1. Joyeux Noel— One of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen. I liked it so much, I watched it twice this year—and ended up buying a copy for myself to watch over and over. I believe it will be my yearly Christmas movie to watch from now on. It’s absolutely beautiful in both cinematography and spirit. The documentary/interview with the director on the DVD is a must-watch—and will make you love this film even more. A.
2. Children of Men— An amazing film. This is another film beautiful in spirit—although one has to dig much deeper to get to it. If the ending doesn’t get to you, you are truly heartless. Great performances by Clive Owen and Michael Caine, and Alfonso Cuaron did a beautiful job directing. Worth watching twice just for the mind-blowing single-take scenes. A
3. V For Vendetta— Based on a graphic novel I had an incredibly hard time understanding, this movie pared down all the extraneous bits from the book and ended up being very tight. Great performances and direction here as well. A
4. 300—theatre— Maybe not as great as I raved initially, but it’s still an incredible-looking flick. Gerard Butler owned that role as Leonidas. We’ve seen charismatic leaders before in movies, but I really believed in him. Some movies just grab you, and this was one of them. Maybe it didn’t follow reality perfectly, but so what? This is a well above-par pure-adrenaline movie. B+
5. Weeds Season 2— This show really took off after the shaky first season. Everyone seems to have found their role here. There is some drama here—and lots of laughs. And it’s impossible to take your eyes off Mary-Louise Parker… One of the best moments I’ve seen on TV this year was at the end of the season finale when Shane gave a “valedictorian” speech as his class graduated elementary school that degraded into a scathing review of society’s parenting skills. A-
6. Thank You For Smoking—I wish I could remember more of the details after nearly a year, but I know I loved this movie and its black humor about society and the “fat cats” that reside there. Aaron Eckhart was fantastic in it. A-
7. Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.—Not the best TV show ever made, but it was fun—something TV seems to have forgotten to be of late. This is probably Bruce Campbell’s finest performance so far, and his cowboy lawyer/bounty hunter is just plain fun to watch. If there’s anything to complain about, it’s that the damn DVD set costs too much (and it doesn't have closed captioning). B+
8. This Film Not Yet Rated—A great argument against the movies ratings system. The director tracked down the ridiculously secretive ratings board to prove that these people were not “you and me” as the ratings board boasts, but people who don’t necessarily qualify based on the boards’ own rules. I could write an entire (long) post on this movie. I think it’s vital on a creative standpoint, but it all seemed to be too much given that it won’t change much in the big scheme of things. But I guess if even slight changes are made to level the playing field, then it has performed its duty. Merit points to the film for including excised scenes from movies that moved them from NC-17 or X to R, ensuring that this film does not get rated. And many of the scenes were not “bad” in any sense, just not what the board deemed appropriate for R. B
9. The Seven Samurai— A Japanese movie that inspired so many American ones (including Star Wars), that was, oddly enough, inspired by American Westerns itself. One of the longest movies I’ve ever seen (3-1/2 hrs), but it never felt that long. The band got together around the end of hour one, and it felt as if it had been 30 minutes at most. The length allowed us to explore the villagers, who were being terrorized by bandits, as well as the rag-tag band of samurai they hire to protect them, and also gave enough room to see a number of skirmishes instead of a rushed final battle. There were happy moments, sad moments, beauty, ugliness, silliness all rolled into it. If you can make time for it, it’s worth it. B
10. Juno—theatre—A very solid, funny movie about a teenage girl who gets pregnant. It’s a current movie that’s been getting plenty of well-deserved awards buzz. I liked it quite a bit and only had two quibbles: the nearly clichéd end result of Juno and the adoptive dad’s friendship and Juno’s ability to be a mature teenage smart-ass through the whole movie. I mean, what girl is going to have her shit that together in this situation…? A-
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
2007 Movies/DVDs #11-20
And now my top 20, ranked in order. Yes, I'm aware the grades don't match their rankings, but I went with my gut here.
