Save vs. Blog

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted, due mostly to the Snowpocalypse in Seattle, my trip to the D&D Experience convention, Valentine’s Day, and more excuses. As an aside, and speaking of D&D, Wizards of the Coast announced the next version of Dungeons & Dragons. (Some of you folks may not be interested in that sort of stuff, but I am, so there it is.)

We’re now on to the final leg of my movie list for 2011. Summertime blockbusters fade into the less bombastic films of fall, which in turn give way to the frenetic pace of the holidays as movies crowd the last few weeks – competing for box-office dollars and award nominations. Here’s the reminder of the movies I saw in 2011 (although there are a couple of cheats that I saw very early in 2012). Enjoy!

(If you’re just joining this series, it’s a four-parter. See my previous posts under Watch.)

Contagion (B) – A solid film about the threat of pandemics, fear-mongering, and exploitation of the media surrounding a public health disaster. The acting is quite good (Jude Law in particular stands out), and the story has a couple of interesting bits. Ultimately, it doesn’t really twist in any interesting ways, but it’s execution does make you leave the theater a little paranoid.

Drive (A-) – This feels a lot like a late ’60s or ’70s Steve McQueen/Robert De Niro picture. Long setup scenes with brief explosions of violence. The main character says little, and the movie is better for the sparseness of his dialogue. Ryan Gosling’s best performance to date.

Moneyball (A) – Brad Pitt is pretty much awesome in my book. He’s in tons of movies, and I like or love almost every one of them. This one is at the high end of the spectrum. The story’s foundation is the radical personnel decisions that Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane makes that changes modern baseball, but it is a very human story that is at once easy to grok and filled with depth. Jonah Hill is also surprisingly wonderful in a serious role as his assistant. People that don’t care for baseball will be entertained; and if you’re a fan of the game, the movie will rank among the best you’ve seen on America’s Pastime.

Killer Elite (C) – I like all the actors in this movie for various reasons (De Niro, Jason Statham, and Clive Owen), but this never really comes together in a meaningful way on-screen. It’s an action movie that involves Statham going after his mentor’s captors, and supposedly is based on real-life events. It felt like it would’ve made a much better book.

50/50 (B+) – A charming off-kilter comedy/drama about a 27 year-old man that discovers he has cancer, and how he deals with the struggle of beating the disease. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen play very well off of each other, and feel genuine. Anna Kendick also adds a nice romantic element to the story.

The Ides of March (D+) – I saw this one with Rachel, my girlfriend, and after reflecting on her comments, she was right on the money on this one. Do we really need to see another film about how corrupt our election system is? There’s nothing really to take away that we don’t already know, and the movie has no sympathetic characters in it. Pretty much the ultimate feel-bad movie. The acting is very good, as could be expected from a cast that includes Clooney and Giamatti.

Puss in Boots (A-) – I seriously did not expect to love this film as much as I did, but there’s just something absolutely hilarious about Antonio Banderas’s voice work that totally cracks me up. Good jokes, very brisk pacing, and loads of fun. Better than the last 2 Shrek movies for certain.

In Time (B-) – Here’s a movie with a great sci-fi premise. What if time was literally money, and once you turned 25, your body stopped aging, but you were constantly trying to earn or steal time to keep you alive? Awesome idea, decently executed until towards the end of the movie. Then, it becomes “I got to take the Man down to free everyone and fix this dystopia.” And it falls apart right there. Justin Timberlake acquits himself well in his first attempt at being an action star. (This is another movie that was so close to being brilliant, but then opted for a “safe path” that just compromises the premise.)

Tower Heist (B+) – This was the funniest Eddie Murphy movie I’ve seen since “Showtime.” Ben Stiller does his pseudo-straight man thing to Murphy’s crazy goofy street thief. Fun cast, with Alan Alda as the bad guy.

