On this the 29th day of December, 2008, I am here to report that last night I watched my 100th film in the theater and have no accomplished the goal I set out to complete way back in 2005. I never again will have to force myself to watch a movie just to get the numbers. I don't need to worry about seeing 9 films a month or if I fail in one month have to worry about seeing 12 films in a month. The final four which I have yet to write reviews for because I've been extraordinarily lazy this past week or so are
Slumdog Millionaire - a charming and competent but not great film, the music was a lot of fun
Milk - Acting superb, Milk's homelife kind of boring. One of those important stories that I think needs to be told that somehow manages to be a very underwhelming film
Curious Case of Benjamin Button - honestly, I still am not entirely sure about this one. I liked it, just not sure how much or why.
Valkyrie - Well some times you end on a high note, sometimes you watch a Tom Cruise suck fest.
And finally some truly meaningless statistics:
Films Remaining: 0
Days Remaining: 3
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 0
Showing posts with label Film Goal Tally Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Film Goal Tally Update. Show all posts
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Running Tally - Part 11
November was kind of a crummy month in general but in terms of movie seeing, it was pretty productive. I added 9 to the tally which brings me just 6 short of my goal with a mere 31 days left. I just have to find six mildly interesting films between now and New Years and I will never have to strive to see 100 movies in a year again. Overall it has been good for the movies. Even the films I didn't like were still pretty damn good. Only two films were outright disasters in my opinion. And in addition, and renewing my sapped strength was the best film of the year, the odd yet powerful Synecdoche, New York. I rambled in my praise but let me just say I saw it four times in as many days. And I'll see it at least once more before year's end no doubt. Let's take a look at November in the movies:
Rachel Getting Married - despite some powerful performances I was underwhelmed by this film. It could have risen above and beyond. I was also a bit exhausted by the long and unnecessary love fest moments.
RocknRolla - Not as fresh as his first brit gangster films and in fact highly derivative but nevertheless there was a certain amount of charm and likability to the film. Diverting if nothing else.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno - at times really funny, at times a little to explicitly gross for me. Overall a charming film in the Judd Apatow new style of gross out comedy/sweet romance.
What Just Happened - disaster of a parody of a Hollywood producer played by DeNiro. Though slightly refreshing to have him not play a tough guy, the film just failed to deliver anything interesting.
Quantum of Solace - Jason Bourne should be Jason Borne and James Bond should be James Bond. I didn't think that after Casino Royale but after this mess I think the new direction might be a mistake. Maybe its just not being done well. CGI was laughable, laughable.
Transporter 3 - admittedly a guilty pleasure, not a good film by any stretch of the imagination.
JCVD - not a great film by any means but definitely had its odd moments. Somewhat intriguing self reflection by an aging b movie action star.
Happy Go Lucky - (review forthcoming) still haven't decided on this one, may need to rewatch.
Synecdoche, New York - how many ways can I say best film I've seen all year? Late in the movie a man playing a priest at a funeral gives a monolog that floors me every time.
That is the movie in capsule. The scene is cathartic. That scene makes a pretty great movie a unbelievable movie.
And so November ends pretty good. But what you really all came to see. Meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 6
Days Remaining (As of December 1): 31
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.19
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.2
Rachel Getting Married - despite some powerful performances I was underwhelmed by this film. It could have risen above and beyond. I was also a bit exhausted by the long and unnecessary love fest moments.
RocknRolla - Not as fresh as his first brit gangster films and in fact highly derivative but nevertheless there was a certain amount of charm and likability to the film. Diverting if nothing else.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno - at times really funny, at times a little to explicitly gross for me. Overall a charming film in the Judd Apatow new style of gross out comedy/sweet romance.
What Just Happened - disaster of a parody of a Hollywood producer played by DeNiro. Though slightly refreshing to have him not play a tough guy, the film just failed to deliver anything interesting.
Quantum of Solace - Jason Bourne should be Jason Borne and James Bond should be James Bond. I didn't think that after Casino Royale but after this mess I think the new direction might be a mistake. Maybe its just not being done well. CGI was laughable, laughable.
Transporter 3 - admittedly a guilty pleasure, not a good film by any stretch of the imagination.
JCVD - not a great film by any means but definitely had its odd moments. Somewhat intriguing self reflection by an aging b movie action star.
Happy Go Lucky - (review forthcoming) still haven't decided on this one, may need to rewatch.
Synecdoche, New York - how many ways can I say best film I've seen all year? Late in the movie a man playing a priest at a funeral gives a monolog that floors me every time.
"Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make. You can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years! And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce...