11. Little Miss Sunshine—Good performances all around by the actors, but the real pleasure of this movie was I had no idea where it was going, and when the movie got to each “stop”, it all made sense. B+
12. Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show— An unusual show, but it definitely has an HBO “feel” to it. Writing and acting were great and lots of dry humor. The DVD set also had a large number of extras that are worth watching. This was a pretty groundbreaking show that still feels current—unusual for a comedy. A-
13. Super Troopers—This isn’t a great movie, but it’s funny as Hell. The weak plot pretty much is there just to hold all the gags together and that’s okay because the gags are hilarious. B-
14. Ratatollie—theatre— You’d almost expect any Pixar flick to make it to the top, so it’s not really surprising. What is surprising is that a movie about a mouse who loves to cook can get that love across to the audience. I’m a Big Mac type of guy, but I almost understood where the chefs in the movie were coming from. B+
15. Knocked Up—theatre— Not great, but funny enough to stand out. B
16. Casino Royale— The first uncut Bond movie I’ve seen (the only other Bond flick I saw was Moonraker on ABC many, many years ago), and I’ve heard that I picked the right one to start watching. It’s a “smart” action movie in the Bourne trilogy vein. B+
17. The Little Rascals—The Best of Spanky— I can’t remember the exact shorts included on this DVD, but it doesn’t matter. These mini-movies transcend generations. I loved the Little Rascals when I was a kid (and I still do), and now my kids love them as well. The effects are choppy, and the kids may not have won any Oscars, but they were funny. And the headliner of this DVD, Spanky, was often the cream of the crop. It’s mind-blowing to see what that guy could do at such a young age. We have some Little Rascals DVDs in the house, and when we need some craziness, they go into the player, and we laugh like hyenas at the kids’ shenanigans. A
18. Meet the Robinsons—theatre—A much better movie than I expected it to be. If I wouldn’t have seen the “twist” coming a mile away, it may have been nearly perfect. B
19. Idiocracy—Mike Judge was reading my mind when he created this movie. I firmly believe the average person is getting more and more stupid, and Judge’s take on a potential future agrees with that sentiment—and does it with laughs. If it wasn’t funny, I’d be pretty sad at seeing humanity in this state because it’s a road we’re going down. B
20. A Christmas Story— A classic that probably should have been nearer to the top. B+
11. Little Miss Sunshine—Good performances all around by the actors, but the real pleasure of this movie was I had no idea where it was going, and when the movie got to each “stop”, it all made sense. B+
12. Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show— An unusual show, but it definitely has an HBO “feel” to it. Writing and acting were great and lots of dry humor. The DVD set also had a large number of extras that are worth watching. This was a pretty groundbreaking show that still feels current—unusual for a comedy. A-
13. Super Troopers—This isn’t a great movie, but it’s funny as Hell. The weak plot pretty much is there just to hold all the gags together and that’s okay because the gags are hilarious. B-
14. Ratatollie—theatre— You’d almost expect any Pixar flick to make it to the top, so it’s not really surprising. What is surprising is that a movie about a mouse who loves to cook can get that love across to the audience. I’m a Big Mac type of guy, but I almost understood where the chefs in the movie were coming from. B+
15. Knocked Up—theatre— Not great, but funny enough to stand out. B
16. Casino Royale— The first uncut Bond movie I’ve seen (the only other Bond flick I saw was Moonraker on ABC many, many years ago), and I’ve heard that I picked the right one to start watching. It’s a “smart” action movie in the Bourne trilogy vein. B+
17. The Little Rascals—The Best of Spanky— I can’t remember the exact shorts included on this DVD, but it doesn’t matter. These mini-movies transcend generations. I loved the Little Rascals when I was a kid (and I still do), and now my kids love them as well. The effects are choppy, and the kids may not have won any Oscars, but they were funny. And the headliner of this DVD, Spanky, was often the cream of the crop. It’s mind-blowing to see what that guy could do at such a young age. We have some Little Rascals DVDs in the house, and when we need some craziness, they go into the player, and we laugh like hyenas at the kids’ shenanigans. A
18. Meet the Robinsons—theatre—A much better movie than I expected it to be. If I wouldn’t have seen the “twist” coming a mile away, it may have been nearly perfect. B
19. Idiocracy—Mike Judge was reading my mind when he created this movie. I firmly believe the average person is getting more and more stupid, and Judge’s take on a potential future agrees with that sentiment—and does it with laughs. If it wasn’t funny, I’d be pretty sad at seeing humanity in this state because it’s a road we’re going down. B
20. A Christmas Story— A classic that probably should have been nearer to the top. B+
2007 Movies/DVDs S-Z
Scary Movie 4-- Garbage. F
School for Scoundrels— I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this movie before even though it was called something else. I’m pretty sure it starred Billy Bob Thornton, too. C-
School of Life – I’m a Ryan Reynolds fan. I’ll admit it, even if he usually does crappy movies. But this one was different. It was good. It had a good heart and a good message. I’d like to see Reynolds in more movies like these. B+
Sherrybaby— Great performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, but I just didn’t get into this movie which so many critics and fans liked. It just felt like another “I was so abused growing up that now I’m damaged” movie that’s been done before. B-
Shooter— It was okay. C+
Shrek the Third—theatre— This series loses a little more each time they go back to the well. C
Shut Up and Sing— I thought the whole Dixie Chicks saying they’re not proud of George Bush fiasco was bullshit. We do live in America, where people are free to say such things. Kinda ironic that the rest of the country caught up with the Chicks a few years later. Not that any of the piece of crap talk show hosts or radio station managers would admit they made a mistake… B-
Sicko— Not as eye-opening as Moore’s other films. I mean, we all know the health care system is in the toilet in America. B
Smokin’ Aces-- This movie is all style, little substance. I liked Ryan Reynolds (as usual) as he played against type by not being a wiseass. C+