Immortals (B-) – Visually stunning, but not as impressive as “300,” which had the same producer and would be a very close comparison (classical-themed action fantasy). The Titans are really cool, and the main bad guy – Hyperion – was a great fit for Mickey Rourke.

The Descendants (B+) – A smartly paced and interesting film about a too-busy-for-family lawyer and major landowner that tries to take charge of his daughters after his wife is critically injured. It’s bittersweet and funny, and shows Clooney in a vulnerable role, much like “Up in the Air.”

The Muppets (A) – The best Muppet movie since the first one, and possibly even better than that. It is an absolutely wonderful homage to the way most of us that grew up watching the Muppets on TV want to see them depicted on the big screen. Amy Adams and Jason Segel are fantastic, and the original songs (in particular, “Man or Muppet”) are spot-on. Great for adults that want to feel like kids again, although I wonder how well this film translates for 21st century kids. I know I loved it.

The Sitter (C-) – Not Jonah Hill’s best work, and a pretty big letdown from “Moneyball.” Very standard sort of terrible babysitter with problem kids film that we’ve seen before. The humor was pretty stale, and the writing was pretty bad.

Young Adult (B-) – A movie that, in parts, was really enjoyable. As a whole though, it left a sort of gaping hole of unfulfilled potential. Patton Oswalt, playing basically a handicapped version of himself, was the best part of this film about a terribly selfish young adult fiction writer (Charlize Theron) who tries to “save” her high school sweetheart from his “terrible” married-with-children life.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (B) – A very solid action film, made better by the fact that it’s not just the Tom Cruise show this time around – his team is important too, much like the first Mission Impossible film. The break-in at the Burj Kalifa tower in Dubai (the tallest tower in the world) makes the entire film.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (A) – A very fine installment in the Sherlock Holmes movie series. I think this is Guy Ritchie’s best work to date (yes, I mean it). This movie (and the first one) defines the period action film, and I am enamored with the Steampunk sensibility of the both of them. This time, Sherlock and Watson take a tour around Europe as they thwart the schemes of Moriarity. Beautiful scenery/sets, great over-the-top action, and a thrilling final act.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (A-) – The American version of Stieg Larsson’s novel, shot in Sweden, has a thrilling mystery spanning 40+ years at its core and a superb performance from Rooney Mara as an unconventional investigator. I will say this though – there are a couple of very explicit sequences in this film that were definitely uncomfortable for me to watch, and definitely push the boundaries of an R rating.

War Horse (B+) – A moving period piece about a young man named Albert whose simple, pure life and relationship with his steed is completely upended by the scourge of World War I. Adapted from a play, Steven Spielberg knows how to tug on your heart strings, and I am glad to see more attention being given to WWI-era stories and the Lost Generation.

Phew! Got through it all! The last installment of the movie review will have some of my “best of” for 2011, and maybe I’ll even make an Oscar prediction or two. See you in a few days!

Ah, summertime. The time where a moviegoer’s fancy turns to over-the-top, big-budget, effects-laden films that don’t really mind if you happen to talk over the plot dialogue or heed the call of nature in the middle of the sixth firefight.

I can say that there’s a certain comfort in watching blockbuster films, but with it, also comes a lowering of expectations. Occasionally, you’ll get serendipity with a film that’s really fun to watch and also has some delicate qualities as well, but most folks I know (myself included) are braced for form without substance.

A few films in this, the second batch of my 2011 movie reviews, run heavier on the drama spectrum, and for those, you usually get a bit more depth. But sadly, there’s nothing on this list that delivers like the summer of 2010’s Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, or Toy Story 3. There is some very fun summer fare in here though. Let’s get started!

(Incidentally, if you’re just joining this series, it’s a four-parter. Part 1 can be found here.)

Fast Five (A-) – Summer started a little early this year – on April 30, in fact. Vin Diesel’s third movie of the five-movie Fast and Furious franchise wound up being incredibly entertaining, tightly paced, and loads of fun. The best in the series since the first movie, it also raises the bar by adding value with a new nemesis played by Dwayne Johnson (The Rock). And yes, they do fight.

