The Year So Far

I have for the past three years attempted to see one hundred movies in the theater. I got about 82/3 the first year. Roughly 86/7 last year. This year with more pressing concerns I'm currently resting on a paltry 79. Unless you count rewatching the film in theater (I choose not to) in which case the number jumps to 86. If you were curious to know what films I saw (or are bored and looking for an excuse to procrastinate), here we go with a short blurb on what I can remember about each. Since I don't currently have a record of when i actually watched them (Yes I have done that in the past; yes I do save my ticket stubs; yes I am a big loser) the following is based on when they were released in theaters this year.

1. Codename: Cleaner - no justifaction, I just like Lucy Liu. Horrible unfunny movie

2. Freedom Writers - apparently Ms. Swank figures she can just star in crap now that she has 2 oscars. Inspirational teaching story that is actually more insulting than anything else. (circumstantial evidence for Ms. Swank's new attitude "The Reaping" (which I did not see and the upcoming "P.S. I love you")

3. Happily N'Ever After - Early last year I saw "Hoodwinked" and was pleasantly surprised by its subversive take on a fairy tale via animation. I thought maybe this could be a repeat. This reminded me why I see very few animated films. Aweful.

4. Catch & Release - Jennifer Garner can be quite charming and I admit sadly every now and then I like to watch a Romantic comedy. This wasn't great but it had its moments with Olyphant and Garner and Kevin Smith had a fun role.

5. Smokin' Aces - The trailer made me think this might be a fun/stylized action film. The trailer lied to me.

6. Lives of Others - Very well done study of an East German secret policeman who becomes fascinated and engrossed in the life of a man he is observing. Won best foreign film at the Oscars for 2006.

7. Ghost Rider - Might be less painful to actually go to hell.

8. Reno 911!: Miami - Felt like an overlong episode of the show and therefore too long. But Paul Rudd's bit part made me laugh every single time. Not sure why.

9. Black Snake Moan - Well done movie, just not sure how much I actually liked it.

10. Zodiac - Fincher does an amazing job with this film, probably worth rewatching as the year winds up to see how it holds up against some of the fall masterpieces.

11. 300 - Looks absolutely beautiful. Plays flat.

12. The Host - This movie was so bad I had a pained look on my face the whole time and shared looks with my friend that amounted to "is anyone actually enjoying this?"

13. The Namesake - I cared very little for Kal Penn, but the relationship between Tabu's character and Irfan Kahn's character was so unbelievably romantic and powerful that I ended up loving the movie.

14. Pride - Standard inspirational sports film, nothing new or exciting.

15. Reign Over Me - Adequate story about a man who lost his family in the 9/11 attacks and a friend's attempt to help him. Sandler is decent. Felt a little cheap at times.

16. Shooter - serviceable action film (I saw it twice but in my defense the second time was on a date and it was the only movie she wanted to see)

17. Lookout - just rewatched this one and its still good. Joseph Gordon Levitt is great as a man who has trouble remembering after a car accident. Its turn into a sort of thriller about mid film works well and it has a satisfying conclusion.

18. Grindhouse - One you have to see in theater with a good audience. I had a lot of fun and so was everyone else in the theater. "Planet Terror" was better than "Death Proof" in my opinion.

19. Disturbia - Decently done update on "Rear Window" with a surprisingly good performance by Shia LaBeouf.

20. Pathfinder - I can't fathom why I saw this. Really, really bad though.

21. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters - I enjoyed the first season of the show thought I'd give it a try. Better in a 10 minute dose, unfunny as a movie.

22. In The Land Of Women - Adam Brody I think has a certain charm that could make him a decent Romantic comedy lead. Sadly this was just crap.

23. Hot Fuzz - brilliant send up of action movies. Just brilliant.

24. Lucky You - again romantic comedy moment, plus poker. Turns out not as much fun as it might sound (or not sound)

25. Spiderman 3 - The Spiderman films just got worse with each consecutive one and this one is really really bad.

26. Waitress - Funny and charming, Keri Russell is a lot of fun to watch.

27. 28 Weeks Later - I love zombies, fast or slow (but I prefer slow) but this film which started off so well quickly degenerates into a ludicrous film.

28. Shrek The Third - Unfunny. Yet another reason I rarely watch animation.

29. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - I watched this film solely for the cameo by Keith Richards. Seriously.

30. Knocked Up - I felt everyone in this film was an obnoxious jerk and I barely laughed.

31. Hostel: Part II - As unnecessary as "Hostel", someone might think about getting Mr. Roth some help.

32. Ocean's Thirteen - No film can survive that much expository dialogue and that little interesting plot.

33. Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - I think it was a slow day and a friend wanted to go see this. Horrible.

34. 1408 - Started out pretty good and I had high hopes but it eventually degenerated into a prototypical horror film. Ending is so stupid.