So Goes the Nation-- A documentary looking at the 2004 Presidential Election and how Ohio factored into it. I was hoping to get some in-depth nuggets here, but the only real thing I took away from it was how “Everyman rancher” George Bush bought his Texas ranch not much earlier than his first run at president. Every politician does it, but he wrapped that rancher tag around him like a cloak. C+
Spider-Man 3—theatre-- I didn’t hate it as much as many people did. It fell into the too many characters problem that super-hero sequels have fallen into since Batman Returns. Some dumb plot coincidences hurt it, and while I like Topher Grace, I would have liked to see a more comic-true bruiser playing Eddie Brock/Venom. B-
Stomp Out Loud!-- amazing. Just shows you that there’s music everywhere. A-
Stranger Than Fiction—Will Farrell plays against type and has a very solid role in what was a much better film than I thought it’d be. B+
Street Fight-- An idealistic younger man takes on the entrenched incumbent in this doc about a mayoral race. A pretty good microscopic look at the problem with politics today. B
Superman: Doomsday-- A story close to my heart as it’s a loose adaptation of one of my favorite comic book runs. The knock-down, drag-out fight between Supes and Doomsday was pretty cool, but the movie had to pack too much into too little. Sadly some of the biggest cuts were from the most effective parts of comic series: how his death affected the world’s population. And the movie also couldn’t make a mystery out of his return from death like the comics did (I was in my comic shop EVERY week to make sure I got the next installment). Quick note: the extras included a great look at the comics this movie was based on and included interviews with most of the creators of them. And two final notes: I like much of Anne Heche’s work, but she was miscast here as Lois Lane. I never bought it. And Superman’s face is pure ugly. Whoever approved the massive cheekbones that were drawn as two gigantic “scars” on direct frontal views should get slapped around. B (movie), A- (extras)
Talledega Nights-- Another goofy Will Farrell movie. It is what it is. B-
Transformers-- I wasn’t a fan of the cartoon or the toys, but I read the comics for about 5 years. This was a decent popcorn movie. My quibble with it is how it clumsily injected more mature elements in some scenes to get a PG-13 rating. B
Uncovered: the Whole Truth about the Iraq War-- With the thesis that the Iraq War was pretty much bunged up from the beginning, it wasn’t a real surprise. B-
Who Killed the Electric Car-- Maybe I’m just burned out on politicians/businessmen screwing the average person. I wasn’t as mad as I should have been. And the answer of who killed the electric car was pretty unsatisfying. C+
Why We Fight— An interesting look at how Dwight Eisenhower predicted that we would become a military-based society over 50 years ago, and how we actually have become one. It doesn’t pile all the blame on Darth Bush and his cronies, but they do get their share. B
Wordplay— I so did not get why this movie was held in such high regards. Was it interesting to learn just how hard it is to make a New York Times crossword puzzle? Sure. But that was about it for me. I’m not knocking it, but it got pretty rave reviews for something that was pretty pedestrian. C
School for Scoundrels— I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this movie before even though it was called something else. I’m pretty sure it starred Billy Bob Thornton, too. C-
School of Life – I’m a Ryan Reynolds fan. I’ll admit it, even if he usually does crappy movies. But this one was different. It was good. It had a good heart and a good message. I’d like to see Reynolds in more movies like these. B+
Sherrybaby— Great performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal, but I just didn’t get into this movie which so many critics and fans liked. It just felt like another “I was so abused growing up that now I’m damaged” movie that’s been done before. B-
Shooter— It was okay. C+
Shrek the Third—theatre— This series loses a little more each time they go back to the well. C
Shut Up and Sing— I thought the whole Dixie Chicks saying they’re not proud of George Bush fiasco was bullshit. We do live in America, where people are free to say such things. Kinda ironic that the rest of the country caught up with the Chicks a few years later. Not that any of the piece of crap talk show hosts or radio station managers would admit they made a mistake… B-
Sicko— Not as eye-opening as Moore’s other films. I mean, we all know the health care system is in the toilet in America. B
Smokin’ Aces-- This movie is all style, little substance. I liked Ryan Reynolds (as usual) as he played against type by not being a wiseass. C+
So Goes the Nation-- A documentary looking at the 2004 Presidential Election and how Ohio factored into it. I was hoping to get some in-depth nuggets here, but the only real thing I took away from it was how “Everyman rancher” George Bush bought his Texas ranch not much earlier than his first run at president. Every politician does it, but he wrapped that rancher tag around him like a cloak. C+
Spider-Man 3—theatre-- I didn’t hate it as much as many people did. It fell into the too many characters problem that super-hero sequels have fallen into since Batman Returns. Some dumb plot coincidences hurt it, and while I like Topher Grace, I would have liked to see a more comic-true bruiser playing Eddie Brock/Venom. B-
Stomp Out Loud!-- amazing. Just shows you that there’s music everywhere. A-
Stranger Than Fiction—Will Farrell plays against type and has a very solid role in what was a much better film than I thought it’d be. B+
Street Fight-- An idealistic younger man takes on the entrenched incumbent in this doc about a mayoral race. A pretty good microscopic look at the problem with politics today. B
Superman: Doomsday-- A story close to my heart as it’s a loose adaptation of one of my favorite comic book runs. The knock-down, drag-out fight between Supes and Doomsday was pretty cool, but the movie had to pack too much into too little. Sadly some of the biggest cuts were from the most effective parts of comic series: how his death affected the world’s population. And the movie also couldn’t make a mystery out of his return from death like the comics did (I was in my comic shop EVERY week to make sure I got the next installment). Quick note: the extras included a great look at the comics this movie was based on and included interviews with most of the creators of them. And two final notes: I like much of Anne Heche’s work, but she was miscast here as Lois Lane. I never bought it. And Superman’s face is pure ugly. Whoever approved the massive cheekbones that were drawn as two gigantic “scars” on direct frontal views should get slapped around. B (movie), A- (extras)