Thor (B+) – A very solid entry into the Marvel run-up to the Avengers film later this year, this film was directed by Kenneth Branaugh and features Chris Helmsworth as the God of Thunder. (And who else to play Odin but Anthony Hopkins?) A well-told origin story with a mélange of sci-fi and fantasy bits mixed in, it’s at its best when Thor acts like a walking anachronism.

Bridesmaids (A-) – One of the best comedies of the summer, and it transcends gender preferences despite the title. Paul Feig, well known for his TV cult favorites like Arrested Development, Freaks & Geeks, and Undeclared, directs a gem of a story about an average Midwestern going-nowhere woman (played by the hilarious Kristen Wiig) and her struggle to deal with her friend’s good fortunes while trying to out-friend her competition. The situations are sometimes outrageous, but all the characters feel real and un-Hollywood.

Everything Must Go (A) – A wonderful Will Farrell non-comedy (although some parts are still funny) about a man who loses pretty much everything except the disgorged contents of his home on his lawn. The movie is a sad, sweet drama about loss and closure. Will Farrell can definitely act outside of his comedy box.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (B-) – This movie was almost great, but was marred a bit by the all-too-common Hollywood treatment of adding too much (characters, mostly) to a solid story idea. Johnny Depp was solid as usual as Jack Sparrow, but the real winner here was Ian McShane as Blackbeard. It is entertaining, and better than all the others since the first film, but still flawed. (I’ll expand on this film at a later time, since there’s so much to say about it and this specific, recent Hollywood blockbuster issue.)

Midnight in Paris (A-) – Woody Allen’s most recent film is a romantic comedy and love letter to 1920’s Paris, as experienced through Owen Wilson’s aspiring novelist. Charming, funny, and filled with chance encounters with artists from a bygone “golden age.” Corey Stoll steals the show as Ernest Hemmingway.

The Hangover Part II (C) – I really loved the first Hangover. But this is almost a copy-paste (set instead in Bangkok) of the first film, with only a few scenes that are worthwhile. What made the first one great was being sucker-punched by the ridiculous situations, and this one just settles in for more of the same. This is a classic case of a sequel that never should’ve been made.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (B) – Solid sequel to the first Kung Fu Panda. Jack Black’s Po is funny and adorable, and the story is sweet. Gary Oldman as Lord Shen (a peacock villain!) is also a nice touch.

X-Men: First Class (B) – I wound up being a little disappointed here. Not too much, but this was definitely a film that would’ve benefitted from a little more simplicity to make the story more elegant. Michael Fassbender’s Magneto was worth the price of admission, and had the story simply been much more about Professor X and Magneto’s relationship, it would’ve been an A. Still, it is a fun period piece X-Men film with a few “nerdrage” moments. (Don’t get me started on the lack of Warren Worthington…)

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (B+) – A very engaging Chinese action/thriller set in the Tang Dynasty, this movie’s got great Hong Kong martial arts mayhem with an interesting mystery featuring the Sherlock Holmes of ancient China. It’s even based on a true story. (Released in China in 2010, but it’s US release was 2011.)

The Red Eagle (C-) – A Thai superhero film with a Punisher-esque character that serves up bullet-fueled justice, the movie was very uneven. The action footage was great, but the story was stale. Also, the “surprise” at the end merely served to frustrate me (along with the rest of the audience).

Super 8 (B) – This was a pitch-perfect movie until about halfway though. I really thought this had the potential to be 2011’s Inception, but it wound up going for the safe, comfortable path of sci-fi action. It should’ve stayed with the kids, their relationships, and kept the nostalgia on high. The home movie at the end is totally worth it, though.