And they say there's no fate, but there is, it's what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead, or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain wasting years for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right, but it never comes. Or it seems to, but it doesn't really.
So you spend you time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along, something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel cherished, something to make you feel loved. And the truth is is, I feel so angry! And the truth is, I feel so fucking sad! And the truth is, I've felt so fucking hurt for so fucking long and for just as long, I've been pretending I'm okay, just to get along!
I don't know why. Maybe because...no one wants to hear about my misery...because they have their own. Well, fuck everybody. Amen."
That is the movie in capsule. The scene is cathartic. That scene makes a pretty great movie a unbelievable movie.
And so November ends pretty good. But what you really all came to see. Meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 6
Days Remaining (As of December 1): 31
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.19
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.2
Monday, November 10, 2008
Trying to stay calm
I'm really not trying to put the cart before the horse here but a moment of perspective is needed. Back in 2006 when I started keeping a running tally of the movie I saw and the first year I actually attempted to complete the 100 movies in a year goal, I managed 85 movies. Last year, 2007 I tweaked that up 88. As of last night I watched film number 89 for the year 2008. Unfortunately to see even close to a hundred movies in a year it requires one to see a lot of crap (if you live in a down such as I do where you take what they give in terms of indie or foreign fare. So 11 films left and I can finally retire this really sad goal.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Running Tally - Part 10
Despite not really posting at all in the month of October, I did actually manage to see a few films. My lack of posting has probably thrilled more than few people who don't care for my opinions and my horrible grammar. Still partly because I had more pressing concerns and partly because I haven't seen anything that inspired me to write, I never wrote about the six movies I did manage to see (although I am always optimistic that I will return to make some banal comment on these films. Six is shy of the average I needed for the month to just pull off the 100 goal and this has me admittedly worried.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - This movie was so bad and made me so angry that I immediately left the theater afterwards (yes I sat through the whole film) and went to another movie. A movie I admit I didn't pay to see.
Appaloosa - I really hoped this would redeem my movie going night. I was raised on Westerns and all I read said Harris desired to make an old school western. He failed. Miserably. At least 3:10 to Yuma which I also didn't like much was trying to be something interesting. This movie can't even do an homage right.
Moving Midway - All hail the year of the documentary. Okay so sure some of the documentaries I saw this year are not technically 2008 releases but who cares I have seen so many good documentaries this year. As a movie critic I'm not a big fan of Godfrey Cheshire (the director of the film) but as for storytelling he's amazing. The film incorporates the history of film, the history of his family and the history of a house and the South in such a unique and compelling way.
The Garden of Earthly Delights - The third film of Lech Majewski that was showcased and a very interesting love story. Again Majewski is clearly doing very interesting things with the camera and it doesn't look like his other two films which is more than can be said for many a director. Not great but compelling none the less.
W. - No compelling narrative and more like a series of snapshots of the life of our current president and nothing that isn't already known pretty well or completely made up. Maybe Bush isn't that interesting but if so why not use creative license to make him so.
A Girl Cut In Two - The whole film felt out of place and after the fact I read an article that said it was based on a real 19th century event and suddenly it was clear. Don't set a story in the modern age if you are beholden to 19th century themes and morals. When it wasn't confusing it was just unbelievable.
But what you all came here to see, meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 15
Days Remaining (As of November 1): 61
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.25
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.67
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - This movie was so bad and made me so angry that I immediately left the theater afterwards (yes I sat through the whole film) and went to another movie. A movie I admit I didn't pay to see.
Appaloosa - I really hoped this would redeem my movie going night. I was raised on Westerns and all I read said Harris desired to make an old school western. He failed. Miserably. At least 3:10 to Yuma which I also didn't like much was trying to be something interesting. This movie can't even do an homage right.
Moving Midway - All hail the year of the documentary. Okay so sure some of the documentaries I saw this year are not technically 2008 releases but who cares I have seen so many good documentaries this year. As a movie critic I'm not a big fan of Godfrey Cheshire (the director of the film) but as for storytelling he's amazing. The film incorporates the history of film, the history of his family and the history of a house and the South in such a unique and compelling way.
The Garden of Earthly Delights - The third film of Lech Majewski that was showcased and a very interesting love story. Again Majewski is clearly doing very interesting things with the camera and it doesn't look like his other two films which is more than can be said for many a director. Not great but compelling none the less.
W. - No compelling narrative and more like a series of snapshots of the life of our current president and nothing that isn't already known pretty well or completely made up. Maybe Bush isn't that interesting but if so why not use creative license to make him so.
