Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Day 4: Movies I Have Watched in 2014

  • Mud (B) - The kids were endearing and it was nice to see Kendal Crowe (Justified) a bit younger.  MM was convincing and it had a nice supporting cast but I kept feeling like I should be crying and I wasn't.
  • Inside Llewyn Davis (A) - Just about perfect. 
  • The Counselor (C+) - You would think a movie written by Cormac McCarthy and directed by Ridley Scott would be a wet dream, alas it is not.  It is brutal and it stays with you for a while after you watch it (mostly because it's just fucked up) but overall it falls short.
  • Catching Fire (D) - There was one good scene and it was at the end.
  • Thor: The Dark World (D+) - There was one good scene and it was towards the end.
  • The Fifth Estate (B-) - Worth seeing just for Sherlock's Australian accent.  Also, a good story.
  • The Way Way Back (C) - I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired of movies with Steve Carell where he plays a serious role (or a non-serious role for that matter).  They're all the same! Little Miss Sunshine, Dan in Real Life, and now this dreck.  Sam Rockwell saved it but not by much.
  • Ender's Game (B-) - I am twelve.
  • Enough Said (A-) - A very pleasant movie that moves at a normal pace with real characters and good actors.
  • Gaslight (A+) - I haven't watched this one in a very long time but it still stands up.  I watched it thinking how I would remake it (I have some good ideas) but it really should be left alone.
  • Escape Plan (F) - I will never understand how scripts get made into movies like this.  It HAS to be a relative of someone.  
  • Promised Land (B+) - Solid.  Real.  Funny.  
  • Captain Phillips (B) - Good.  I guess.
  • The Family (C) - Ugh, Luc Besson.  Seriously, stop making movies.
  • Prisoners (C+) - I kept waiting for something to happen and even though I didn't "call" the ending, I kind of wish I had.  I would have liked it better.
  • 2 Guns (C+) - Ten years ago I would have seen this movie opening day in the theater.  But they don't know how to make them any more.  And why was this ever a graphic novel?
  • Columbus Circle (D) - Written by one of my favorite screenwriters ever (well, he wrote Midnight Run).  This was dumb and you see EVERYTHING before it happens.
  • I Need That Record (B) - A pretty lame documentary about a wonderful subject.
  • Vanilla Sky (A-) - I saw this in the theater and HATED IT and then just revisited it after reading an essay by Chuck Klosterman.  I gotta say, it's pretty damn good.  I don't understand why people were confused by it.  It's very clear in its narrative and even though a remake, a very good one.  
  • Twilight (B+) - No, not the vampire movie (although given the list above I wouldn't put it past me).  This was a detective movie with Paul Newman, Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon.  This was kind of the opposite of Vanilla Sky.  I saw this in the theater and LOVED it and now I don't know why.  I give it a B+ just because they don't make enough detective movies (ahem, I Drink Alone).
  • Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (B) - For a 'made for tv' movie this was actually quite entertaining.  I started watching for research and found myself continuing...
  • Jesse Stone: Night Passage (C+) - Although I am a bit tired of the 'alcoholic' cop...
  • Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (D) - ...and...I'm over it.
p.s. This not drinking thing is super hard.  But this 'list anything' thing is actually working.  So we'll see if I make it another night.

4 comments:

BEM1212 said...

I have several comments about several posts but I am saving for free time in the weekend. I comment here to say -- Hurry! You still have time for a Day 5 list.

BEM1212 said...

Less thorough commenting:

- Mud. Haven't seen. Will this be the one that will convince me MM is something other than I think he is?

- Agreed on Inside Llewyn Davis.

- I did not like the book Ender's Game. Should I bother with the movie?

- Gaslight. I love the performances so much. Angela Lansbury was like 19!

- I have not heard of Escape Plan but I think I will try to find it.

- I really really loved Captain Phillips. So much. Tom Hanks should have been nominated for Oscar and maybe even won. So good.

- The Family. I'm scared to see it. Was Michelle Pfeiffer worth it?

- I have seen neither Vanilla Sky. Need to fix that. No spoilers! But which should I watch first???

- I will not watch any Jesse Stone unless you are in the room and I am close to drunk, and that sounds like a pretty good idea.

Boxcar said...

maybe.
good.
no.
yep!
really, don't.
really?
she was the only thing worth watching
you will probably hate it.
agreed.

BEM1212 said...

I was in the exactly the right mood / frame of mind when I watched Captain Phillips, so it worked perfectly and I loved it.

I can imagine a different reaction had I felt differently going into it.