Talledega Nights-- Another goofy Will Farrell movie. It is what it is. B-
Transformers-- I wasn’t a fan of the cartoon or the toys, but I read the comics for about 5 years. This was a decent popcorn movie. My quibble with it is how it clumsily injected more mature elements in some scenes to get a PG-13 rating. B
Uncovered: the Whole Truth about the Iraq War-- With the thesis that the Iraq War was pretty much bunged up from the beginning, it wasn’t a real surprise. B-
Who Killed the Electric Car-- Maybe I’m just burned out on politicians/businessmen screwing the average person. I wasn’t as mad as I should have been. And the answer of who killed the electric car was pretty unsatisfying. C+
Why We Fight— An interesting look at how Dwight Eisenhower predicted that we would become a military-based society over 50 years ago, and how we actually have become one. It doesn’t pile all the blame on Darth Bush and his cronies, but they do get their share. B
Wordplay— I so did not get why this movie was held in such high regards. Was it interesting to learn just how hard it is to make a New York Times crossword puzzle? Sure. But that was about it for me. I’m not knocking it, but it got pretty rave reviews for something that was pretty pedestrian. C
2007 Movies/DVDs G-P
Ghost Rider— Much better than I expected. Not great, but good enough. B
The Godfather of Green Bay-- Probably no one outside the western Great Lakes area has even heard of this movie, but for those who would “get” the humor, it was pretty good. It stars Lauren Holly, so you have someone great to look at while watching. B+
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—TV—These films kinda all flow together for me, so I don’t remember the particulars of this film. But I will say I haven’t watched one that I was disappointed in. Incomplete
Hollywoodland—I read part of Hollywood Kryptonite, so this wasn’t too foreign for me. For others, it may have been. But the performances were great, and it had Superman ties, so it was right up my alley. B+
Hot Fuzz—theatre—Like I said earlier, I’m not a big horror movie buff, but I really liked Shaun of the Dead. I liked some of the ‘80s action-packed buddy flicks this movie “spoofed, but I wasn’t as enamored with it as I was with Shaun. Go figure. But it’s definitely above average and worth watching. Maybe it’s better on DVD. B
The Hudsucker Proxy—TV-- I like much of what the Coen Brothers do, but this one didn’t pull me in like some of their other films do. B
Ice Age: The Meltdown— Not bad, just meh. C+
Jesus Camp-- Many Christians seem to have a problem with what they see as the rabid fanaticism of Muslims, so I find it ironic that these people think “Well, the Muslims go hardcore with kids, so we need to as well.” What these Christians preach is creating an army for God. There were a number of scenes were I actually cringed seeing these kids who have so much thrust on them that they don’t seem to be kids anymore. C-
Jet Li’s Fearless— I believe this was touted as Li’s final martial arts flick, and although I haven’t been exposed to many of those films, this was a good movie—definitely worthy of Li’s retirement in the genre. B+
John Tucker Must Die-- Pretty good teen movie. Worth watching just to see the chops some of these young actors have. B
Joseph Campbell: A Hero’s Journey-- Campbell has mainstreamed the shared human experience of storytelling, but this documentary didn’t really excite me as much as it should have. B-
Junebug—Decent. Nothing really memorable other than Amy Adams. Incomplete
Keeping Up With the Steins— I didn’t expect it to be good, and it wasn’t. I sort of feel bad for Jeremy Piven; he’s been so good as Ari Gold on Entourage that it seems he only gets those types of roles now. C-
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-- Better than I had expected. Worth watching. It’s a terrible thing that Robert Downey Jr. has had so many personal issues that he isn’t in as many movies as he should be with his talent. B+
The Last King of Scotland— One of those Oscar-bait movies. Forest Whittaker definitely deserved the Oscar he received, but the movie kind of drug at times. But there was one torture scene near the end that turned my stomach in its brutality and woke me up a bit and kind of pieced the film together for me. I’m cringing just thinking about it. B+
The Last Kiss— I don’t remember anything about this movie other than thinking “Rachel Bilson is pretty hot.” Okay, two things-- because I remember being bored as well. C-
Let’s Go to Prison— Crap. The only thing that made it watchable was Chi McBride. F (extra credit for McBride, who earned a B)
Living with Wolves— Interesting. B-
Lucky Number Slevin-- One of new takes on noir movies that come and go. Wasn’t bad. B-
The Matador-- Decent; don’t remember much about it. C+
Maxed Out— It should come as no surprise that banks screw with their customers, but this movie opened my eyes a little bit more to their tactics. B
Monster House— An animated movie for older kids, which may have kept it from getting more popular, but it was pretty good. B
Nacho Libre— Starring Jack Black. You know what you’re going to get, and you’ll get it. C-
The Notorious Betty Page-- Okay. Seemed a little too clichéd. Gretchen Mol did a decent job as the titular character. B-
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest-- A bunch of “cool scenes” barely held together with a plot. Johnny Depp’s work as Jack Sparrow exceeds what is expected of him. B-
Premonition-- Could have been good had it explained some things a little better (what was the deal with the glass door?) and if Sandra Bullock’s character didn’t get instantly dumb at the end. I really only watched it to get a fix of one of my favorites-- Peter Stormare. Unfortunately for me, he had all of three or four minutes of screen time. C-
The Godfather of Green Bay-- Probably no one outside the western Great Lakes area has even heard of this movie, but for those who would “get” the humor, it was pretty good. It stars Lauren Holly, so you have someone great to look at while watching. B+
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—TV—These films kinda all flow together for me, so I don’t remember the particulars of this film. But I will say I haven’t watched one that I was disappointed in. Incomplete
Hollywoodland—I read part of Hollywood Kryptonite, so this wasn’t too foreign for me. For others, it may have been. But the performances were great, and it had Superman ties, so it was right up my alley. B+
