks Animation film tops any Pixar movie (besides the aformentioned Cars)

248. Brody Stevens Enjoy It (2010)

Rating: 7/10

Review:  This HBO digital series only available on HBO Go is cut up into 15min parts with the aggregate running time coming in around 90mins.  This is a really good documentary about stand up comedian Brody Stevens and how his comedian friends help him cope with a break down he has.

247. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)

Rating: 5/10

Reason: How Did This Get Made? podcast
Review: Having listened to the podcast review first I really had low expectations going into this film and it lowered the bar even from those expectations.  And this poster is insane also, that character holding the double guns below Eddie Murphy isn't in the movie at all and that crazy space hoop dress Rosario Dawson is wearing never makes an appearance in the movie also.


The Pusher Trilogy

Review: I wanted to watch this because of the film Drive that Refn also directed and this series of films was were he first came to prominence. But I would rather go back to what I thought of the director without seeing this trilogy because these movies are completely forgettable and don't even stand out in the genre of drug dealing movies.  The second film wins as the best in the trilogy but is only slightly better than the others because of Mads Mikkelsen taking the lead role and he brings some life to the role absent from the films.

246. Pusher 3 (2005)

Rating: 5/10

245. Pusher 2 (2004)

Rating: 6/10

244. Pusher (1996)

Rating: 5/10

243. High School (2010)

Rating: 6/10

Review: The most memorable part of this movie is the showy drug dealing role that Adrian Brody plays, he should have been the main character because everything else about this movie is not memorable.

242. 3.2.1... Frankie Go Boom (2012)

Rating: 6/10

Review: Great cast doesn't quite bring this movie together, even getting to see Ron Perlman cross dress isn't really worth sitting through this movie.

241. Lawless (2012)

Rating: 7.5/10

Reason: Director John Hillcoat (The Propostion and The Road)
Review: While all the parts are there for a great film, it only slightly exceeded my expectations for a John Hillcoat film.  Shia Lebeouf detracts from the movie as I expected.

240. End of Watch (2012)

Rating: 6.5/10

Review: I didn't expect this movie to incorporate the found footage angle and while that is tired they actually bring some life to a previously well wrought plot line about LA cops.

239. Cobra (1986)

Rating: 5/10

Reason: How Did This Get Made? podcast
Review: Sylvester Stallone mumbles his way through this laugh romp about a cop who makes his own rules!  There are a number of great moments throughout, but the main serial killer leader I recognized as the cloned agent/enforcer of the X-Files.

238. Savages (2012)

Rating: 6.5/10

Review: Oliver Stone's newest film is an enjoyable watch but suffers like some drug dealing movies do with a lack of a grasp on the reality of the drug dealing world.  And the Blake Lively narration is a bit grating at times also.

237. Killer Joe (2011)

Rating: 6/10

Review: This is William Friedkin's umpteenth time at trying to come back into directing relevance and while he does a capable job of guiding the performances in the film I just didn't like the story and it didn't interest me the entire way through.

236. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Rating: 5/10

Reason: How Did This Get Made? podcast
Review: Wow, this movie is a camp classic, pun intended.  This ultra low budget makes no sense movie has one of the greatest dumb twist endings that had me barrel laughing.

235. Ted (2012)

Rating: 7/10

Review: Even though it had the annoying Boston/Family Guy vibe going for it I did enjoy this movie because the story arc and screenplay were clearly thought out and come together well at the end.

234. Your Sisters Sister (2011)

Rating: 7.5/10

Reason: Mark Duplass and I'll watch any of the low budget movies he stars in
Review: I really enjoyed this ensemble cast and the whole movies comes together well and could be a play but isn't tedious like what I normally think of when filmed plays come to mind.

October 2012, Movies #222-233

233. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: The problems with this movie start with the casting of Lincoln, I don't think he fit the part and felt out of place with the physicality needed for the role.  Anthony Mackie is wasted is his role as Lincoln's sidekick also.  Dominic Cooper's part was the most interesting role in the movie and I felt stole the show. 