A Girl Cut In Two - The whole film felt out of place and after the fact I read an article that said it was based on a real 19th century event and suddenly it was clear. Don't set a story in the modern age if you are beholden to 19th century themes and morals. When it wasn't confusing it was just unbelievable.
But what you all came here to see, meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 15
Days Remaining (As of November 1): 61
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.25
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.67
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Running Tally - Part 9
I know you fervent readers have been wondering where the tally for September was. Or you know the exact opposite of that. Well another month down and I saw a sufficient amount of movies to not feel worried about the goal. And the best part about it all was that most of the films I saw were free. Of course I've lacked any real inspiration as far as writing some reviews up but hopefully that changes soon for my own sake. So I added seven more to the tally this month. The end is in sight.
Redacted - It tries hard to be cutting edge and largely fails.
Angelus - Wonderfully shot and picturesque and quite amusing tale.
Clando - A convoluted mess of a film.
Edge of Heaven - well conceived and well acted film about Turkish men and women.
Wojaczek - Well done biopic.
Transsiberian - a mess of a thriller which didn't even make good use of its one compelling aspect (it takes place on a train in Siberia with no where to go)
Standard Operating Procedure (review forthcoming) - Wonderful documentary (this has been quite the year for me seeing documentaries).
I'm tempted to declare this the year of documentaries for me. Granted not all the documentaries I saw were releases of this year but still what I've seen in documentaries has been quite brilliant.
And now what you've all come to see, meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 21
Days Remaining (As of October 1): 92
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.23
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.50
Redacted - It tries hard to be cutting edge and largely fails.
Angelus - Wonderfully shot and picturesque and quite amusing tale.
Clando - A convoluted mess of a film.
Edge of Heaven - well conceived and well acted film about Turkish men and women.
Wojaczek - Well done biopic.
Transsiberian - a mess of a thriller which didn't even make good use of its one compelling aspect (it takes place on a train in Siberia with no where to go)
Standard Operating Procedure (review forthcoming) - Wonderful documentary (this has been quite the year for me seeing documentaries).
I'm tempted to declare this the year of documentaries for me. Granted not all the documentaries I saw were releases of this year but still what I've seen in documentaries has been quite brilliant.
And now what you've all come to see, meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 21
Days Remaining (As of October 1): 92
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.23
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.50
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Running Tally - Part 8
Well this month has been very productive for movie viewing if for nothing else. Granted there were a few really awful movies endured in the course of things but there were also some really refreshing ones as well. And from a disappointing showing of only 7 films last month, I managed a whopping 15 this month. Some were even free. And as the summer movie season ends and the cinematic hope of Fall movies dawns us, I'll maintain my cinematic idealism that there will be films as good this year as last. Though my personal cynicism suspects it won't happen. But fingers crossed. Plus this was the month for documentaries
Month Recap:
The Wackness - largely forgettable
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - the Yetis putting their arms up like American football goal post judges still infuriates me about this awful movie.
Swing Vote - Very weak political satire
Pineapple Express - I laughed a few times, the action sequences were poorly done, and the last act is just terrible and unconvincing.
Gonzo: The Life and Works of Hunter S Thompson - I thoroughly enjoyed this doc on the late Hunter S Thomspon. It was entertaining, educational and heartfelt.
Tell No One - well done and entertaining thriller with its sole big action piece being very well done.
Encounters at the End of the World - Soulful, beautifully shot and asking those deep, difficult, unanswerable questions that I love so much. Fantastic, best film I've seen so far this year.
Tropic Thunder - Not for me. Felt like a parody of a parody of Hollywood. Downey, Jr. was good. Tom Cruise did not impress me.
Vicky Christina Barcelona - if I could afford it right now I'd probably see this one. Allen directs wonderfully and the leads are great. Again it has all that great questioning that I enjoy.
Bottle Shock - Terrible, just terrible.
Death Race - If you can on occasion just sit and watch a mindless action flick this one does well. It doesn't even try to develop its characters and just brings on the gore and explosions.
Man on Wire (review forthcoming) - A fantastic story that feels like a crime caper and is helped along by the sheer vivacity of Phillipe Petit.
Elegy (review forthcoming) - There have been way better tales about people dealing with old age, one of my favorites from last year "Starting Out in the Evening" being notable.
Frozen River (review forthcoming) - Very well done film about a desperate working poor mother.
Babylon A.D. (review forthcoming) - I suppose it was right to leave the summer season with a really terrible summer action film.
And now what you've all come to see, meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 28
Days Remaining (As of September 1): 122
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.23
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.56
Month Recap:
The Wackness - largely forgettable
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - the Yetis putting their arms up like American football goal post judges still infuriates me about this awful movie.