Hot Fuzz—theatre—Like I said earlier, I’m not a big horror movie buff, but I really liked Shaun of the Dead. I liked some of the ‘80s action-packed buddy flicks this movie “spoofed, but I wasn’t as enamored with it as I was with Shaun. Go figure. But it’s definitely above average and worth watching. Maybe it’s better on DVD. B
The Hudsucker Proxy—TV-- I like much of what the Coen Brothers do, but this one didn’t pull me in like some of their other films do. B
Ice Age: The Meltdown— Not bad, just meh. C+
Jesus Camp-- Many Christians seem to have a problem with what they see as the rabid fanaticism of Muslims, so I find it ironic that these people think “Well, the Muslims go hardcore with kids, so we need to as well.” What these Christians preach is creating an army for God. There were a number of scenes were I actually cringed seeing these kids who have so much thrust on them that they don’t seem to be kids anymore. C-
Jet Li’s Fearless— I believe this was touted as Li’s final martial arts flick, and although I haven’t been exposed to many of those films, this was a good movie—definitely worthy of Li’s retirement in the genre. B+
John Tucker Must Die-- Pretty good teen movie. Worth watching just to see the chops some of these young actors have. B
Joseph Campbell: A Hero’s Journey-- Campbell has mainstreamed the shared human experience of storytelling, but this documentary didn’t really excite me as much as it should have. B-
Junebug—Decent. Nothing really memorable other than Amy Adams. Incomplete
Keeping Up With the Steins— I didn’t expect it to be good, and it wasn’t. I sort of feel bad for Jeremy Piven; he’s been so good as Ari Gold on Entourage that it seems he only gets those types of roles now. C-
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-- Better than I had expected. Worth watching. It’s a terrible thing that Robert Downey Jr. has had so many personal issues that he isn’t in as many movies as he should be with his talent. B+
The Last King of Scotland— One of those Oscar-bait movies. Forest Whittaker definitely deserved the Oscar he received, but the movie kind of drug at times. But there was one torture scene near the end that turned my stomach in its brutality and woke me up a bit and kind of pieced the film together for me. I’m cringing just thinking about it. B+
The Last Kiss— I don’t remember anything about this movie other than thinking “Rachel Bilson is pretty hot.” Okay, two things-- because I remember being bored as well. C-
Let’s Go to Prison— Crap. The only thing that made it watchable was Chi McBride. F (extra credit for McBride, who earned a B)
Living with Wolves— Interesting. B-
Lucky Number Slevin-- One of new takes on noir movies that come and go. Wasn’t bad. B-
The Matador-- Decent; don’t remember much about it. C+
Maxed Out— It should come as no surprise that banks screw with their customers, but this movie opened my eyes a little bit more to their tactics. B
Monster House— An animated movie for older kids, which may have kept it from getting more popular, but it was pretty good. B
Nacho Libre— Starring Jack Black. You know what you’re going to get, and you’ll get it. C-
The Notorious Betty Page-- Okay. Seemed a little too clichéd. Gretchen Mol did a decent job as the titular character. B-
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest-- A bunch of “cool scenes” barely held together with a plot. Johnny Depp’s work as Jack Sparrow exceeds what is expected of him. B-
Premonition-- Could have been good had it explained some things a little better (what was the deal with the glass door?) and if Sandra Bullock’s character didn’t get instantly dumb at the end. I really only watched it to get a fix of one of my favorites-- Peter Stormare. Unfortunately for me, he had all of three or four minutes of screen time. C-
2007 Movies/DVDs A-F
American Dreamz— I liked this movie quite a bit, actually. B
A Brief History of Time— I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, but this was way over my head. C+
A Christmas Story— A classic that probably should have been in the top. B+
A Good Woman— I’m a Scarlett Johannson fan, but this movie was boring as Hell. D
Accepted-- A “dumb comedy” that wasn’t completely awful, just cliched. I also like Justin Long, so that made it watchable. C
Al Franken: God Spoke— I like Franken, but this was a boring documentary. C-
An Inconvenient Truth-- One of the most important movies I saw last year. Probably didn’t rank higher because I had been exposed to the content in all the press the film received. But it’s a critical one to watch. Here’s my take on global warming: Even if it isn’t “real”, do we want to chance it by continuing how we live? Do we really need to pump crap out our tailpipes and smokestacks when we have alternatives? Think about it. B+
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD— Followed the SNL ‘90s film curse: about 70 minutes too long. C
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres—theatre—The extras made the DVD. It even included an entire alternate movie (which was funnier). Dumb move though—the “alternate” movie was sketchy because many scenes were deleted before they were animated. Except a good chunk of the beginning WAS animated (and shown in some of the extras), so why couldn’t those scenes have been “fleshed” out on the deleted movie? B-
Art School Confidential—I don’t remember it very well. Incomplete
Barnyard— Not great. C+
Bee Movie—theatre— Better than Barnyard; not as good as the ones in the Top 20. B-
Beerfest-- It was decent enough; I mean you know what you’re going to get with these guys. I love the non-Broken Lizard actors the troupe is getting to appear in their movies. The villains of the movie are some of my favorite “B/C” level actors. B
Bill Cosby: Himself— A classic standup film. Cos gets ripped a bit because he’s not edgy and because he has been saying some African Americans’ problems are their own fault, but there’s nothing wrong with either of those things. Besides, this film is just, plain standup—something he excels at. A-
Blades of Glory-- Another case of knowing what you’re going to get. I’d give it an above average marks as a Will Farrell movie. B
Borat— As with An Inconvenient Truth, I think the fact that I knew so many of the gags from all the press the movie received kinda ruined it for me. But it was a well above average movie for me. B+
Bottom’s Up— I have no idea what this movie is… Okay, let’s check imdb.com: hmmm... it starred Paris Hilton and Jason Mewes. Oh, damn! Now it’s back in my brain! F
The Breakup—TV— pointless; I also remember the ending as being really dumb. C-
