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

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.

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.

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.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) - 3.5/5

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) - 3.5/5

Pretty much what you'd expect, but well done. Using the ghosts, you see his life and get to know the character more deeply. He's a stereotype, so you feel like you know him b/c of that too, but the combination of childhood and stereotype is a powerful mix.

I think they really set themselves up for a cliche movie of obvious story and such, but they did a good job and pulled me in emotionally too - I was invested in the outcome.

Fame (2009) - 2/5

Fame (2009) - 2/5

Bad acting, too many storylines/characters to care about any of them, a bit cheesy and far-fetched, over-dramatic... hmmm, that's probably enough.

Taking Chance (2009) - 3.5/5

Taking Chance (2009) - 3.5/5

This movie wasn't much for "entertainment" but it was good. It wasn't meant to be entertainment. It's the true story of a Marine who volunteers to bring a fallen Marine home to his family.

Two things make this movie good: the way they let the truth come thru in the events and scenes and also how they do so much w/ the scenes w/ no dialog.

It's kind of a movie "everyone sd see" b/c it's a part of life/events/military/war/etc. we don't see (hopefully). My guess is a documentary wd be in poor taste so this is a way to do it that makes it work.

(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.

Monsters vs Aliens (2009) - 3.5/5

Monsters vs Aliens (2009) - 3.5/5

Pretty good, great animation especially the spatial differences w/ size and motion.

But the story was thin - I was never drawn in, worried, concerned or cared much. But it was fairly fun.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) - 3/5

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) - 3/5

Pretty similar to the first one which I liked. Doesn't really do anything new, but it was entertaining.

Amy Adams is great and this role really didn't let her shine too much.

Nothing big, but fun.

He's Just Not That Into You (2009) - 4/5

He's Just Not That Into You (2009) - 4/5

A chick flick of a unordinary style. The varied story lines helps keep this movie from being one dimensional and cliche.

Also, the feel is a bit more realistic - the characters aren't stereotypes and such - they're real people w/ flaws and they make (serious) mistakes.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) - 2/5

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) - 2/5

The action was too "big" - way over the top to the point where I was just like "whatever, did we win?" I guess I'm showing my age b/c kids are probably loving it.

Also, when an action scene w/ "people" is pure CGI, I just don't really care how big the "stunts" are b/c it's a "cartoon." I started thinking this from the Spiderman movies - "Who cares he can swing from a building and do 10 flips? It's a cartoon. Why not 20 flips?"

The story was ok, but I never bought into the mix of unrealistic and reality. How did this girl in a few years become a dominant evil force on world-wide levels? Granted, it's not meant to be realistic, but I didn't buy into their mix.

Watchmen (2009) - 4/5

Watchmen (2009) - 4/5

I dug the story and the style. It's more character based than plot based, but I didn't mind. It shows a 'dark' side to heroes - kinda like Batman.

But the style is just so cool. Also, very cool opening credits sequence.

I watched this on my iPhone and I still thought it was good. I'd love to see it on a good system.

Land of the Lost (2009) - 3.5/5

Land of the Lost (2009) - 3.5/5

Funny and entertaining though a bit crude which, while expected from the cast members, kinda is a bummer given how innocent the original series was.

I liked the way they worked in aspects of the original show - many nods to it. And I like how they tied up the ending w/ Marshall as far as what happened when he got back: short, but told us plenty.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) - 1/5

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) - 1/5

I saw this on the plane to WWDC and it was terrible all around. No surprise. I usually like Isla Fisher and I don't blame it on her.

Inglourious Basterds (2009) - 4/5

Inglourious Basterds (2009) - 4/5

Tarantino is proving his abilities and skills can not only last, but grow.

Great all around from the acting to the scope, but also amazing dialog as usual (my heart was beating so hard for some of those conversations and he maintained that intensity for SO long - awesome!).

SPOILERS

The only thing that I thought he cd have left out was the "Chatper 1" titles. No biggie.

"Caprica" (2009) - 3.5/5

"Caprica" (2009) - 3.5/5

Not the greatest, but it gets a lot of credit for what it tried to do and the restraints and pressure on it.

SPOILERS

The "sin" stuff in the club seemed forced. No biggie.

I wondered if they were going to turn out to be the Adamas, but what ruled that out for me was that the boy was 11 years old (I think) and it was 58 years before the fall. I just didn't think Admiral Adama was 69 years old... at the start!

Zoe being in the Cylon at the end was one millimeter away from being total cheese. I'm a little in disbelief that it wasn't but somehow they pulled it off... mostly.

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...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) - 3/5

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) - 3/5

Is it silly for me to say this movie is ridiculous?

The action got it about another point otherwise it wd have been rated much lower for me. And while the action was pretty cool, it was so over the top and complicated that I dare say it was "too much." As soon as I think that, I feel I'm showing my age.

I kept feeling like this was a modern day kids movie: crazy action, teeny-bopper love story, over-the-top everything and a dash of cussing, sex and drugs.

I don't think spoilers are possible b/c if you've seen the trailers or just about anything related to this movie, you can guess just about everything in the plot.

District 9 (2009) - 4/5

District 9 (2009) - 4/5

Fairly disturbing for the first half, but well done. Biological stuff messes w/ me.

The second half is mostly action and focuses a bit more on the main characters (which are at the heart of the big story so it's kinda both).

SPOILERS

I kinda expected/hoped this wd be a broader scoped movie possibly taking place over time and larger field. Not that it wd have been better, but it mostly focuses on the core people over a few days.

I think they way they did it was probably better, but I kept waiting for the "big fight" and such. The more I think about it, the happier I am they did NOT do that. If they had, it wd have been ID4, GIJoe or Transformers w/ the 'over the top' action that you can't even tell what's going on or invest yourself into.