Swing Vote - Very weak political satire
Pineapple Express - I laughed a few times, the action sequences were poorly done, and the last act is just terrible and unconvincing.
Gonzo: The Life and Works of Hunter S Thompson - I thoroughly enjoyed this doc on the late Hunter S Thomspon. It was entertaining, educational and heartfelt.
Tell No One - well done and entertaining thriller with its sole big action piece being very well done.
Encounters at the End of the World - Soulful, beautifully shot and asking those deep, difficult, unanswerable questions that I love so much. Fantastic, best film I've seen so far this year.
Tropic Thunder - Not for me. Felt like a parody of a parody of Hollywood. Downey, Jr. was good. Tom Cruise did not impress me.
Vicky Christina Barcelona - if I could afford it right now I'd probably see this one. Allen directs wonderfully and the leads are great. Again it has all that great questioning that I enjoy.
Bottle Shock - Terrible, just terrible.
Death Race - If you can on occasion just sit and watch a mindless action flick this one does well. It doesn't even try to develop its characters and just brings on the gore and explosions.
Man on Wire (review forthcoming) - A fantastic story that feels like a crime caper and is helped along by the sheer vivacity of Phillipe Petit.
Elegy (review forthcoming) - There have been way better tales about people dealing with old age, one of my favorites from last year "Starting Out in the Evening" being notable.
Frozen River (review forthcoming) - Very well done film about a desperate working poor mother.
Babylon A.D. (review forthcoming) - I suppose it was right to leave the summer season with a really terrible summer action film.
And now what you've all come to see, meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 28
Days Remaining (As of September 1): 122
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.23
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.56
Friday, August 01, 2008
Running Tally - Part 7
With just five months to go, July really slowed down. Despite seeing a few of the blockbusters there just wasn't a whole lot being offered out there. Shockingly I resisted the morbid curiosity that was telling me to see Mama Mia!. I also veered off at the last minute several times from Journey to the Center of the Earth. Best to leave that story to Verne which I read as a kid. And despite the blockbuster season, I actually managed to see a film or two that wasn't a blockbuster at all. Seven was my total which has me a bit wary since if this keeps up I'll fall 8 short of my goal by year's end. But I suspect when the juicy cinematic goodness of fall comes there will be plenty to choose from.
Hancock - Its premise is great, its follow through was very disappointing.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster - Took a bit to get used to but at its most sincere moments this is a very well done documentary.
Reprise - Its trying a lot of things, some work, some don't but at its heart is characterization of its two main characters. Ultimately I enjoyed it a lot.
Hell Boy 2 - Visually great, story a little incoherent and uninteresting.
Dark Knight - It had problems but nothing that take away too much from the fact that it is a really well done action film and worth seeing.
X-Files:I Want To Believe - Like a two part mediocre arc from the show.
The Last Mistress - French films usually aren't my cup of tea, especially period dramas. Truthfully this one wasn't very interesting either save for the bizarre presence of Asia Argento that made me guiltily enjoy it.
And now time for another installment of meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 43
Days Remaining (As of August 1): 153
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.28
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.95
Hancock - Its premise is great, its follow through was very disappointing.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster - Took a bit to get used to but at its most sincere moments this is a very well done documentary.
Reprise - Its trying a lot of things, some work, some don't but at its heart is characterization of its two main characters. Ultimately I enjoyed it a lot.
Hell Boy 2 - Visually great, story a little incoherent and uninteresting.
Dark Knight - It had problems but nothing that take away too much from the fact that it is a really well done action film and worth seeing.
X-Files:I Want To Believe - Like a two part mediocre arc from the show.
The Last Mistress - French films usually aren't my cup of tea, especially period dramas. Truthfully this one wasn't very interesting either save for the bizarre presence of Asia Argento that made me guiltily enjoy it.
And now time for another installment of meaningless statistics.
Films Remaining: 43
Days Remaining (As of August 1): 153
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal: 0.28
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.95
Monday, June 30, 2008
Running Tally - Part 6
Well despite being out of cinema viewing range for the first 15 days of June, I managed to scrap just enough movies to not damage my chances of completing the 100 movie plan. Summer was in full swing and despite playing a little blockbuster catch up I still just barely eked out 8 films. The saddest thing about the movie year so far is that I thought about doing a best so far post and realized everything I've enjoyed so far this year is technically a 2007 release.
Incredible Hulk - less heady than Ang Lee's version but ultimately more mediocre as well despite all the fan boy moments you could ever ask for.
