Bernie - 8/10 - Jack Black does his thing as Bernie Tiede in a more serious film, and I thought did an excellent job. This is one of those cases where the "Based on a true story" actually keeps very close to the story itself. Very interesting and I thought very enjoyable. Some black comedy elements in there, but overall maintained a fairly serious tone right alongside the funny parts. Richard Linklater is one of my favorite directors because he pulls stuff like this off.

Source Code - 6/10 - Finally saw this, can't really understand how the hell the source code itself works, but the movie was interesting enough. Got really cheesy at the end. In the beginning it had the feel of a "Manchurian Candidate" (The one with Denzel) style story, but that sort of gave way to a love story as the premise kind of fell apart.

I actually liked it well enough until the Avengers came out and reminded me just how good movies can be. I'll give it more than a 3, but it's what I would rank around an average film for me. Granted, that's still higher than what the masses watch.

Cabin in the Woods: 8/10

Movie is just fun, a little slow to start but the second half more than makes up for it.

Cabin in the Woods was pure entertainment.

Saw Hunger Games last night. If I'd never seen Battle Royale, I'd have been more impressed. Complete rip-off.

'The Hunger Games' Vs. 'Battle Royale' - Speakeasy - WSJ

Interesting to read the people comparing the two near the bottom. Seems like the central idea is the same, but then they go about the story differently.

And they both ripped off the novel "The Long Walk."

Or, another one of "Richard Bachman"'s novels in The Running Man

SI

In a more general sense, yes. Running Man/Long Walk involve gameshows involving death. It's the specific games themselves that are near-enough identical in Hunger Games and Battle Royale. Yes the "story" is different behind the games and the world that they are in, but the actual game itself is close enough to make me not quite believe Collins.

Although having said that, I've never read the Hunger Games books, so maybe it was the movie that leaned more heavily to the Battle Royale film than her story.

Caught up with some stuff-
Bridesmaids 8.5/10. Really good stuff. Lots of laughs.

Attack the Block 9/10-This movie fucking rules. You basically have to see it, it's fucking awesome.

The Deer Hunter ?/10-I can understand why it won best picture, but a movie like this would never be made today. The opening hour is basically painful to watch. You could easily transfer the info given in the first hour in like 10-15 minutes of tight storytelling. The 2nd hour in vietnam is really good. The third hour was pretty good, although I'm not a big fan of the 70s storytelling type stuff. Meryl Streep is freaking hot.

70's Meryl Streep is hot. Kramer vs Kramer yikes!

Madagascar (8/10) on DVR
-It’s a bit short and a little light on plot but a simple story that works: zebra and lion are best friends, they end up stranded in Madagascar, Zebra loves it while Lion hates it and as they revert to their wild selves, they have to deal with the fact that Lions like to eat Zebras.
-It’s much funnier than I thought it would be with only occasionally lapsing into too stupid humor with lots of funny unexpected jokes like a little “Happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo” number.
-There are good one liners but they fit well within the plot and, for the most part, are not shoehorned in.
-There are a couple of odd, trippy scenes that were more reminiscent of 70s movies (and cartoons) than recent ones.
-It is a good voice cast despite me not being a fan of some of the people in it like Ben Stiller or Sacha Baron Cohen.
-Also, the penguins were excellent and I understand why they got a spinoff.
-I don't expect much from Madagascar 2 and 3 but this one was worthy of praise.
-Overall, it’s a solid 8. Not Pixar but a lower member of that tier right below Pixar.

SI

Anybody seen Take Shelter?

The Racket (1928) (7.5)/10

I wasn't expecting a whole lot... I do not have a lot of silent picture experience. But this was surprisingly entertaining. Gotta love Gangster pics. I have been told that it was redone in the 50s with Robert Mitchum, but I am glad I cleaned this off of my DVR and watched it.

The Dark Knight Rises: 6.8 Out Of 10

Not gonna lie, I just wasn't feeling this baby.

More than the first two films, this one really felt like it was just a dude with pretty toys fighting other dudes with pretty toys. Didn't dig the Alfred storyline either.

The previews gave me major hope for Bane as a major shitkicker but I never once got the feeling in the actual movie as I did from the trailers. The fight scenes in particular were majorly disappointing.

On the plus side I thought Bale and Hathaway were pretty good and it's not like it's a horrible film or anything, just not on the level of what I expected it to be.


Why Stop Now: 7.0 Out Of 10

Eisenberg plays a piano prodigy with a fucked up addict of a mother and a little sister he pretty much has to take care of on his own.