232. Candyman (1992)

Rating: 5/10
Review: So I had heard so much over the years about this movie, but I obviously should have watched this when I was a kid because this is just a goofy horror movie. Virginia Madsen in her prime was worth watching the movie.

231. Snow White and The Huntsman (2012)

 Rating: 7/10
Review: I had low expectations for the movie but I did find it to be entertaining despite the origin of the movie and the press drama surrounding the director after the release of the movie.

230. The Hitcher (1986)

 

Rating: 7/10

Review: I wanted to see some Rutger Hauer in still mint Blade Runner condition and he delivers a great psycho performance here that even with the passing of almost 30 years doesn't seem has hammy as other scary movies from the 80's I've been watching recently.

229. Dark Shadows (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: So this movie was misadvertised as a comedy upon release this summer, when it should have been released around Halloween (duh) and should have had an entirely different ad campaign. But overall this was pretty middle of the road, not as bad as I was expecting considering the critical drubbing it got this summer.

228. The Campaign (2012)

Rating: 7.5/10
Review: I really enjoyed this extremely timely movie.  For fans of Will and Zach this is a must see.

227. Cloud Atlas (2012)

Rating: 9/10
Review: Truly Epic. Not perfect by any means but I was completly in for the entire ride that was presented.  This will find its audience in time.

226.  Argo (2012)

Rating: 8/10
Review: I really enjoyed this docudrama even though this is one where the conclusion isn't in doubt but it's still an extremely compelling watch.

225. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Rating: 7.5/10

Review: This is something I was expecting to be a little more black comedy than it turned out to be (it was more dramatic than I expected) but I still enjoyed the overall film

224. Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Rating: 7/10
Review: I really enjoyed this small movie that almost plays like a Duplass film but he's only acting in this one.

223. Rock of Ages (2012)

Rating: 5/10
Review: I deplore all of the songs in the musical so it's surpising that it even got a 5 from me, but I enjoyed the Russel Brand and Alec Baldwin characters and it was the only saving grace for me. Skip this hard

222. Mansome (2012)

Rating: 6.5/10
Review: Introspective look at the business and societal changes that surround how the accepted appearance of has changed over time.  Lots of good interviews but I didn't really care for the people with appearance problems that are profiled through the film.

September 2012, Movies #208-221

221. Schizopolis (1996)

Rating: 6/10
Review: Completely frenetic low budget movie that plays with all the accepted notions of what a film is.  I really with that Soderbergh would perform in front of the camera again because I really enjoy the odd energy he brings to the screen.

220. Adventures of Mark Twain (1985)

Rating: 6/10
Review: Being a fan of stop motion animation I had to give this movie a spin and this is one of the few Claymation movies that are out there.  This movie would probably be more fun for kids that what I got out of it.

219. Freak Dance (2010)

Rating: 6/10
Review: Enjoyable low budget film from one of the founding Upright Citizens Brigade.  It's mostly a comedy musical which some pretty funny songs and scenes throughout.

218. The Pirates: Band of Misfits (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: I'm a huge fan of stop-motion animation and this one kind of just sits on the screen doesn't reach the heights that previous Aardman animation films achieved.

217. Red Lights (2012)

Rating: 7/10
Review: What's this? Robert DeNiro is actually in a decent movie?  Well even a broken clock is right twice a day.  Cillian Murphy has a nice starring part in this one.

216. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Rating: 7/10
Review: Good Wes Anderson ensemble piece that isn't revolutionary if you've seen all of Anderson's other movies but was an enjoyable movie.

215. Cosmopolis (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: Very cryptic movie that harkens back to Cronenberg of old.  This was like watching a play that's been adapted into a movie, lots of long monologues and scenes between only two characters.  While I did enjoy what was going on in this movie it didn't blow me away.