The Happening - It would be hard to make a film worse than "Lady in the Water" but I think he was trying. Thankfully it doesn't get that bad just your general run of the mill bad.
The Duchess of Langeais - to quote Jay Sherman "I like French films, pretensious foreign french films" oh wait, no, I don't. Agonizingly pretentious.
Get Smart - Had its moments, nothing really ha ha funny. Not as bad as it could have been.
Sex and the City - Exactly as bad as it could have been.
Wanted - More coherent than Night Watch but to Night Watch's credit, it was in Russian.
Mongol - Enjoyable and decently done historical epic of Genghis Khan, had its problems but nothing that took away from it being enjoyable. (Full review forthcoming)
Wall-E - Charming tale (I personally didn't find it all that funny) but pleasant viewing (Full review forthcoming)
And what you are all really waiting for, meaningless statistics.
Films remaining: 50
Days Remaining (as of July 1): 184
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal:0.27
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.85
Incredible Hulk - less heady than Ang Lee's version but ultimately more mediocre as well despite all the fan boy moments you could ever ask for.
The Happening - It would be hard to make a film worse than "Lady in the Water" but I think he was trying. Thankfully it doesn't get that bad just your general run of the mill bad.
The Duchess of Langeais - to quote Jay Sherman "I like French films, pretensious foreign french films" oh wait, no, I don't. Agonizingly pretentious.
Get Smart - Had its moments, nothing really ha ha funny. Not as bad as it could have been.
Sex and the City - Exactly as bad as it could have been.
Wanted - More coherent than Night Watch but to Night Watch's credit, it was in Russian.
Mongol - Enjoyable and decently done historical epic of Genghis Khan, had its problems but nothing that took away from it being enjoyable. (Full review forthcoming)
Wall-E - Charming tale (I personally didn't find it all that funny) but pleasant viewing (Full review forthcoming)
And what you are all really waiting for, meaningless statistics.
Films remaining: 50
Days Remaining (as of July 1): 184
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal:0.27
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.85
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Running Tally - Part 5
I've been out of the cinema loop for several weeks so I didn't get a chance to post a tally of things so far for the month of May. Summer has definitely begun and my film viewings reflect that. I saw seven films in 25 days and only one of them was sans action as a prominent feature. A short recap
Iron Man - Not a great movie but definitely an enjoyable one. Robert Downy, Jr. carries the film and a nice villain performance by Jeff Bridges.
Terminator - Thank you 90th year of United Artists. Yes while indie cinemas around the country were showing more "classic" fair, my local indie theater gave me James Cameron's excellent Robocalypse movie.
Redbelt - David Mamet really likes to explore some crazy topics and this one is no exception. Still although the plot lost me a bit the performances were decent.
Red Dawn - When it comes to films that are not very good but are so lodged into my childhood subconscious it doesn't get any better than Red Dawn. Again thank UA and my local indie theater for bringing back that has such nostalgia for me. Wolverines!
Some Like It Hot - They really knew how to make a comedy back in the day.
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Better made than the first Narnia film but somehow I cared even less (and there wasn't much care for the first one).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Number four in the series reminds me yet again that they should have stopped after number one since it was a brilliant action movie.
And meaningless statistics are flying your way right now!
Films remaining: 58
Days Remaining (as of June 1): 214
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal:0.27
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.87
Iron Man - Not a great movie but definitely an enjoyable one. Robert Downy, Jr. carries the film and a nice villain performance by Jeff Bridges.
Terminator - Thank you 90th year of United Artists. Yes while indie cinemas around the country were showing more "classic" fair, my local indie theater gave me James Cameron's excellent Robocalypse movie.
Redbelt - David Mamet really likes to explore some crazy topics and this one is no exception. Still although the plot lost me a bit the performances were decent.
Red Dawn - When it comes to films that are not very good but are so lodged into my childhood subconscious it doesn't get any better than Red Dawn. Again thank UA and my local indie theater for bringing back that has such nostalgia for me. Wolverines!
Some Like It Hot - They really knew how to make a comedy back in the day.
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Better made than the first Narnia film but somehow I cared even less (and there wasn't much care for the first one).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Number four in the series reminds me yet again that they should have stopped after number one since it was a brilliant action movie.
And meaningless statistics are flying your way right now!
Films remaining: 58
Days Remaining (as of June 1): 214
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal:0.27
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.87
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Running Tally - Part 4
Be you one who enjoys my reviews or one who hates them, you may have noticed a lack of posts of recent. This is mainly because I've been bogged down by work. Then and I suppose this is a testament to the films out there that when I do find some time to write I discover I've forgotten everything about the movie I saw except the barest register that I either liked or disliked it. But this does not mean I have stopped watching movies or abandoned my annually renewed goal.