35. Evan Almighty - all kinds of unfunny as was "Bruce Almighty" now that I think about it.

36. Live Free or Die Hard - It had its moments but the villain was pathetic and many of the action sequences were just way too unbelievable. Worst of the four films so far.

37. Sicko - Interesting and enjoyable for about two thirds of the film before Moore is unable to contain himself and starts in with the grandstanding antics.

38. License To Wed - Mandy Moore is purty. That's my only defense.

39. Transformers - If not for my fond childhood recollections I would not have enjoyed one moment of this film. Most of it is very bad but my inner child still leaps for joy when a transformer transforms.

40. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I'm really tired of the Harry Potter series.

41. Sunshine - Decent but not perfect Sci-Fi Thriller. Some great effects at the end and some decent performances.

42. Bourne Ultimatum - Fantastic action film, the Bourne series knows how to do action.

43. Hot Rod - I think something in the trailer made me decide to see this, not sure why and it was awful so I've blanked out most of my memories of this one.

44. Becoming Jane - Apparently Jane Austen was not creative at all but merely relating auto-biographical accounts of her life. Just plain stupid.

45. Rush Hour 3 - Sometimes idiotically I am a completionist and felt like I should see this. Bad. Poor Max von Sydow.

46. Stardust - This movie made me smile so much I saw it three additional times.

47. Super Bad - I found this one completely unfunny.

48. The Nanny Diaries - I set a goal to see all Scarlett Johannson films once, it was a bad idea but a goal's a goal. Not good.

49. War - Jet Li, Jason Statham both in a really stupid action film.

50. Halloween - Completely unnecessary remake.

51. 3:10 To Yuma - decent remake with good performances by Christian Bale and Rusell Crowe but I still felt like it was blah.

52. Shoot 'Em Up - One giant mess of a movie with way over the top acting and outright laughable scenes which may or may not have been intentional. Unsatisfying in the end.

53. The Brave One - I loved Jodie Foster in this film and in particular a scene she has with Terrence Howard in a diner. Sadly the ending just ruined it.

54. Across The Universe - not a big fan of musicals but Jim Sturgess's Jude was a great and interesting character and the Beatles songs are all fun to hear. Some of the corresponding scenes were really great, some a bit too much.

55. Eastern Promises - Dark little tale with a great performance by Viggo Mortensen.

56. In The Valley Of Elah - When its focusing on Tommy Lee Jones and the mystery, its really well done. When its focusing on hitting you over the head with its subtlety (or lack of it) regarding the Iraq war, its painful.

57. Good Luck Chuck - There must have been a reason I saw it other than Jessica Alba but I can't recall so I guess I have to go with that. Stupid film.

58. Resident Evil: Extinction - zombies, completionist in me. Incoherent mess and the action wasn't even that entertaining.

59. Into The Wild - really well done version of the book "Into the Wild" with memorable performances by Catherine Keener, Emile Hirsch and especially Hal Holbrook.

60. The Kingdom - CSI: Saudi Arabia and about as entertaining (meaning not so much). Somewhat fun final battle sequence but utterly preposterous.

61. The Darjeeling Limited - Wes Anderson needs to try something new. It had its moments but too few.

62. Elizabeth: The Golden Age - So unbelievably ridiculous. Not worth watching.

63. Gone Baby Gone - Loved this one. Went for a beer afterwards to enjoy while thinking about it. Loved the end. (Rewatched it in theaters with some friends a week or so later).

64. Saw IV - A really sad tradition that I have with a friend that we see all the Saw movies. Really bad.

65. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - Some great performances from some great actors. I actually think i need to rewatch this before establishing my opinion of it.

66. American Gangster - Highly unimpressed with this movie and everyone in it.

67. No Country For Old Men - oh how I ranted about this one (saw it twice more). So fantastic.

68. Hitman - Wanted an action movie, got this festering pile of crap.

69. The Mist - Decently done for most of the movie although the in store dynamic was a bit much and the ending was totally cheap.

70. The Golden Compass - Boring.

The following were released officially in 2006 but I didn't see until 2007.

71. Children of Men - fantastic.

72. The Queen - Helen Mirren is amazing as Queen Elizabeth and the film does a deft job of dealing with the historical event.

73. The Painted Veil - strong performances by Ed Norton and Naomi Watts, story a bit weak.

74. Letters From Iwo Jima - interesting to see a war movie from the other side but not as impressive as the buzz would lead you to believe.

75. Pan's Labyrinth - amazing blend of fantasy and reality, probably should have won the foreign film oscar.

76. Venus - I loved Peter O'Toole in this. He was so amazing as an aging man trying to live as though he wasn't.

I also saw the following revivals:

77. Aliens - A great action sci-fi film

78. Day of the Dead - classic Romero, over the top? yes. But great.

79. Monster Squad - Ahh, truly it doesn't get better than this for kid themed 80s horror action.