Mid-Year Update

What I watched from 1/1/09-/6/30/09

66 movies so far this year. Average 11 per month (~3/week).

I might change my rating to be more like Netflix. It's a simpler system:
1/5 - hated id
2/5 - didn't like it
3/5 - liked it
4/5 - really liked it
5/5 - loved it

Top Rated:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - 5/5
Synecdoche, New York (2008) - 5/5
"Battlestar Galactica" (2004) - 5/5
Adaptation. (2002) - 5/5 (seen bef0re)
The Graduate (1967) - 5/5 (seen before)

Bottom Rated:
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) - 1/5
Cobra (1986) - 1/5


All movies (66):
Revolutionary Road (2008) - 4/5
Doubt (2008/I) - 4.5/5
Land of the Lost (2009) - 3.5/5
Taking Chance (2009) - 3.5/5
Away We Go (2009) - 4.5/5
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) - 1/5
The Love Guru (2008) - 3.5/5
The Tale of Despereaux (2008) - 3/5
Terminator Salvation (2009) - 3/5
The Dam Busters (1955) - 3.5/5
Lost in La Mancha (2002) - 3/5 documentary
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - 5/5
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (20...
My Name Is Bruce (2007) - 3/5
The Incredible Hulk (2008) - 2.5/5
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) - 2.5/5
Speed Racer (2008) - 2.5/5
Star Trek (2009) - 4/5
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Definitely, Maybe (2008) - 4/5
"Caprica" (2009) - 3.5/5
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) - 3.5/5
The Wrestler (2008) - 4.5/5
"Spaced" (1999) - 2.5/5 tv series
Adventureland (2009) - 4/5
Adaptation. (2002) - 5/5
Henry Poole Is Here (2008) - 3/5
High Fidelity (2000) - 3.5/5
The Foot Fist Way (2006) - 3/5
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - 4.5/5
Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001) - 4/5 documentary
Son of Rambow (2007) - 3/5
Deconstructing Harry (1997) - 2.5/5
The Fountain (2006) - 3.5/5
The Graduate (1967) - 5/5
Smultronstället (1957) - 4/5 subtitles
Bigger Stronger Faster* (2008) - 4/5 documentary
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) - 4/5 documentary
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - 4.5...
Duplicity (2009) - 3/5
Hud (1963) - 3/5
Haine, La (1995) - 2.5/5
Synecdoche, New York (2008) - 5/5
Apocalypto (2006) - 3.5/5
Bolt (2008) - 3.5/5
Helvetica (2007) - 3/5 documentary
Young at Heart (2007) - 4/5 documentary
Man on Wire (2008) - 4.5/5 documentary
frontline: is wal-mart good for america? - 4/5 documentary
Sunshine (2007) - 3.5/5
Cop Land (1997) - 3/5
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - 4.5/5
Death Proof (2007) - 4/5
Taken (2008/I) - 3.5/5
He's Just Not That Into You (2009) - 4/5
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) - 4/5
Planet Terror (2007) - 3/5
28 Weeks Later (2007) - 3/5
28 Days Later... (2002) - 3.5/5
What Happens in Vegas (2008) - 1.5/5
Hitman (2007) - 3/5
Yes Man (2008) - 3.5/5
"Battlestar Galactica" (2004) - 5/5
Cobra (1986) - 1/5
The Queen (2006) - 3.5/5
Marley & Me (2008) - 4/5


From Netflix (43 - avg ~7/month):
Revolutionary Road
The Return of Captain Invincible
Doubt
Taking Chance
The Dam Busters
Lost in La Mancha
My Name Is Bruce
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Incredible Hulk
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Speed Racer
Definitely, Maybe
Battlestar Galactica: Caprica
The Wrestler
Spaced: The Complete Series: Disc 2
Spaced: The Complete Series: Disc 1
The Foot Fist Way
Dogtown and Z-Boys
Son of Rambow
Slumdog Millionaire
The Fountain
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Hud
La Haine
Apocalypto
Helvetica
Young @ Heart
Breach
Man on Wire
Is Wal-Mart Good for America?: Frontline
Sunshine
Cop Land
The Last Sin Eater
The Bourne Ultimatum
Grindhouse: Death Proof
Grindhouse: Planet Terror
28 Weeks Later
28 Days Later
Ali
Hitman
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4: Disc 4
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4: Disc 3
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4: Disc 2

Movies I've Seen Lately

I'll try to do this from memory. It won't be complete or detailed, but I'll hope to keep it up to date as I go from here.