April wasn't really productive for my movie watching until a spurt at the end. Still I managed to see movies I actually wanted to see as opposed to going to something merely to get the number.
April 1 - Stop Loss: Acted well enough, story was decent but not quite as reflective as I felt it could have been. Joseph Gordon Levitt was good in his small role but he's been more effective in films like "Brick".
April 12 - The Band's Visit: Charming enough as a film. Not great though.
April 19 - Forbidden Kingdom: Sometimes you just want to see some guy kick the crap out of one hundred other guys (and by you I mean me). Fun to see Jet Li play a goofier role. Might have been more interesting to have a role reversal where Li was the slap stick man and Jackie Chan was the straight man.
April 21 - Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten: Kind of a mess of organization. Focuses a lot on the music early on when one wants to know more about the man. The interview plot device gets really tedious after about fifteen minutes.
April 22 - Forgetting Sarah Marshall: There was quite a bit in this one that made me laugh which is good because I was worried that I had forgotten what funny was.
April 23 - Zombie Strippers: Parts of it shear brilliance, parts horribly horribly bad.
April 25 - The Year My Parents Went On Vacation - Thought it was one of those feel good movies, turns out that isn't quite right. Still it had a fair amount of charm and decent story.
April 29 - Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay: After seeing two fantastic Springsteen concerts, how does one avoid the inevitable let down of whatever you see next? Go see a movie you know is going to be bad and get the inevitable let down out of the way. Just a horrendous let down especially since the first film kind of surprised me.
And now meaningless statistics!
Films remaining: 65
Days Remaining (as of May 1): 245
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal:0.27
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.86
April wasn't really productive for my movie watching until a spurt at the end. Still I managed to see movies I actually wanted to see as opposed to going to something merely to get the number.
April 1 - Stop Loss: Acted well enough, story was decent but not quite as reflective as I felt it could have been. Joseph Gordon Levitt was good in his small role but he's been more effective in films like "Brick".
April 12 - The Band's Visit: Charming enough as a film. Not great though.
April 19 - Forbidden Kingdom: Sometimes you just want to see some guy kick the crap out of one hundred other guys (and by you I mean me). Fun to see Jet Li play a goofier role. Might have been more interesting to have a role reversal where Li was the slap stick man and Jackie Chan was the straight man.
April 21 - Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten: Kind of a mess of organization. Focuses a lot on the music early on when one wants to know more about the man. The interview plot device gets really tedious after about fifteen minutes.
April 22 - Forgetting Sarah Marshall: There was quite a bit in this one that made me laugh which is good because I was worried that I had forgotten what funny was.
April 23 - Zombie Strippers: Parts of it shear brilliance, parts horribly horribly bad.
April 25 - The Year My Parents Went On Vacation - Thought it was one of those feel good movies, turns out that isn't quite right. Still it had a fair amount of charm and decent story.
April 29 - Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay: After seeing two fantastic Springsteen concerts, how does one avoid the inevitable let down of whatever you see next? Go see a movie you know is going to be bad and get the inevitable let down out of the way. Just a horrendous let down especially since the first film kind of surprised me.
And now meaningless statistics!
Films remaining: 65
Days Remaining (as of May 1): 245
Average Number of Films per Day to achieve goal:0.27
Average Number of Films per Week to Achieve Goal: 1.86
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Running Total - Part 3
March continued to be a problematic month for movies as I was mostly unable or unwilling to see the dreadful releases for the month. Still a few gems showed up here and there. I got the opportunity to rewatch the first film I saw in 2008 and in addition to not having to walk in Chicago's freezing January 1 weather after it was over, I concluded that it was still one of the great movies of last year. Plus I got to see two classics of cinema (arguably) thanks to local indie theater, the Carolina.
March 02 - Penelope: Should have been charming and sweet little romantic comedy with a wholesome message. Should have been. Wholesome message? Accept yourself for who you are and someone or something will magical whisk away any imperfections making you perfect.
March 04 - The Other Boleyn Girl: Soap Opera meets history? Had so much potential but played it way too safe.
March 08 - Highlander: Queen, Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown are a combination that is exactly as good as it sounds.
March 08 - 10,000 BC: As Emerrich makes films I suspect he is getting crazier. Exhibit A is this disaster of a film.
March 11 - Princess Bride: Yeah, one of Rob Reiner's best.
March 14 - The Bank Job: Very enjoyable heist largely thanks to Jason Statham who finally makes a film not directed by Guy Ritchie where he isn't half bad.