Broken Lizard’s Club Dread— My least-favorite Broken Lizard movie. It was a horror movie send-up, so maybe that hurt it for me (as I’m a not a horror movie guy). Or it could be that the jokes fell flat. C
C.S.A.—Confederate States of America-- What if the South had won the Civil War? A one-joke premise that didn’t find ways to make the joke funny enough to fill 90 minutes. C+
Catch and Release—theatre—I liked the actors, but this was a completely clichéd “chick flick”. There’s nothing wrong with so-called chick-flicks, but when one can see dang near every twist and turn coming, that’s just plain boring. And it’s too bad because there was a decent cast. C+
Clerks II— The original was a classic. This was just uninspired. Smith tried to salvage the movie by actually making the movie about something (growing up), but it was just crass. Crass and funny is one thing; crass and unfunny/boring is another. C
Crank-- Shut your head off and watch the pretty explosions. Bonus points for having Amy Smart in it. B-
The DaVinci Code-- Nothing special. C+
Death of a President-- Didn’t live up to the hype. An interesting premise: what could happen if President shit-for-brains got shot and died. Oddly enough, things would be worse according to this movie. And it’d be boring. C-
Derailed—TV— This movie took a while to get going, but it did pick-up as it reached the end. I like Clive Owen, and it was nice to see Jennifer Anniston play against her type. B-
The Devil and Daniel Webster-- This old movie was pretty good. No big effects and sets; just a story about a guy who made a deal with the Devil and then attempted to win his soul back. B
Employee of the Month— Considering it starred Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson, it wasn’t completely awful. C-
Epic Movie-- Shit. A complete waste of 70 minutes. Yes, I said 70 minutes, and I think the last ten minutes were just the end credits musical montage. F
The Family Stone-- One of those “actor” movies where everyone has a good role because there is so much unnecessary drama (see: TV’s Brothers and Sisters). The good: Craig T. Nelson and Rachel McAdams. The bad: Sarah Jessica Parker and Dermont Mulrony playing the same role they always seem to play—and being boring at it. C
Fantastic Four 2— It was pretty good. It was made with kids in mind, and that doesn’t mean it has to be bad. I would like to see a special effects laden super-throwdown in one of these movies, though. B-
Farce of the Penguins-- With the comedy talent working on this film, you’d think it would be at least a little funny. But all this is is stupid sex jokes and juvenile humor. It did have some good lines, mostly from Samuel L. Jackson’s narration, but it should have been better. D+
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift— I loathed the original, but Lucas Black is one of my favorite actors, so I had to check it out. It was relatively dumb—but didn’t completely insult my intelligence like the original did. And Black made it worthwhile. C+
Fast Food Nation-- Haven’t read the book (which I’ve heard is good), and this movie (which only very loosely follows the book) didn’t make me want to, either. Watching this movie was like watching meat go bad. D+
Flags of Our Fathers-- A good movie that just didn’t do much for me. B
For Your Consideration-- I know it’s unfair to expect Best in Show quality in every film this crew does, but, dammit, I want something that makes me roar in laughter. This didn’t have it (nor did A Mighty Wind). C
Friends With Money-- I can’t remember a thing about it other than I wasn’t impressed. Incomplete
A Brief History of Time— I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, but this was way over my head. C+
A Christmas Story— A classic that probably should have been in the top. B+
A Good Woman— I’m a Scarlett Johannson fan, but this movie was boring as Hell. D
Accepted-- A “dumb comedy” that wasn’t completely awful, just cliched. I also like Justin Long, so that made it watchable. C
Al Franken: God Spoke— I like Franken, but this was a boring documentary. C-
An Inconvenient Truth-- One of the most important movies I saw last year. Probably didn’t rank higher because I had been exposed to the content in all the press the film received. But it’s a critical one to watch. Here’s my take on global warming: Even if it isn’t “real”, do we want to chance it by continuing how we live? Do we really need to pump crap out our tailpipes and smokestacks when we have alternatives? Think about it. B+
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD— Followed the SNL ‘90s film curse: about 70 minutes too long. C
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres—theatre—The extras made the DVD. It even included an entire alternate movie (which was funnier). Dumb move though—the “alternate” movie was sketchy because many scenes were deleted before they were animated. Except a good chunk of the beginning WAS animated (and shown in some of the extras), so why couldn’t those scenes have been “fleshed” out on the deleted movie? B-
Art School Confidential—I don’t remember it very well. Incomplete
Barnyard— Not great. C+
Bee Movie—theatre— Better than Barnyard; not as good as the ones in the Top 20. B-
Beerfest-- It was decent enough; I mean you know what you’re going to get with these guys. I love the non-Broken Lizard actors the troupe is getting to appear in their movies. The villains of the movie are some of my favorite “B/C” level actors. B
Bill Cosby: Himself— A classic standup film. Cos gets ripped a bit because he’s not edgy and because he has been saying some African Americans’ problems are their own fault, but there’s nothing wrong with either of those things. Besides, this film is just, plain standup—something he excels at. A-
Blades of Glory-- Another case of knowing what you’re going to get. I’d give it an above average marks as a Will Farrell movie. B
Borat— As with An Inconvenient Truth, I think the fact that I knew so many of the gags from all the press the movie received kinda ruined it for me. But it was a well above average movie for me. B+
Bottom’s Up— I have no idea what this movie is… Okay, let’s check imdb.com: hmmm... it starred Paris Hilton and Jason Mewes. Oh, damn! Now it’s back in my brain! F
The Breakup—TV— pointless; I also remember the ending as being really dumb. C-
Broken Lizard’s Club Dread— My least-favorite Broken Lizard movie. It was a horror movie send-up, so maybe that hurt it for me (as I’m a not a horror movie guy). Or it could be that the jokes fell flat. C
C.S.A.—Confederate States of America-- What if the South had won the Civil War? A one-joke premise that didn’t find ways to make the joke funny enough to fill 90 minutes. C+