Green Lantern (D+) – I was worried about this one from the start, and with good reason. A hackneyed story, weird special effects, and flat acting really made this a snore-fest. The animated Green Lantern movie, Emerald Knights, is far better. DC (and Warner Brothers) can do animated and live-action Batman. Everything else is suspect.

Bad Teacher (B-) – It’s a comedy about a repulsive teacher played by Cameron Diaz that has its moments. Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake save this movie from total mediocrity.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (C-) – Better than the last Transformers film, but still far off from the first. The CGI is very impressive, but it’s exactly what you’d expect from a major studio blockbuster. Can I have a Transformers film with no humans in it?

Horrible Bosses (C+) – Three guys have crappy jobs, and plot to kill their bosses. Charlie Day’s character Dale and his storyline is the most interesting part of the film, with Jennifer Aniston harrying him as his horrible boss. The comedy has some funny in it, but isn’t too impressive overall.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (B+) – Another big gun of the summer, this one delivers a wallop of a film finale to the beloved franchise. While it did meander a little bit, I really enjoyed this film. I was frustrated with Part 1, and felt like this was a solid picture in comparison. In fact, it’s probably my second favorite of the series – nothing can touch The Prisoner of Azkaban though.

Captain America: The First Avenger (A-) – This was my favorite “blockbuster” movie this summer. They got everything just about right in preparation for the Avengers film this year. The origin of Captain America was (correctly) grounded in World War II, and the movie jogs along with great action, more than a bit of camp, and some great casting decisions that make this a very worthy entry into the Marvel movie lineup.

Cowboys & Aliens (B-) – A serviceable action film based on the comic. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford both feel like they’re just cashing a paycheck here. Some intriguing Western/sci-fi mashup in the film, but otherwise it’s just decent. It’s a good lazy Sunday cable movie opportunity.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (A-) – Lots of great talent in this fresh comedy movie, and the dialogue is well-written. I can’t quit Emma Stone, so any movie with her in it is a must-see for me. Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell have some great scenes together too. The ending’s not as predictable as you’d think either.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (B+) – This is another example, along with Super 8, of a film that started out amazing and finishing leaving me a little disappointed as it went along a much more predictable route. However, James Franco raises the bar a bit for this origin tale of the late 60’s sci-fi classic. Andy Serkis (best known for Gollum) provides the face for the chimp Caesar, and the story is well crafted and quite pensive in places.

The Help (B+) – Another Emma Stone film, so I gotta see it. The Help definitely falls into the book-of-the-month club, feel-good film camp. The race relations issues (which are a bit understated to focus on character development) and superb performances by Viola Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard make this a very enjoyable picture. Watch this one with your Mom.

30 Minutes or Less (B-) – This is a comedy with a goofy premise about a pizza delivery guy that’s forced to rob a bank by two nitwit criminals. The story’s a little flat altogether, although a moronic Danny McBride is always good for a few laughs.

The Debt (B) – A solid thriller about an Israeli hit team that takes us back to their definitive Mossad mission in the mid-60’s and forward to 1997. It stays serious and keeps the audience guessing throughout.

We’ve made it through the summer! Next time, we’ll tackle the remainder of 2011, as we look at the holidays films and the crowd that’s likely to contend for Oscars this year.

What did you think about the summer movies of 2011? Any particular favorites? Stuff that I should’ve seen? Leave a comment if you’d like!

For the last 2 years, I’ve done a recap of all the first-run movies I’ve seen in a year. The 2011 recap will be no different, except that it’ll be here for all to see instead of sequestered behind the semi-private walls of my Facebook profile.

After 2009 and 2010, where I went to the theater well over 100 times each year, I changed things up a bit for 2011. Instead, I tried to limit multiple viewings of the same film at the theater to hit more pictures but reduce the overall number of times I visited the local cineplexes. (Do people still use that word? I do. I like the sound of it.) So, I wound up going to the theater a lot less, but seeing about the same number of films.