These are ones I've watched while working out.

In no particular order...

Nosferatu (1922) - 4/5 - silent, (F.W. Murnau, 1922) "To watch F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu is to see the vampire movie before it had really seen itself. Here is the story of Dracula before it was buried alive in cliches, jokes, TV skits, cartoons and more than 30 other films. The film is in awe of its material. It seems to really believe in vampires." — Roger Ebert

"The original, superbly loathsome German version of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is a concentrated essay in horror fantasy, full of weird, macabre camera effects. Though ludicrous at times (every horror film seems to become absurd after the passage of years, and many before—yet the horror remains), this first important film of the vampire genre has more spectral atmosphere, more ingenuity, and more imaginative ghoulish ghastliness than any of its successors. The movie often seems more closely related to demonic painting than to the later, rather rigid vampire-movie genre." — Pauline Kael

Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972) - 4/5 - Aguirre, The Wrath of God

Nosferatu (1979) - 5/5 - German/English, Herzog, Kinski

Stage Coach (1939) - 3.5/5 - b/w, classic, (John Ford, 1939) "Perhaps the most likable of all Westerns, and a Grand Hotel-on-wheels movie that has just about everything—adventure, romance, chivalry—and all of it very simple and traditional." — Pauline Kael

Third Man, The - 3.5/5 - Welles, b/w, spy-thriller, Russia

Seventh Seal, The - 3/5 - Swedish, b/w, (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) "The images and the omens are medieval, but the modern erotic and psychological insights add tension, and in some cases, as in the burning of the child—witch (Maud Hansson), excruciation. The actors' faces, the aura of magic, the ambiguities, and the riddle at the heart of the film all contribute to its stature." — Pauline Kael

Magnificent Seven, The - 3.5/5 - western, b/w, based on The Seven Samarai

Seven Samarai, The - 3.5/5 - classic, b/w

Sergeant York - 3.5/5 - Gary Cooper, WWI, b/w

The Big Sleep (1946) - 3.5/5 - Bogie and Bacall, interested release info: some filmed in 1944 and some (refilmed) later in '46, Wm Faulkner on the screenplay - dialogue!

Not while working out:

Ray - 4/5
Spanglish - 3.5/5
Shark Tale - 2.5/5
After the Sunset - 1/5
Incredibles, The - 4.5/5

Books

I was just looking at an old file I used to keep of books as I read them (and when and in some cases where). I haven't kept it up in several years, but here it is...