Catch and Release—theatre—I liked the actors, but this was a completely clichéd “chick flick”. There’s nothing wrong with so-called chick-flicks, but when one can see dang near every twist and turn coming, that’s just plain boring. And it’s too bad because there was a decent cast. C+
Clerks II— The original was a classic. This was just uninspired. Smith tried to salvage the movie by actually making the movie about something (growing up), but it was just crass. Crass and funny is one thing; crass and unfunny/boring is another. C
Crank-- Shut your head off and watch the pretty explosions. Bonus points for having Amy Smart in it. B-
The DaVinci Code-- Nothing special. C+
Death of a President-- Didn’t live up to the hype. An interesting premise: what could happen if President shit-for-brains got shot and died. Oddly enough, things would be worse according to this movie. And it’d be boring. C-
Derailed—TV— This movie took a while to get going, but it did pick-up as it reached the end. I like Clive Owen, and it was nice to see Jennifer Anniston play against her type. B-
The Devil and Daniel Webster-- This old movie was pretty good. No big effects and sets; just a story about a guy who made a deal with the Devil and then attempted to win his soul back. B
Employee of the Month— Considering it starred Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson, it wasn’t completely awful. C-
Epic Movie-- Shit. A complete waste of 70 minutes. Yes, I said 70 minutes, and I think the last ten minutes were just the end credits musical montage. F
The Family Stone-- One of those “actor” movies where everyone has a good role because there is so much unnecessary drama (see: TV’s Brothers and Sisters). The good: Craig T. Nelson and Rachel McAdams. The bad: Sarah Jessica Parker and Dermont Mulrony playing the same role they always seem to play—and being boring at it. C
Fantastic Four 2— It was pretty good. It was made with kids in mind, and that doesn’t mean it has to be bad. I would like to see a special effects laden super-throwdown in one of these movies, though. B-
Farce of the Penguins-- With the comedy talent working on this film, you’d think it would be at least a little funny. But all this is is stupid sex jokes and juvenile humor. It did have some good lines, mostly from Samuel L. Jackson’s narration, but it should have been better. D+
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift— I loathed the original, but Lucas Black is one of my favorite actors, so I had to check it out. It was relatively dumb—but didn’t completely insult my intelligence like the original did. And Black made it worthwhile. C+
Fast Food Nation-- Haven’t read the book (which I’ve heard is good), and this movie (which only very loosely follows the book) didn’t make me want to, either. Watching this movie was like watching meat go bad. D+
Flags of Our Fathers-- A good movie that just didn’t do much for me. B
For Your Consideration-- I know it’s unfair to expect Best in Show quality in every film this crew does, but, dammit, I want something that makes me roar in laughter. This didn’t have it (nor did A Mighty Wind). C
Friends With Money-- I can’t remember a thing about it other than I wasn’t impressed. Incomplete
DVD Best Of 2007 Preview
The most difficult thing about writing this blog is the lack of time I have to make meaningful, thought-provoking posts. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when I really have something to say, and by the time I get it all together, the time to say it has passed.
This is one of those cases.
I've been writing down the movies/DVDs I've watched and the books I've read since December 2006 with the intention of going back and reviewing some. Sadly (for me) I'll never have the time for that.
So I'll do what I can manage (even though it's been, like, six weeks of playing with the list on and off) and make a mini-review of them-- and then rate the top ones.
I think it's important to note which DVDs I watched before I give a Best Of list. I watched a stupid amount of DVDs (averaging 2 a week), but even I can't watch every single one that comes out.
I think I got that idea in my head from reading TV critics give their best of the year lists. There's no way a critic saw every single show. I know from personal experience that I don't watch shows I know I'll love due to time or media constraints.
So I'm listing every DVD, film (in theatres), or TV airing (premium, uncut cable versions) I saw from December 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007. And I (probably unfairly) am including TV shows I watched for the first time on DVD. My blog, my rules...
As a way to rank them, I gave them grades. The A grades are must-sees, B grades are above average and recommended, C's could go either way, D's are ones to avoid (but may have one or two redeeming qualities), and F's are ones I saw nothing worthwhile whatsoever in.
Please note: this is my list and my rankings. What mood I was in could play a slight part in my grade, as could how I saw it (ones I saw in the theatres tended to rank a bit higher). Finally, these grades were made by me in Jan of 2008, so there could be a gap of 13 months from when I saw a movie to when I graded it. It didn't change things too much, but there was more than movie I had to go to imdb.com to jog my memory about. Usually those unmemorable ones got a lower grade (I mean, I couldn't remember it, for cryin' out loud!).
And finally, sorry for any spelling mistakes. I combed the list over and over and spellchecked it in Word (Blogger's spellcheck seems to have stopped working for me, though). I'd edit it even more, but then I'd never get this posted.
Finally, all the movies listed I watched on DVD unless noted ("TV" means I watched it via HBO/Showtime/Cinemax, uncut, so like DVD but no extras).
Okay, here's the first batch coming up.
This is one of those cases.
I've been writing down the movies/DVDs I've watched and the books I've read since December 2006 with the intention of going back and reviewing some. Sadly (for me) I'll never have the time for that.
So I'll do what I can manage (even though it's been, like, six weeks of playing with the list on and off) and make a mini-review of them-- and then rate the top ones.
I think it's important to note which DVDs I watched before I give a Best Of list. I watched a stupid amount of DVDs (averaging 2 a week), but even I can't watch every single one that comes out.
I think I got that idea in my head from reading TV critics give their best of the year lists. There's no way a critic saw every single show. I know from personal experience that I don't watch shows I know I'll love due to time or media constraints.