To frame the sort of preference I have for movies, I enjoy genre films (like a lot of folks I know, I’m a sucker for sci-fi and fantasy, whether good or bad), character-driven dramas, moody/atmospheric films, a pretty decent swath of comedies, quasi-historical pieces, and a fair bit of animation too. I dislike many slasher horror films, all torture horror, some musicals, most talking animal films (especially live action/CGI), and anything with Michael Douglas or Richard Gere post 1983 or so. I also have an irrational tendency to like romantic comedies, even if they’re pretty awful.

Since there are so many movies to list (over 60 this year), my review of each will be pretty brief – usually just a sentence or two with a grade assigned. There will be a few movies that I’ll discuss in a greater length at other times through this blog. I’ll be piecing this together into 4 parts; I hope to post each part within a few days of each other. Part 1 will cover the basics and the first third of 2011 (everything from January to the end of April). Part 2 will take care of the summer season, from early May through Labor Day. Part 3 will finish up the rest of 2011. Part 4 will have a few “best of” categories and some other comments.

A Guide to My Grades

A: Fantastic, a must-see. If it’s still in the theatres, go see it if you can. If not, it’s worth buying, if you buy movies. Anything in this grade is most likely to wind up in my movie collection at some point.

B: Entertaining. Good enough to see in the theatre, but you can also wait for it on rental, unless it’s a “theatre experience” film. Anything in this grade might be picked up for my movie collection if I’m a fan of the film’s genre, actors, or director.

C: Good enough for a budget viewing at a theatre if there’s nothing else playing that you want to see. Might be worth a rental if you’re a fan of the genre, cast, or crew. I don’t think any of the films in this grade are worth viewing more than once.

D: Overall, a very flawed or completely mediocre film, not worth your time to see it in the theatre or as a rental. Might have a redeeming feature or two, but generally 75%+ of the film is pretty bad.

F: Awful; a complete and total failure (see also “Biodome” and “Battlefield Earth”). The only reason to see these films is to give them the MST3K treatment with your friends. Do NOT watch any of these films alone, you will become distraught and lose any remaining compassion you have for humanity. I’m usually wise enough to suss these out before actually going to the theatre to see one; I think I probably only see an “F” movie about once every few years.

Let’s dive in with two movies that I saw in early 2011, but were really (extremely) limited 2010 releases.

Somewhere (B+) – A sweet film about the relationship between a sometime neglectful Hollywood father and his 11-year-old daughter that doesn’t really go anywhere, and doesn’t have to. Elle Fanning is wonderfully charming.

The Illusionist (A) – A fantastic French animated film from the director of the Triplets of Belleville, set in the 1950s and mostly in Scotland. There’s no real discernible dialogue here which makes the film all the more amazing. Was nominated for an Oscar last year, and probably should’ve won.

OK, now the releases of 2011 that I saw, in the order of their debut in theatres:

Season of the Witch (B-) – I like ridiculously bad Nicolas Cage films. And I like dark fantasy. This movie’s a twofer, and (of course) it’s cheesy in most of the right ways. Some of the special effects are pretty great, and Ron Perlman is fun. Sort of like a new version of terribly comforting ‘80s sword-and-sorcery films.

The Green Hornet (B) – I enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would. Seth Rogen gets all the good lines – surprise, surprise, since he wrote the script – but it’s a great popcorn-muncher and Jay Chou’s martial artistry is great.

The Mechanic (C-) – Standard Jason Statham-as-a-hitman fare here. He’s pretty much just phoning it in with these types of roles. I think I actually feel asleep during part of this film.

The Eagle (B) – A story about the reclamation of the lost emblem of a legion in Roman-occupied Britain. Solid action epic story that falls a little short on dramatic potential, it’s got some great fight scenes that are refreshingly not CGI-enhanced.

Cedar Rapids (A) – A funny, sweet indie comedy about an insurance salesman who’s never left his little Wisconsin hometown, and travels to his first convention in the exotic land known as Cedar Rapids. This movie was hilarious on many levels for me, as it certainly highlights some of the con-going experiences that I know have gone on in years past. John C. Reilly steals the show here with his overblown convention vet Dean Ziegler.