1 Song Of Soloman, Toni Morrison Fall 1989
2 Painted Bird, Jerzy Kosinski Fall 1989
3 Twice Pardoned, Harold Morris Summer 1990
4 Flatland, Edwin Abbott Abbott Fall 1990
5 Heir To A Dream, 'Pistol' Pete Maravich Fall 1991
6 Fourth Dimension, Rudy Rucker Fall 1991
7 The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran Jan 19 - Feb 6, 1992
8 A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken Jan ? - Feb 9, 1992
9 More Than A Carpenter, Josh McDowell Feb 13 - Feb 24, 1992
10 No Compromise, Melody Green Mar 18 - Mar 25, 1992
11 Star Wars, George Lucas June 30 - July 7,1992
12 The Empire Strikes Back, Donald F. Glut July 8 - July 31,1992
13 Return of the Jedi, James Kahn July 31 - Aug 2, 1992
14 Heir to the Empire, Timothy Zahn Aug 3 - Aug 8, 1992
15 Dark Force Rising, Timothy Zahn Aug 15 - 28, 1992
16 Good Morning, Holy Spirit, Benny Hinn Aug 29 - Oct 18, 1992
17 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis Oct 18 - Oct 25, 1992
18 Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis Oct 25 - Nov 18, 1992
19 The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader", C.S. Lewis Nov 25 - Nov 29, 1992
20 Matthew (New Testament), Matthew (Levi) Aug 5 - Dec 5, 1992
21 Fractal Mode (Book 2: Mode Series), Piers Anthony Nov 29 - Dec 9, 1992
22 Acts (New Testament), Luke Aug 5 - Dec 31, 1992
23 The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis Feb 27,92-Jan 13,1993
24 Romans (New Testament), Paul Jan 1 - Jan 19, 1993
25 1 John (New Testament), John Jan 20 - 24, 1993
26 2 John (New Testament), John Jan 25, 1993
27 3 John (New Testament), John Jan 26, 1993
28 Ephesians (New Testament), Paul Jan 27 - Feb 1, 1993
29 Philippians (New Testament), Paul Feb 2 - 5, 1993
30 John (New Testament), John Feb 6 - March 17,1993
31 The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis Dec 27,92-Feb 23,1993
32 Colossians (N.T.), Paul March 19 - 30, 1993
33 Jude (N.T.), Jude March 31, 1993
34 Hebrews (N.T.), many April 1 - 18, 1993
35 The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis March 28 -Apr 22 1993
36 The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis April 26 - 28, 1993
37 Philemon, (New Testament), Paul May 24, 1993
38 1 Corinthians, (New Testament), Paul May 2 - 27, 1993
39 Habakkuk, (Old Testament), Habakkuk May 27, 1993
40 The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis (Last Chron. of Narnia) May 9 - 27, 1993
The Chronicles of Narnia Oct 18,92-May 27,1993
41 Classic Chritianity, Bob George Feb 21 - May 28, 1993
42 Out of the Silent Planet, C.S. Lewis June 6 - July 7, 1993
43 Genesis, (Old Testament), Moses June 7 - Oct 30, 1993
44 Genesis, (Old Testament), Moses Oct 31 - Nov 24, 1993
45 Genesis, (Old Testament), Moses Dec 1 '93-Jan 17 1994
46 Exodus, (Old Testament), Moses Jan 25 - Feb 13, 1994
47 He is there and He is not Silent, F. A. Schaeffer Feb 7 - Mar 6, 1994
48 Leviticus, Moses Feb 16 - Mar 10, 1994
49 Numbers, Moses Mar 11 - April 4,1994
50 New Seeds of Contemplation, Thomas Merton Oct 17 '93-May 1,1994
51 Deuteronomy, Moses April 5 - May 8, 1994
52 Joshua, Joshua May 9 - 20, 1994
53 The Razor's Edge, W. Sommerset Maugham May 15 - 22, 1994
54 Judges, Anonymous June 1 - 18, 1994
55 If You Want to Write, Brenda Ueland June 11 - 19, 1994
56 Ruth, Uncertain June 19, 1994
57 1 Samuel, Samuel and others June 21 - July 2,1994
58 2 Samuel, Samuel and others July 3 - 9, 1994
59 1 Kings, Jeremiah July 10 - 29, 1994
60 2 Kings, Jeremiah July 30 - Aug 13 1994
61 1 Chronicles, Ezra Aug 14 - 23, 1994
62 The Trial of Socrates, I. F. Stone July 20 - Sept 7,1994