March 14 - Doomsday: Surprisingly good popcorn fluff which may also be a satire of action films in general.
March 22 - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days: Holy crap, heavy film, excellent but not for the light of heart.
And what you all came to see...er read...er I guess see...the meaningless statistics:
Films Remaining: 73
Days Remaining: 275
Average Number of films per day to achieve goal: 0.27
Average Number of films to see per week to achieve goal: 1.8
March 02 - Penelope: Should have been charming and sweet little romantic comedy with a wholesome message. Should have been. Wholesome message? Accept yourself for who you are and someone or something will magical whisk away any imperfections making you perfect.
March 04 - The Other Boleyn Girl: Soap Opera meets history? Had so much potential but played it way too safe.
March 08 - Highlander: Queen, Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown are a combination that is exactly as good as it sounds.
March 08 - 10,000 BC: As Emerrich makes films I suspect he is getting crazier. Exhibit A is this disaster of a film.
March 11 - Princess Bride: Yeah, one of Rob Reiner's best.
March 14 - The Bank Job: Very enjoyable heist largely thanks to Jason Statham who finally makes a film not directed by Guy Ritchie where he isn't half bad.
March 14 - Doomsday: Surprisingly good popcorn fluff which may also be a satire of action films in general.
March 22 - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days: Holy crap, heavy film, excellent but not for the light of heart.
And what you all came to see...er read...er I guess see...the meaningless statistics:
Films Remaining: 73
Days Remaining: 275
Average Number of films per day to achieve goal: 0.27
Average Number of films to see per week to achieve goal: 1.8
Saturday, March 01, 2008
RunningTally - Part 2
February was not a very good month for movie watching. The quality films I was picking up from last year were dried up and I was mainly left with the dumping ground films of the January and February release season. I did manage to re-watch a couple of gems "Diving Bell" "Control" and "Into the Wild" but overall it was a bit of a let down with an aggregate gain of seven. This was helped by my 6 day end run in which I watched one new movie each night in the last week.
February 16 - Diary of the Dead: Wow Mr. Romero, please just stop.
February 16 - Persepolis: Another quality film from last year and this animated no less. Definitely worth seeing.
February 24 - In Bruges: On Oscar day I saw the interesting but messy film from a new filmmaker that shows some potential but gets bogged down in all the genre shifts.
February 25 - Definitely, Maybe: A fairly nuanced take on the classic Rom Com set up but the little girl and some of the plot still irritated me a bit too much.
February 26 - Vantage Point:This film couldn't even live up to its own gimmick which was the only thing it had going for it.
February 27 - Charlie Bartlett: pretty much dead on arrival teen comedy ala Ferris Bueller.
February 28 - Be Kind Rewind: Not great but it had some charm, not sure how I ultimately feel about it, review forthcoming.
And once again the meaningless statistics!
Films remaining: 81
Days Remaining: 305
Average Number of Films to see per day to achieve goal: 0.27
Average Number of films to see per week to achieve goal: 1.8
February 16 - Diary of the Dead: Wow Mr. Romero, please just stop.
February 16 - Persepolis: Another quality film from last year and this animated no less. Definitely worth seeing.
February 24 - In Bruges: On Oscar day I saw the interesting but messy film from a new filmmaker that shows some potential but gets bogged down in all the genre shifts.
February 25 - Definitely, Maybe: A fairly nuanced take on the classic Rom Com set up but the little girl and some of the plot still irritated me a bit too much.
February 26 - Vantage Point:This film couldn't even live up to its own gimmick which was the only thing it had going for it.
February 27 - Charlie Bartlett: pretty much dead on arrival teen comedy ala Ferris Bueller.
February 28 - Be Kind Rewind: Not great but it had some charm, not sure how I ultimately feel about it, review forthcoming.
And once again the meaningless statistics!
Films remaining: 81
Days Remaining: 305
Average Number of Films to see per day to achieve goal: 0.27
Average Number of films to see per week to achieve goal: 1.8
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Running Tally
I don't want to jinx it but January was a good month in terms of movies and in terms of a certain long dreamed but never realized goal of 100 films in one year. Thanks to a lucrative week in Chicago when I saw five films in as many days, I have caped out January with twelve movies (fourteen counting the two I watched twice). So let us recap quickly January
January 1 - Starting Out In The Evening: Incredibly good, incredibly smart film based around three well developed relationships. Frank Langella is fantastic in every scene.
January 1 - Control: Emotionally exhausted from Starting Out In The Evening I had little left to give for this one (which I watched immediately after the aforementioned film). Still it was a very well done biopic that I am eager to watch again.