214. Bernie (2011)

Rating: 7/10
Review: This is first Linklater movie in awhile that I've really enjoyed.  I really like the docudrama take on the material and good performances all around.  Even Jack Black doesn't detract from the story.

213. Prometheus (2012)

Rating: 7/10
Review: All I remember about this movie when it came out was how disappointed people were with it and also I've heard quite a number of jokes about it in pop culture also.  But I really enjoyed this movie and the morphing of the Alien series.  I also had completely isolated myself from all advertising about this movie when it came out so I went in completely fresh to this movie which is how I suggest you did it if possible.

212. Magic Mike (2012)

Rating: 7/10
Review: I'm allowed to watch this because of one of my favorite directors being involved, and overall I did enjoy this movie but I can't imagine sitting through it if any other director had tried to bring it to the screen.

211. The Babymakers (2012)

Rating: 5/10
Review: I really like the main actors featured on the poster in other projects but this is the worst vehicle that I've seen either of them in.  Every character in this movie has lost half their brain and it makes the entire movie terrible because nothing is believable that the characters are doing.

210. Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010)

Rating: 6/10
Review: I had been hooked on seeing this movie after seeing the trailer over a year ago, and while I doubt anything could have stood up to my expectations after thinking about it that long this movie was a little disappointing with the lack of substance but I still enjoyed it overall and I'm glad I finally got to see it.  Movie is a trippy as you would expect after watching the trailer, highly influenced by THX 1138.

209. Men In Black 3 (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: I had extremely low expectations going into this movies because of how bad Men in Black 2 was and so I was pleasantly surprised that this movie was a fun watch.  But still not a ton of substance and I know that $300 million budget could have been better used making 10 other movies that I would have enjoyed more.

208. Thirst (2009)

Rating: 6/10
Review: While I am a big fan of the director I just couldn't get into this movie that much because it still does seem like an also-ran entry in the vampire genre.

Studio Ghibli, Movies #203-207

These are all the Studio Ghibli movies that I hadn't seen previously.

207. Pom Poko (1994)

Rating: 8/10

Review: Studio Ghibli backlog. This is probably second to Valley of the Wind as my favorite Ghibli film.  It's about shape shifting raccoons whose forest environments are being encroached on my progressing human developments so the raccoons become Eco-terrorists and try to disrupt the construction by violence and also by taking the shapes of different goblins to scare the humans away. This movie has a lot more depth than I was anticipating and it's definitely geared towards adults with all the different maturation of life themes that are present. Highly Recommended.

206. The Last Unicorn (1982)

Rating: 6/10

Review: Studio Ghibli "related" backlog. This is Studio Ghibli related because with in a few years of this coming out the same main animators were hired again to do Nausicaa Valley of the Wind which would quickly there after become Studio Ghibli.

205. Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Rating: 5/10

Review: Studio Ghibli backlog.  This anime just drags on and on, and it's one of the non sensational Ghibli films just about kids living life and not in an interesting way.

204. The Cat Returns (2002)

Rating: 6/10

Review: Studio Ghibli backlog. Super whimsical tale of a girl transported to a land where cats live like humans.  Even though that plot sounds silly this was still enjoyable but extremely kid centric.

203. Ocean Waves (1993)

Rating: 6/10

Review: Studio Ghibli backlog. This is one of the anime's that isn't about supernatual beings or even an action movie.  It's about school kids and the social pressures they face while going through school, while that plot seems a bit dry I still enjoy these non-sensational anime films from time to time.  But I wouldn't really seek this out over Studio Ghibli's sensational animes.

August 2012, Movies #188-202

202. Win Win (2011)

Rating: 6/10
Review: Even though all the performances and script are spot on, this movie seemed just too much by the numbers and didn't really break out of the box for me and I'm doubting I'll remember much about this a year from now.

 

201. Limelight (2011)

Rating: 7/10
Review: This documentary about the legendary club and owner is pretty well paced throughout and even though I have no interest in going to clubs like this it was a really interesting watch about nightlife in Manhattan in the mid 80's through the 90's.