While I thought it was a pretty solid film it suffered from being a tad too dramedic. Tracy Morgan and Isiah Whitlock provide a lot of laughs as the drug dealers while they're featured, but when they aren't it reverts to a dramatic morality tale and the film really doesn't walk the line too finely.

The comedy is a bit absurd when placed in the middle of the story of an addicted, broken family. It's also, and I'm not gonna be too harsh here, but the setup for how Eisenberg and Leo end up with Morgan and Black is bit far fetched.

Maybe my biggest qualm with the film comes from the actor in it I love most. Melissa Leo has been a fave of mine since Homicide but god damn is it a bit exhausting watching her ramble on and on and extend multiple scenes by 30-45 seconds just because of repetition. I know the main fault lies in how the character is written but there's always been a manicness to her acting that can just wear you out if it's not reigned in correctly.

A smart and funny movie that's not quite as smart or funny as it thinks it is, but you could do much worse.

Robot & Frank: A really poignant indie sci-fi flick about aging, friendship and family. It was pitch perfect.

American Reunion: 7.2 Out Of 10

It has some major belly laughs, mostly all due to Stiffler, and it has a nice collection of T&A, and really those are all I wanted from this one, hence the solid rating.

However, as I was watching, and this is coming from someone who's the perfect age to have appreciated the whole franchise from start to finish, I found myself just not caring that much about the characters. In other words, there was too much damn story here. The fuck do I care if Jim and the redhead are having marriage problems? Honestly, none of the secondary characters in this one made me give a shit about them. But that's ok. Stiffler shitting in a cooler and Jims neighbors strip show in the car were pretty much enough for me to enjoy the movie, I just wish there was more of that and less exposition.

Oh, and Rebecca DeMornay as Finches mom probably bumped this sucker up a few notches. I love Jennifer Coolidge but Stiffler wins this battle hands down.

You wont be sorry you attended this reunion.

Cabin In The Woods: 5.3 Out Of 10

I'm torn between appreciating the premise of the film and being disappointed by it's execution, not that the execution did anything wrong, it's just that it.......Let's put it this way, as clever as it is at the start, is as clever as it ever gets, and about 40 minutes into the film you know you're watching a by the numbers horror movie. And the fact that they intend it to be by the numbers doesn't make it any less irritating because you still have to watch it unfold exactly as you expect it to.

Add on that the nudity wasn't really enjoyable and the kills and gore all seemed to be a secondary thought, it was just a let down.

Bradley Whitford is amazing though, so that's something. The ending also came across as very silly to me but by the time you see all the monsters it doesn't really matter, it's already shot it's wad of cuteness.

It's an interesting premise with a strong start that gets redundant and boring despite throwing the kitchen sink at you.

Great movie, kinda weak ending, IMO. Very strong acting. I'd give it an 8.5.

Just finished it tonight. Seemed rather laborious to me - did you see it?

I have it available, it's just a matter of getting some time to watch it. Maybe Monday.

Trouble with the Curve - 7 out of 10

Not terribly original or surprising, but enjoyable, occasionally funny, feel-good movie. Decent date flick. Eastwood was fantastic, John Goodman was well-cast. The rest? Meh. Nothing to see on the big screen, but worth it as a rental or lighter evening fare. I liked it.

Road House-12/10

This movie is fucking awesome. Disagree and I'll rip your throat out.

Among the ball fields featured in the movie is one that I grew up playing on. My childhood hometown was one of several locations (including Athens, GA as well) used for various scenes.

Finally got around to watching
Bubba Ho-tep - 6.5 out of 10

Hard to grade a movie this weird, especially one shot on such a low budget. Probably worth a 7 (since I had an idea what to expect) but would have graded lower most likely for someone who had no clue what was coming. So I split the difference.

Bruce Campbell, Elvis, a black JFK, a mummy that sucks souls from people's assholes. What's not to love?

I wanted to love Bubba Ho-tep, I really did... alas, was not to be... even a 6.5 is generous IMO.

Bubba Ho-tep reminded me why I never got into the B-movie scene. I think the most fun was watching my friend react to how bad he thought the movie was.

The effects were fine- I didn't mind it being a B movie. But the writing was kindof crappy and well below what I expected

SI

Ho-tep was all about Bruce. Without him I'd probably have abandoned ship on it before it finished. Because he's there, I finish it hoping that there's something more to come.

A little too much narrator, not quite enough happening. But BC is probably worth a full rating point from me on his own, hence the 6.5 instead of something like a 5.5. And that seems fair enough, hard for anything that I finish to get below a 5, since that implies "average" and the average movie isn't compelling enough for me to finish. Get less than 5 from me & I'm writing from the standpoint of actively regretting finishing the movie.