So I'm listing every DVD, film (in theatres), or TV airing (premium, uncut cable versions) I saw from December 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007. And I (probably unfairly) am including TV shows I watched for the first time on DVD. My blog, my rules...
As a way to rank them, I gave them grades. The A grades are must-sees, B grades are above average and recommended, C's could go either way, D's are ones to avoid (but may have one or two redeeming qualities), and F's are ones I saw nothing worthwhile whatsoever in.
Please note: this is my list and my rankings. What mood I was in could play a slight part in my grade, as could how I saw it (ones I saw in the theatres tended to rank a bit higher). Finally, these grades were made by me in Jan of 2008, so there could be a gap of 13 months from when I saw a movie to when I graded it. It didn't change things too much, but there was more than movie I had to go to imdb.com to jog my memory about. Usually those unmemorable ones got a lower grade (I mean, I couldn't remember it, for cryin' out loud!).
And finally, sorry for any spelling mistakes. I combed the list over and over and spellchecked it in Word (Blogger's spellcheck seems to have stopped working for me, though). I'd edit it even more, but then I'd never get this posted.
Finally, all the movies listed I watched on DVD unless noted ("TV" means I watched it via HBO/Showtime/Cinemax, uncut, so like DVD but no extras).
Okay, here's the first batch coming up.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Premieres and Notables; Feb 18-24, 2008
Monday, 2/18
Pass Time; Speed. 6:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Speed's first ever game show. Contestants guess the times of cars racing a quarter mile. Must see TV, I'm sure...
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad; NBC. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Father and son/daughters team up to prove which dad is stronger, smarter, and a better parent.
Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious; CW. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
The Pussycats hold a competition to find three women to make up the new Girlicious group.
History of the Joke; History. 8 pm. Special
Lewis Black searches for the best joke in this documentary and goes to many of the best joketellers to find it. I've heard nothing about this show, but I think I could give it a recommended with confidence.
Inside the Vietnam War; National Geographic. 7 pm. Special.
A three-hour look at the conflict, including interviews with over fifty vets.
Prison Break (FOX; 7 pm) airs what is probably its season-- and possibly series-- finale tonight. Michael faces off against Susan B, a major player dies, another gets a life-threatening injury-- and T-Bag reminds us that he is one of the most vile characters on television. I think the show has about run its course, but I also think it deserves a proper send-off that an hour probably can't manage with all the plotlines that need to be tied up.
Wednesday, 2/20
America's Next Top Model; CW. 7 pm. 10th season premiere.
Drag Race High; Speed. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
A Tennessee high school shop class builds drag racers and competes against a rival school.
Friday, 2/22
Amne$ia; NBC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Dennis Miller hosts this This is Your Life/Jeopardy fusion where people have to answer questions about their own lives...
Saturday, 2/23
Lots of Academy Award movies airing today on various networks, but Encore takes the top prize as it airs EIGHT Best Picture winners, starting with Marty at 5:30 am, then going to In the Heat of the Night, Annie Hall, The Sting, The Deer Hunter, Dances With Wolves, Rain Man, and Platoon.
Independent Spirit Awards; IFC. 4 pm CST. Special
Rainn Wilson hosts this Indie awards show.
Sunday, 2/24
The 80th Annual Academy Awards; ABC. 7:30 pm CST. Special.
Jon Stewart hosts this awards show, which should be about normal now that writers can work on the show.
And, of course, with the Oscars at night, there will be dozens of hours of coverage on many networks all day long.
Pass Time; Speed. 6:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Speed's first ever game show. Contestants guess the times of cars racing a quarter mile. Must see TV, I'm sure...
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad; NBC. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Father and son/daughters team up to prove which dad is stronger, smarter, and a better parent.
Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious; CW. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
The Pussycats hold a competition to find three women to make up the new Girlicious group.
History of the Joke; History. 8 pm. Special
Lewis Black searches for the best joke in this documentary and goes to many of the best joketellers to find it. I've heard nothing about this show, but I think I could give it a recommended with confidence.
Inside the Vietnam War; National Geographic. 7 pm. Special.
A three-hour look at the conflict, including interviews with over fifty vets.
Prison Break (FOX; 7 pm) airs what is probably its season-- and possibly series-- finale tonight. Michael faces off against Susan B, a major player dies, another gets a life-threatening injury-- and T-Bag reminds us that he is one of the most vile characters on television. I think the show has about run its course, but I also think it deserves a proper send-off that an hour probably can't manage with all the plotlines that need to be tied up.
Wednesday, 2/20
America's Next Top Model; CW. 7 pm. 10th season premiere.
Drag Race High; Speed. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
A Tennessee high school shop class builds drag racers and competes against a rival school.
Friday, 2/22
Amne$ia; NBC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Dennis Miller hosts this This is Your Life/Jeopardy fusion where people have to answer questions about their own lives...
Saturday, 2/23
Lots of Academy Award movies airing today on various networks, but Encore takes the top prize as it airs EIGHT Best Picture winners, starting with Marty at 5:30 am, then going to In the Heat of the Night, Annie Hall, The Sting, The Deer Hunter, Dances With Wolves, Rain Man, and Platoon.
Independent Spirit Awards; IFC. 4 pm CST. Special
Rainn Wilson hosts this Indie awards show.
Sunday, 2/24
The 80th Annual Academy Awards; ABC. 7:30 pm CST. Special.
Jon Stewart hosts this awards show, which should be about normal now that writers can work on the show.
And, of course, with the Oscars at night, there will be dozens of hours of coverage on many networks all day long.
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