200. Love Crime (2010)

Rating: 7/10
Review: Brian DePalma has a remake of this coming out soon called Passion so I wanted to visit the original film.  This is quite an enjoyable mystery thriller and I would like to see how much or little DePalma changed for his take on the story.

199. Purple Noon (1960)

Rating: 6.5/10
Review: Another Alan Delon starring vehicle, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a remake of this movie, and while I don't really like remakes the Matt Damon version is a lot easier to sit through.  This movie's pacing really goes stale at several points but wraps up nicely at the end.

198. Farewell Friend (1968)

Rating: 6/10
Review: Charles Bronson and Alan Delon team up to brake into a vault with a lot of money inside.  No musical score on this movie makes it drag a lot during the scenes without tension.  It was nice seeing these icons on screen together but they both have been in much better pictures.

197. The Avengers (2012)

Rating: 8/10
Review: I had heard quite a bit of hype about how good this was and I would agree that it met my expectations.  Even though the movie is 2 and half hours there is so much material to go through that it never lags in the storytelling.  I hadn't seen Thor since the theatrical release and I had to play catch up a little bit with the story.

196. Gyo Toyko Fish Attack (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: So in this anime, fish come out of the ocean and attack Japan.  If that line alone didn't sell you on watching this I probably couldn't recommend it to you.

195. Jiro Dreams of Sushi  (2011)

Rating: 7/10
Review: Extremely compelling documentary with Phillip Glass-like music about what some consider to be the best sushi place in the world.

194. The Cabin in The Woods (2011)

Rating: 8/10
Review: This movie is best watched going in totally blind and only knowing that some people are going to a scary cabin.  I'm generally not a fan of horror movies but I highly recommend this because even though the basic plot structure is of a horror movie there is a ton more going on in this film. Highly Recommended.

193. The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: I'm a fan of Jeremy Renner, Ed Norton, and Rachel Weiz, but even with all of them in tow this did seem to be a little too formulaic and I don't see them making any more in the series without Damon being involved at all.

192. The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Rating: 7/10
Review: I've been hearing about this movie for awhile now and there is already a remake in the works so I was highly anticipating watching it. While I do agree this is an extremely kinectic watch this is really better to know nothing about it and have it surprise you then to have someone hype it first because there is little substance here.

191. 2 Days in New York (2012)

Rating: 7/10
Review: I chuckled to myself when i heard that they were doing a sequel to 2 Days in Paris with Chris Rock being the new boyfriend.  To say that Rock doesn't do material like this normally is an understatement. But Rock works well within the world of the film and this feels like a natural progression from the first film.  The family of Delpy figures prominently here again and without having seen the other film would probably be off putting but I whole hardheartedly endorse this double feature.

190. 2 Days in Paris (2007)

Rating: 7/10
Review: I'd been wanting to see this for awhile and I figured the best way to view it would be back to back with it's sequel and I think it definetly helped my appreciation of both because the family figures prominently in both movies and without all this backstory leading to the new movie I wouldn't have like the new film as much either probably.  This has been compared to Woody Allen's films and I consider it an apt comparison.

189. Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)

Rating: 6/10
Review: New Starship Troopers material is always welcome and I was hesitant to watch this because of Casper Van Dien's exec producing credit but thankfully this is a fun time in mech suits.  Plenty of nudity and violence to go around which is what I was expecting.  Animation style is more advanced than the television series and more akin to Final Fantasy cut scenes.

188. Mysterious Skin (2004)

 

Rating: 7/10
Review: This was a breakout role for Joseph Gordon-Levitt because it ushered him into film acting after 3rd Rock from the Sun ended and what a gut churning part to take on.  This movie was good but really unsettling and I probably won't need a second viewing of this, but its based on the book of the same name that also takes place in Hutchinson, Kansas.  I frequented Hutchinson throughout my childhood because my grandmother lived there and so I'm familiar with the place but I never saw this side of the city.