63 2 Chronicles, Ezra Aug 24 - Sept 11,1994
63 Ezra, Ezra Sept 12 - 14, 1994
64 Nehemiah, Nehemiah Sept 15 - 23, 1994
65 Esther, Uncertain Sept 24 - 26, 1994
66 Einstein's Dreams, Alan Lightman Sept 12 - Oct 12,1994
67 Job, Uncertain Sept 27 - Oct 13,1994
68 In His Steps, Charles M. Sheldon Sept 10 - Oct 30,1994
69 Proverbs, Soloman and others Oct 14 - Nov 13, 1994
70 Ecclesiates, Soloman Nov 19, 1994
71 Song of Soloman, Soloman Nov 20, 1994
72 Isaiah, Isaiah Nov 21 '94-Jan 3,1995
73 Einstein for Beginners,Jo. Schwartz&MichaelMcGuiness Dec '94 - Jan 22,1995
74 The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer Oct 20'94-Jan 22,1995
75 Jeremiah, Jeremiah Jan 4 - Feb 4, 1995
76 Lamentations, Jeremiah Feb 5 - 9, 1995
77 Ezekiel, Ezekiel Feb 10 - March 2,1995
78 Daniel, Daniel March 3 - 15, 1995
79-91 Hosea - Malachi (O.T. Minor Prophets) March 16-April 8,1995
92-118 Matthew - Revelation (New Testament) April 13-July 18,1995
119 The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis August 2, 1995
120 The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster August, 1995
121 Genesis, Moses August 2 - 5, 1995
122 Casino Royale, Ian Fleming Oct 27-29, 1995
123 The Christmas Box, Richard Paul Evans Dec 13-14, 1995
124 If Only He Knew, Gary Smalley Dec, 1995
125 Marriage Takes More Than Love,Jack & Carole Mayhall Jan, 1996
126 The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman Feb, 1996
127 Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. June, 1996
128 Sleepers, Lorenzo Carcaterra Sept 27, 2pm-2am,1996
129 Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Rbt Persig July - Nov, 1996
130 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams April - May, 1997
131 Ruins: Xfiles, Kevin J. Anderson May 7-10, 1997 (Berlin)
132 Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut May 10, 1997 (Berlin)
133 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley May 10-16, 1997 (Berlin+)
134 Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger May - June, 1997
135 The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald June ?-13, 1997
136 The Terminal Man, Michael Crichton June 21, 1997 (DFW - Frankfurt)
137 Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck June 22, 1997 (Frankfurt airport)
138 Travels w/ Charlie, John Steinbeck June 22-July 5, 1997
139 Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut July 25, 1997 (Goteborg - Dublin)
140 Ground Zero (Xfiles), Kevin J. Anderson July 27-29, 1997 (Started in London)
141 Player Piano, Kurt Vonnegut July - Sept. 1997 (Goteborg)
142 God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Kurt Vonnegut Sept. 1997 (Goteborg)
143 Slapstick, Kurt Vonnegut Sept, 1997 (Got, Paris, London)
144 Palm Sunday, Kurt Vonnegut Oct, 1997 (Goteborg)
145 Dead Eye Dick, Kurt Vonnegut Oct, 1997 (Goteborg)
146 The Spy Who Loved Me, Iam Fleming Nov, 1997 (Goteborg)
147 The Diary of a Young Girl, Ann Frank Nov 10,1997 (Amsterdam-Jo'burg)
148 The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom June-July, 1998
149 Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut May-July, 1998
150 Sirens of Titan, Kurt Vonnegut Aug-Sept., 1998
151 Hocus Pocus, Kurt Vonnegut Oct, 1998
152 Who Moved the Stone, Frank Morison May - July, 1999
153 DMB: Step Into the Light, Morgan Delancey August, 1999
154 Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card Oct - Nov, 1999
155 Cinderella Story: My Life in Golf, Bill Murray August 2000
156 Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale September 2, 2000