January 2 - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: I was perhaps a bit unfair to how good this film was after my first viewing. But I've thought about it the most of all the films I saw this month and on my second viewing fully feel convinced that it is expert genius film making.
January 2 - Juno: Funny, pleasant and generally feel good. Very happy I saw it.
January 5 - There Will Be Blood: Despite extraordinary pain from sitting in the second row with my knees crushed against the seat in front of me and my neck at such an angle that I'm still feeling sore this movie had me captivated for about an hour and a half. The problem? Its two and half hours long. It starts to unravel as it comes to the end. Still in fairness to it and not so aglow with anticipation I gave it a second viewing and found it still had problems but was less problematic than I initially concluded.
January 12 - In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: well just plain awful in all honesty but proudly I can say this is the only movie I went to see in January that was merely because I wanted to see something. Even the bad stuff I saw like Cloverfield, I actually wanted to see.
January 19 -The Savages: Great story with well acted, well written characters although its ending seems a bit too neatly wrapped up and Hollywoodized.
January 20 - Cloverfield: Gimmicky and kind of annoying and the camera work gave me a headache.
January 23 - The Orphanage: Decent horror film. Lots of good tension and almost know cheap shock scare moments. Disappointed with the ending but overall very satisfying.
January 24 - Away From Her: Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent are amazing as a couple dealing with alzheimer's. Very well done.
January 26 - Michael Clayton: Well acted, technically well done, tight interesting story and yet I still came out of it kind of thinking 'so what?' Still a good film that didn't move me is still better than a crappy film any day of the week.
January 28 - Rambo: Just a fun action film with an admitted dopey inevitable ending that still managed to charm me.
Bring it on February and let the countdown continue. Bring on meaningless statistics.
Films remaining: 88
Days remaining: 334
Average films per day to succeed: .26
Average films per week to succeed: 1.87
January 1 - Starting Out In The Evening: Incredibly good, incredibly smart film based around three well developed relationships. Frank Langella is fantastic in every scene.
January 1 - Control: Emotionally exhausted from Starting Out In The Evening I had little left to give for this one (which I watched immediately after the aforementioned film). Still it was a very well done biopic that I am eager to watch again.
January 2 - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: I was perhaps a bit unfair to how good this film was after my first viewing. But I've thought about it the most of all the films I saw this month and on my second viewing fully feel convinced that it is expert genius film making.
January 2 - Juno: Funny, pleasant and generally feel good. Very happy I saw it.
January 5 - There Will Be Blood: Despite extraordinary pain from sitting in the second row with my knees crushed against the seat in front of me and my neck at such an angle that I'm still feeling sore this movie had me captivated for about an hour and a half. The problem? Its two and half hours long. It starts to unravel as it comes to the end. Still in fairness to it and not so aglow with anticipation I gave it a second viewing and found it still had problems but was less problematic than I initially concluded.
January 12 - In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: well just plain awful in all honesty but proudly I can say this is the only movie I went to see in January that was merely because I wanted to see something. Even the bad stuff I saw like Cloverfield, I actually wanted to see.
January 19 -The Savages: Great story with well acted, well written characters although its ending seems a bit too neatly wrapped up and Hollywoodized.
January 20 - Cloverfield: Gimmicky and kind of annoying and the camera work gave me a headache.
January 23 - The Orphanage: Decent horror film. Lots of good tension and almost know cheap shock scare moments. Disappointed with the ending but overall very satisfying.
January 24 - Away From Her: Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent are amazing as a couple dealing with alzheimer's. Very well done.
January 26 - Michael Clayton: Well acted, technically well done, tight interesting story and yet I still came out of it kind of thinking 'so what?' Still a good film that didn't move me is still better than a crappy film any day of the week.
January 28 - Rambo: Just a fun action film with an admitted dopey inevitable ending that still managed to charm me.
Bring it on February and let the countdown continue. Bring on meaningless statistics.
Films remaining: 88
Days remaining: 334
Average films per day to succeed: .26
Average films per week to succeed: 1.87
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Final Count
Another year has left us and it has left behind some memorable stinkers, some memorable instant classics and a whole lot of blah. I fell short of 100 films once again but I'm convinced that it is possible. So lets see if I can make this new year, the one where it happens. If you were wondering the final tally was 88 different films in a movie theater this year. But there are also the repeated viewings which would add 8 more viewings to the list (some might count those I choose not to). Although the goal may get increasingly difficult as I find it each year harder and harder to sit through the admitted swill just for the numbers game. Still I plan to start the new year off right by seeing some quality films tonight. Happy New Year and happy movie going.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
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.
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.
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