December 31st, 2009

Santa with Muscles


Spoony said it better than I did, but bears repeating. F.

December 30th, 2009

Up in the Air


Pitch perfect, generally well-crafted, great performances; other words, almost perfect. A+.

December 29th, 2009

Flakes


Level of pretension expected from Zooey Deschanel appearance. Unfunny comedy, boo. D+.

December 28th, 2009

Sleeping with the Enemy


Harkens back to a time when Julia Roberts actually talented. B.

December 27th, 2009

The Princess and the Frog


Harkens back to a time non-Pixar Disney was actually good. A.

December 26th, 2009

Running with Scissors


Haven’t read book, but imagine it’s better. Some good acting. C+.

December 25th, 2009

A Muppet Christmas Carol


Probably the best post-Henson Muppet film. Not saying much, but... B-.

December 24th, 2009

Muppet Treasure Island


Tim Curry’s good, but really lame humor and little else. C+.

December 23rd, 2009

The Muppets Take Manhattan


Perhaps the pinnacle of the Muppet features, my personal favorite. B+.

December 22nd, 2009

The Great Muppet Caper


Has its moments, but not as funny as previous movie. B-.

December 21st, 2009

The Muppet Movie


Any movie that produces “The Rainbow Connection” of some worth. B.

December 20th, 2009

How the Grinch Stole Christmas


Would be better at about 15 minutes, and maybe animated. C-.

December 19th, 2009

Terminator 2: Judgment Day


Besides Total Recall, probably the best Arnold Schwarzenagger movie. B.

December 18th, 2009

Bedtime Stories


For reasons I am not quite cognizant of, actually quite good. B.

December 17th, 2009

The Pianist


A bit on the depressing side, but a technically great movie. B.

December 16th, 2009

The Big Lebowski


A brilliant, sublime, insane, cult classic. 20-somethings will definitely attest. B+.

December 15th, 2009

Trainspotting


Heroin: bad. Soundtrack: good. Ewan MacGregor: often naked. Lust for life. B.

December 14th, 2009

Casablanca


Lightning in a bottle never to again be repeated successfully. A+.

December 13th, 2009

The Lady in the Water


Overall technically decent but lacking in compelling or interesting storytelling. C.

December 12th, 2009

Imagine That


A mediocre Eddie Murphy movie? Well imagine that! I’m sorry. C+.

December 11th, 2009

The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor


Title tested better than “Brendan Fraser and Special Effects: The Movie.” C.

December 10th, 2009

The Neverending Story


Can think of at least two things wrong with title. B.

December 9th, 2009

The Fantastic Mr. Fox


Possibly Anderson’s best work, and best Dahl adaptation. See it. A.

December 8th, 2009

Speed Racer


Very colorful and very stylish but ultimately devoid of substance. D+.

December 7th, 2009

The Twilight Saga: New Moon


Long and uneventful. Shirtless men also sparkly vampires and werewolves. C+.

December 6th, 2009

Rendition


Agree with politics, but overly stage-y and slow-paced for effectiveness. C+.

December 5th, 2009

The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl


As a former overly imaginative child, I definitely could relate. B.

December 4th, 2009

The Spirit


Transcendently stupid, marvelously ham-fisted, and Samuel L. Jackson is extremely awesome. B-.

ALTERNATE:

QUOTE: “NO EGG ON MY FACE! NOT ONE GLOB!” END-QUOTE. B-.

December 3rd, 2009

A Christmas Carol (Zemeckis, 2009)


Weak third act, but intriguing adaptation at times. And 3-D. B-.

December 2nd, 2009

The Fourth Kind


Quite scary, although admittedly not in an intense terrifying way. A-/B+.

December 1st, 2009

The Men Who Stare at Goats


Really smart comedy steals my heart with Jedi mind powers. A.