My Top Five 2007 Movies

These are not the top movies I SAW in 2007, but my top movies released in 2007 (granted I'll still see more released in 2007 going forward, but I thought I'd make this list now)...

Here's the 2007 movies I've seen. There are a ton of 2007 I didn't see so. In fact below is IMDB's top 100 based on votes (7000 vote minimum per film) - I saw 7 of the top 20.

I started the list and when I got thru the best ones, it turned out I had 5 so a nice prime number...

1. Meet the Robinsons - 5/5

2. No Country for Old Men - 5/5

3. Bourne Ultimatum - 4.5/5

4. Juno - 4/5

5. Hot Fuzz - 4/5

Rank Title
1---There Will Be Blood (2007)
2---No Country for Old Men (2007)
3---Man from Earth, The (2007)
---Sicko (2007)
---Juno (2007)
6---Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
---Ratatouille (2007)
---Bourne Ultimatum, The (2007)
9---American Gangster (2007)
10---Into the Wild (2007)
---Hot Fuzz (2007)
---Stardust (2007)
---Atonement (2007)
---3:10 to Yuma (2007)
---Grindhouse (2007)
16---Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The (2007)
---Superbad (2007)
---Gone Baby Gone (2007)
---Darjeeling Limited, The (2007)
20---Eastern Promises (2007)
---Reign Over Me (2007)
---Enchanted (2007)
---Zodiac (2007/I)

2008 Netflix Review

89 movies from Netflix... well, 89 DVDs plus a couple I watched online. As you can see, Battlestar Galactica took about 2.5 months (which coincided w/ me getting laid off at the end of August which took a toll). The dates are the dates I returned them to Netflix.

1. Hell's Angels 12/22/08
2. Big Night 12/22/08
3. Fearless 12/17/08
4. Equilibrium 12/11/08
5. Battlestar Galactica: Razor 12/09/08
6. Battlestar Galactica: Season 3: Disc 6 Galactica: Season 3: Disc 4 Series Disc 11/10/08 12/02/08
7. Battlestar Galactica: Season 3: Disc 5 Series Disc 12/02/08
8. Battlestar Galactica: Season 3: Disc 3 Series Disc 11/18/08
9. Battlestar Galactica: Season 3: Disc 2 Series Disc 11/18/08
10. Battlestar Galactica: Season 3: Disc 1 Series Disc 11/10/08
11. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5: Disc 3 11/07/08
12. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5: Disc 2 Series Disc 11/03/08
13. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5: Disc 1 Series Disc 10/30/08
14. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0: Disc 3
15. Galactica: Season 2.0: Disc 2 Series Disc 10/17/08
16. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0: Disc 1 Series Disc 10/15/08
17. Battlestar Galactica: Season 1: Disc 5 10/07/08
18. Battlestar Galactica: Season 1: Disc 4 Series Disc 10/06/08
19. Battlestar Galactica: Season 1: Disc 3 Series Disc 09/30/08
20. Battlestar Galactica: Season 1: Disc 2 Series Disc 09/29/08
21. Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries Series Disc 09/22/08
22. The Getaway 09/02/08
23. In Bruges 08/26/08
24. Rocket Science 08/21/08
25. Le Cercle Rouge 08/15/08
26. The Italian Job 08/05/08
27. Rambo 07/31/08
28. Jumper 07/28/08
29. Beowulf: Director's Cut 07/24/08
30. The Killing 07/21/08
31. Rififi 07/16/08
32. Hellboy 07/07/08
33. Shooter 07/01/08
34. The Lavender Hill Mob 07/01/08
35. Be Kind Rewind 06/25/08
36. Atonement 06/24/08
37. Eastern Promises 06/19/08
38. The Insider 06/19/08
39. Michael Clayton 06/16/08
40. Idiocracy 06/09/08
41. Semi-Pro 06/09/08
42. Transformers 06/04/08
43. The Man Who Fell to Earth 06/02/08
44. Cloverfield 05/28/08
45. Volver 05/27/08
46. Logan's Run 05/21/08
47. I'm Not There 05/20/08
48. Lars and the Real Girl 05/16/08
49. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 05/07/08
50. The Mist 05/05/08
51. The Last American Virgin 04/30/08
52. My Kid Could Paint That 04/29/08
53. The Andromeda Strain 04/23/08
54. Sweeney Todd 04/21/08
55. Bad Education 04/16/08
56. The Last Dragon 04/15/08
57. Talk to Her 04/14/08
58. All About My Mother 04/09/08
59. The Host 04/08/08
60. The Man Without a Past 04/04/08
61. I Am Legend 04/04/08
62. La Vie en Rose 04/01/08
63. Mr. Brooks 03/26/08
64. The Assassination of Jesse James 03/25/08
65. Into the Wild 03/14/08
66. Junebug 03/03/08
67. Zodiac 02/29/08
68. Margot at the Wedding 02/26/08
69. Pan's Labyrinth 02/20/08
70. Little Dieter Needs to Fly 02/20/08
71. My Best Fiend: Klaus Kinski 02/20/08
72. 300 02/12/08
73. Rescue Dawn 02/11/08
74. Factory Girl 02/08/08
75. 3:10 to Yuma 02/05/08
76. Air Guitar Nation 02/01/08
77. The King of Kong 02/01/08
78. Treasure Planet 01/30/08
79. Pocahontas 01/29/08
80. Tarzan 01/29/08
81. The Rescuers Down Under 01/21/08
82. The Black Cauldron 01/16/08
83. Once 01/14/08
84. The Great Mouse Detective 01/14/08
85. Frank and Ollie 01/10/08
86. The Machinist 01/07/08
87. The Squid and the Whale 01/04/08
88. Henry Fool 01/04/08