This isn't about a movie I recently watched, but why the HECK did they feel a need to make Expendables 2? I saw the first one and it was terrible. I mean, even the action was mediocre at best. Did it really have that great of a reception?

/tk

Umm, yeah. The film has made $103,068,524 in the U.S. and $171,401,870 in the international box office, bringing its worldwide gross to $274,470,394 That's on a budget of just $80m.

Numbers for 2 were down a bit but plans are already in the works for a 3rd and final installment.

The star power carried enormous weight.

Wow. I'm sad that I contributed to the domestic box office, but a friend wanted to see it at her going away party. But wow was it awful.

/tk

Terp I will have to disagree with you. If you go in looking for an over the top action movie with loads of ridiculousness then this movie was just fine. I actually enjoyed the movie and am looking forward to catching part 2 when it hits video.

It missed even as an over the top action for me. It wasn't bad, but I wanted a lot more than it gave.

Saw Looper tonight. Had high hopes, as Gordon-Levitt has become someone I look forward to seeing in a movie. Was quite disappointed. It starts really strong, with some nice character development blended with action...and then it sort of goes off the rails. Character development pretty much completely stops, the action gives way to what is supposed to be suspense, but ends up being tedium because you don't really care about the characters. It tries to insert some tongue-in-cheek humor, but takes itself far too serious to make that work.

That being said, it's not completely horrible. It's pretty close to being a good movie. Just doesn't get it done for me. I'd say if you go see it in a theater, you'll be disappointed but not upset. Wait for the DVD. 6/10

I enjoyed the hell out of Looper, for me id say an easy 9/10. Bruce Willis should really do more Sci-Fi, it seems to suit him well.

End of Watch-- (9/10)

I forgot to write this up last week after seeing it when it came out.

I highly recommend this one. Partly, I am sure, I am saying that because I was surprised at how good it was (it's probably really an 8), but very good flick. Gyllenhall and Pena play two cops that you just can't help rooting for on screen. The dialogue is crisp, serious when it needs to be, and much funnier when it goes funny than I expected (which is good because when you're doing a follow around with two cops in one of the worst neighborhoods in LA, you need something to make it happier). There are good action scenes and chase scenes. Supporting cast wasn't featured much, but they did a good job while on screen. Anne Kendrick was good in her role.

It made me want to go up to cops I saw after the film to thank them for the job they do, and trust me, I'm not one to walk up to cops to do anything.

The Master-- 9/10

I loved this movie. The acting was wonderful, especially Joaquin Phoenix. I personally think it is the best thing Paul Thomas Anderson has done. There will be several Oscar nominations for this flick. The best thing for me is that I keep thinking of the movie ever since Isaw it on Thursday.

Paul Thomas Anderson is my favorite director for a reason. I can't wait for this film.

Okay, so is this a movie for Paul Thomas Anderson fans or can others enjoy it too?

Same way I feel about Wes Anderson or the Coen Brothers. Yeah, they have their style and they're very artisitic and what not. But sometimes their movies just aren't palatable (i.e. downright weird), and they only seem to do oddball or literary-style scripts.

That's why for my tastes I prefer guys like Fincher and Nolan. Not only do they do supremely high quality work artisitically, but they have shown the ability to maintain their vision while also reaching out to the normal viewing public with their films.

Watched Animal House today... yep, that movie still delivers

I can certainly understand dislike of certain filmmakers. I am not the biggest Wes Anderson fan. In terms of PT Anderson, he hits big ideas in this movie... like religion. The Master is certainly an artistic film, so if you arent a PT Anderson fan it may not be your favorite film of all time. But you would be able to appreciate several very good to great performances. and wonderful cinemitography. Plus It is interesting to see how he treats the character Dodd(The Master) But for non PT Anderson fans Iwould just say to temper your expectation, ... It is a movie that hits some of his themes.

That's My Boy - Typical Adam Sandler movie - priests, old people swearing, dick jokes, etc. If you like his movies (like I do), you'll like this one. If you don't, you won't.

Cabin in the Woods - not even worth the $1.06 we spent to rent it from Redbox

I just saw this a week or so ago and quite liked it. I'd say 7.5 out of 10 or so.

Damsels in Distress - 8/10 - If you like Wes Anderson films, this is a pretty similar style. 4 girls who work in suicide prevention at a college weave their way through odd situations. Very quirky, but after it gets going it is very funny as well, IMO.

I loved this movie FWIW.

Looper - 9/10

I loved this movie. Fantastic sci-fi/action flick. I wasn't a big fan of Johnson's debut film, "Brick," which also starred JGL and came out a number of years ago, but had the opposite reaction with "Looper." This is a must see if you like sci-fi or action movies that make you think.