Unknown (B-) – Liam Neeson doing his action/drama thing again, and capably enough. There’s an interesting premise that’s executed well in the unraveling of the main character’s past.

Rango (B+) – Off-kilter animated film that, if you’re in the right mood, will be hilarious. Rango is voiced by Johnny Depp, and the Western theme is fun.

The Adjustment Bureau (C+) – Make no mistake, this movie might seem like some sort of weird sci-fi drama, but it’s actually a love story, and a pretty pedestrian one at that. The cast is sharply dressed.

Battle: Los Angeles (B+) – This action movie was so much better than the reviews. A modern-day alien invasion story told from the perspective of a marine unit attempting to contain the threat in Los Angeles. The feel of the “embedded camera” and pacing were well executed.

Jane Eyre (A) – Wonderfully executed. Moody, tense, and emotion-filled. Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender were excellent in this umpteenth remake of the classic Bronte novel.

Limitless (C) – What happens when you can unlock your total potential with a wonder drug? You get into trouble with Robert De Niro, of course. I kept waiting for Bradley Cooper to be funny, like in The Hangover. But alas.

Paul (B-) – Sci-fi geekfest involving an alien hiding out with a couple of dudes on an ultimate geek holiday. A few really funny moments, although I kept thinking that the alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) was basically a rip-off of the one from American Dad.

Win Win (B) – A sometimes touching, sometimes funny story of a wrestling coach’s attempt to redeem himself while helping a withdrawn highschooler find his way. I felt like Paul Giamatti, who plays the attorney/wrestling coach, was a little constrained by his script.

Sucker Punch (B-) – A completely pandering, over-the-top, everything-in-one-basket, stream-of-geekiness action film that at least has the courage to not even bother to stop and explain itself. It’s a mindless romp that is obviously a direct portal to director Zack Snyder’s brain. The stylized action scenes are gorgeous.

Hop (C+) – An incredibly safe, family oriented film that’s sort of like an Easter version of Elf. It’s not written as well, but it’s actually not a bad film – a lot better than I expected. The bunny and Easter chick CGI is good and not annoying or weird. Also, there aren’t really that many Easter bunny movies overall, so I guess it gets some points for that too.

Source Code (B-) – A solid thriller movie that has a great Groundhog-day premise, but ultimately winds up falling a little short. You do have to really suspend your disbelief at some of the sci-fi science though.

Hanna (B) – An indie action film that has Saoirse Ronan kicking ass as a teenage assassin trained by her father (played by Eric Bana). Cate Blanchett as the villain is an interesting twist, and the soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers is really good. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Your Highness (B+) – This movie is about 80% of what a lot of D&D games devolve into. It is very raunchy and ridiculous, with bad accents, cheesy action scenes, stoner sequences, and love for ‘80s sword-and-sorcery films. However, if you’re in the right mood, it is pretty damn funny. Some of the raunchiness feels too forced and strays into uncomfortable territory, but Danny McBride and James Franco are good for many laughs. Knights of Badassdom (coming out this year) might be a better version of this movie.

Rio (B) – Cute, colorful and fun. A great film for families with younger kids; the birds and the setting (Rio de Janeiro) make the film interesting. The voice casting is solid, particularly Jesse Eisenberg as Blu, the main macaw.

African Cats (B-) – This year’s Earth Day movie from Disney Nature wasn’t nearly as good as some of the past offerings, such as Earth and Oceans. It was still educational and entertaining though. The cheetah’s story was much more interesting than the lion’s.

That’s all for this time. Next time, we hit up the summer films, which begins with one of my favorite guilty-pleasure franchises.

What would you rate some of the films above? Anything excellent you’ve seen during the first 4 months of 2011? Leave a comment if you’d like!