Little Children (2006) - 3/5

Little Children (2006) - 3/5

I thought this movie was going to be more like a 4 or 5, but it fell short at the end. I felt like they got to the last 20 mins and were like "Man, we gotta wrap this up quick!"

There was so much tension and drama building and building - maybe they built it up too much for them to handle.

They characters are all pretty unhappy and disillusioned in one way or another and escape into their various weaknesses most of the time. While some seem excusable others are "evil." I'm not sure if we're suppose to see them as similar or what... unfortunately, I'm not super motivated to analyze this movie b/c of the weak ending.

Well acted and a decent movie (though disturbing at times) but falls short late in the game.

Terminator Salvation (2009) - 3/5

Terminator Salvation (2009) - 3/5

I didn't expect much and it was pretty good. Man, I was going to give it 3 and a half, but I find myself not being able to remember hardly a thing about this movie except that it was decent entertainment for a couple hours.

Ok, now I'm remembering a few things... yes, good action, but I'm not sure it was consistent w/ the first movie... oh, well.

Dead Calm (1989) - 3/5

Dead Calm (1989) - 3/5

A bit dated, but still pretty good. I like the isolated feel (only 3 cast members). Billy Zane really does a great job.

Duplicity (2009) - 3/5

Duplicity (2009) - 3/5

As opposed to "Hud", I'm not sure this movie deserves a 3, but I'm not going to over analyze the rating.

I thought this movie was creative, original and I liked the flashbacks about their relationship. It had some clever comedy and intricate storyline, but ultimately I think it's missing something. I'm not sure what. Maybe something to make me care about the outcome.

SPOILERS

I was never sure if one of the spies was going to screw the other one over, but I didn't really care either. I think I cared more about "what is the product" than the relationship. And w/ the twist at the end, I was still like, "Oh, ok."

One thing that I did like was the speech about "corporate evolution." Here we have two people that can somewhat represent people in general: we all want to be loved, accepted and believe we can trust the one we love. These two continually test each other in this.

But the corporation has evolved to the next level in not only trying to win or beat the competition, but to entice them to cheat and get a false prize. It has evolved beyond the human relationship.

But in the end, I just didn't care that much about what happened so...

The Lookout (2007) - 3/5

The Lookout (2007) - 3/5

Movies like this make my new rating system tough. I mean, it's not a 2, but 3 is pushing it.

Matthew Goode was very... good.

This movie was trying just a bit too hard, but I guess you sd aim high at least sometimes.

SPOILERS

Kinda like Memento as far as the lead's affliction after his car crash. That's where the comparison ends unfortunately.

Isla Fisher's character's storyline ended kinda abruptly and weird.

A note about my rating scale...

UPDATED (1.5.07): I wanted to change the slant of my ratings to be more like "how much I like this movie" as opposed to anything about a recommendation...

0-2 = Not worth seeing and probably not worth making notes for.
2.5 = I don't regret watching it, but I wdn't say it's worth your time.
3 = Pretty good, but there's still better stuff to watch.
3.5 = Decent movie. Might see it again.
4 = Good movie. I'd probably see it again. I like it.
4.5 = Really good, little things can't prevent a 5 so this cd be great.
5 = Dang!

Of course, the ratings are relative to what I'd expect/want from the movie. So while "Napoleon Dynamite" isn't the piece of film art that "Schindler's List" is, I can still give it just as good of a rating.

I don't have a checklist or equation to come up w/ the rating so one day I might give a movie a 3 where the next day I wd have given it a 4. I'm swayed by mood and who-knows-what. So my ratings might seem strange or inconsistent at times??? I guess I cd review them later and change my mind, but I don't intend to.

I wd change to 1-10, but it's too late now. That wd make searches easier since as of now if you search for "5/5" you'll also find "1.5/5" and the other "x.5/5" movies. Oh, well.

Julie & Julia (2009) - 3/5

Julie & Julia (2009) - 3/5

I liked this movie mainly for a couple reason: big goal and the parallel time-line type storytelling.

They actual story was pretty good - Julia's story was much more interesting than Julie's.

I'm blogging about a movie based on a blog.

It was also pretty inspiring. It made me want to take on a new goal to do daily and blog about... but I really already have too much.

SPOILERS

Mo looked up Julie Powell online after the movie and found out she had an affair not long after the events of the movie... she wrote a book about it. :|

Her blog is still up.

The Proposal (2009) - 3/5

The Proposal (2009) - 3/5

Kinda cute and fun to watch, but nothing new or great.

SPOILERS

I was a little disappointed in the predictability of the ending. I assumed they wdn't do the obvious and instead do something like have him move to Toronto w/ her or something.

Planet Terror (2007) - 3/5

Planet Terror (2007) - 3/5

I'm on a zombie movie kick w/o trying! :)

Good action, tongue-in-cheek cheesyness, sci-fi/horror in a great and campy way. Good stuff.

SPOILERS

The gun on her leg is a great effect, but I just hope it's a tribute to "Evil Dead" w/ the chain saw. That's how I'll take it.

What are the chances that I'd see 2 movies back-to-back where a chopper mows thru a field of zombies!?!?!!? Awesome!

Henry Poole Is Here (2008) - 3/5

Henry Poole Is Here (2008) - 3/5

It started out pretty strong and emotional and really got me curious about everything... then it started to drag a bit.

SPOILERS

The part when he goes out to the wall at night and wants to touch it... man, Luke didn't pull that off.

So was he never sick or was he cured? I was confused.

I felt the strength of this movie was the characters and relationships and it seems the punch of the movie was a little overshadowed by events.

What's the message? Faith heals? Love conquers all? God heals even if you don't believe??? A little confusing.

La cit�des enfants perdus (1995) - 3/5

La cit�des enfants perdus (1995) - 3/5

From one foreign film to another. I'd seen this before like 13 years ago - I got more out of it this time.

If the last movie, "Love", was the Hungarian Ingmar Bergman style, this movie is the French Terry Gilliam style.

Ron Perlman was great as was Judith Vittet as the little girl.

Breaking Away (1979) - 3/5

Breaking Away (1979) - 3/5

Good but dated/cheesey. Fun to watch and riff on it and see Jackie Earle Haley before/after to "Watchmen."

Cutters!

(500) Days of Summer (2009) - 3/5

(500) Days of Summer (2009) - 3/5

Good movie, not a love story.

For the most part this was good. Zooey Deschanel is great, but didn't really shine here as much as usual.

I liked the format of the story telling, but in some cases they didn't pull it off.

Cop Land (1997) - 3/5

Cop Land (1997) - 3/5

I've been meaning to see this movie for a LONG time. It came out when we lived in Sweden and I've meant to see it since.

I'm not sure how well it did then, but I got the impression it was big in some way(s).

My expectations weren't too high until I started seeing one big actor after another come into scenes. This was like the cast of "Good Fellas" w/ Stallone. My expectations rose.

However, I think it was a bit of a let down though still good. It just didn't really build too much.

The Interview (1998) - 3/5

The Interview (1998) - 3/5

Kinda an Australian imitation of "The Usual Suspects" and not that good.

It is kinda interesting and does some things well, but ultimately it's all been done before and done better.