January 2013
12 posts
Edelstein on Movie 43: Were These Actors... →
I feel validated in my opinion of Movie 43 by this review from David Edelstein over at Vulture. I just wish I had seen his review before I went to see this piece of trash. It’s not even worth seeing in a “so bad it’s good” sort of way. It’s just bad. Seriously, you guys, I can’t stress enough how ardently it should be avoided. I’ve never walked out of...
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4. Movie 43
Worst. Movie. Ever. Ok, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl is the worst movie ever, but this is a close second. It was so bad I’m not even bothering to include the poster on this post because it doesn’t deserve the publicity. There were a few slightly humorous bits (namely, the Naomi Watts/Liev Schreiber segment and a superhero spoof featuring the reunion of Justin Long &...
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Bonus Review: Ruby Sparks
You guys, I finally watched Ruby Sparks last night and now I think I’m in love with both Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan. I want to intrude upon their relationship and be with them at all times, absorbing their adorable genius every second of the day. If that doesn’t pan out, I will at least watch any and all movies Zoe Kazan writes in the future. I should have expected to have such a...
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3. Gangster Squad
Finally, our long national nightmare has come to an end. For 68 long weeks we suffered, unsure of what the future held, but knowing that these were darker times than we had become accustomed. There were moments—nay, days—during which I could no longer see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feared that the darkness would never lift; that I would be subscribed to a lifetime of sightless...
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2. Zero Dark Thirty
Here is the intelligence I’ve gathered: Movie=really good. Exciting. Thrilling. Engaging. Wrought with tension.
Best Picture Oscar? Maybe; would be okay by me.
Tough guys with beards? Super hot. Plenty of them here.
Torture? Disappointing and difficult to watch, but apparently it’s only wrong to depict when it’s a true story.
Navy SEALs? Ridiculously impressive.
Pit in...
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1. Les Miserables
I was really excited to see this movie. The trailer gave me chills every time I saw it, both in the theater and on TV. I knew it was going to be an emotional experience on both joyous and heart-wrenching levels. It definitely lived up to the hype. But at the same time, this isn’t a movie I would recommend to everyone. I can easily recognize that Les Miserables is not everyone’s cup...
The Happiest Day of the Year
If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, you know that the Golden Globes is my favorite award show to watch (and to dream about attending). This year, my excitement for the Globes has been exponentially enhanced by its hosts. Whomever made the decision to have Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host is the smartest person in Hollywood. I’m pretty sure this is the first time in...
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2012: The Year In Review (Plus a look forward to...
2012 was a great year for movies. All nine of the Oscar Best Picture nominees are eminently watchable, and I think that’s saying something. I had a great time watching and writing about all of the 50 movies I saw (we have fun, don’t we?). I’ve even caught a couple flicks on DVD that I had missed at the theater. It’s going to be very difficult to narrow it down to my 10...
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50. Jack Reacher
As I mentioned previously, I saw this movie at the ArcLight in Hollywood. I can’t say I did not enjoy this movie, per se; to the contrary, it was a fun flick. But the fact that I was watching it at the ArcLight was definitely the highlight for me. Tom Cruise is an interesting fellow—he can be simultaneously magnificent and creepy. I was obsessed with Top Gun, Cocktail and Rain...
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49. Django Unchained
Holy Fucking Shit. Pardon my language, but given that this is a Quentin Tarantino movie I feel it’s appropriate. I loved this movie. Yes, it was probably 40 minutes too long, but I very much enjoyed the way it ended so who am I to say what should’ve been eliminated to save on time. And yes, I felt a bit uncomfortable at times with the incessant use of the n-word and the horrible...
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48. The Guilt Trip
I’m not sure if having gone on a long road trip with your mother is required for enjoyment of this movie, but it certainly helps. I mean, sure, a lot of people go on road trips with their parents when they are children for vacations and whatnot, but there is something both magical and completely ridiculous about spending that much time in a car with a parent when you’re an adult....
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47. This Is 40
Freaks and Geeks. Undeclared. The 40-Year Old Virgin. Knocked Up. The Ben Stiller Show. Heavy Weights. The Larry Sanders Show. Pineapple Express. Funny People. Anchorman. Superbad. Bridesmaids. Girls. The list could go on and on, and hopefully it will. Judd Apatow has been involved in one way or another with some of the greatest comedy of the last 20 years. Whether as a writer or a...
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Dreams Realized, Goals Achieved
Posting this quick update just under the 2012 wire to announce that I totally achieved my goal, you guys! I haven’t written the reviews yet, partly because I’ve been on vacation and partly because I’m lazy, but in the last twelve days (some may say the twelve days of Christmas, but only because they don’t understand what that means) I’ve seen the following movies:
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December 2012
8 posts
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46. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2:...
Yup, you read that right. We’re talking about Twilight here. I can’t even believe this movie will go down in history as one of the movies I watched in theaters this year, but that’s neither here nor there. The fact is: I didn’t not enjoy this movie experience.
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If we’re being honest here (which we should be, there’s nothing to be gained from...
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LOops...
My wise co-worker/friend Laurie wisely suggested on Friday morning that we blow off work that afternoon to go see a movie. I thought it was a great idea, because work is stupid and going to the movies is decidedly not stupid. There are a host of movies we could have seen that would’ve helped me in this, my time of need(ing to see 5 more movies before 2013 arrives). But you know what we...
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45. The Sessions
I wish I could begin this review by saying, “The Sessions was Sessational!” because that would be both clever and hilarious. But to do so would ring false. Don’t get me wrong, this was a good movie, but I was largely unaffected by it. I kinda expected this reaction, and the only reason I went to see it was because I try to see every movie/performance that is likely to be...
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44. Lincoln
The Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations were both announced this week, and it came as no surprise to me that Lincoln is leading the pack this awards season. I think everyone can agree that, if Daniel Day-Lewis does not win all the awards, it will be a travesty of immense proportions. Actually, I hate to backtrack on a statement I just made, but I’m not sure Daniel...
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43. Life of Pi
I had no intention of seeing this movie, if I’m being completely honest. I’ve never read the book, and watching a boy sit in a lifeboat with a CGI tiger for 2 hours just didn’t sound like a great time to me. But I was hearing some really good reviews, so when my co-worker friend Laurie and I were trying to find a movie to go see instead of working a few Fridays ago, Life of...
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42. Holy Motors
More like Holy Mindfuck! But in a good way. Like, in the best way. You guys, this movie is insane. I don’t even know where to start. Again, thank the lord for my Milwaukee Film Club membership, as this was the November member screening. It. Was. Amazing.
First of all, this is a French film. There isn’t a ton of dialogue, however, and some of the dialogue is in English, so if...
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41. Wreck-It Ralph
I saw this movie on Thanksgiving with my parents and sister (yes, I’m behind on my reviews again). It was the only movie we could all agree on. Actually, my parents and I could easily agree on many other movie options, but my sister is super picky. Although I enjoy animated movies, I don’t usually see them in theaters because they don’t excite me enough to feel like I...
November 2012
3 posts
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40. Skyfall
I’m no James Bond expert. I’ve never held myself out to be one. Hell, I can’t even fathom what steps would be required to attain such a certification. I’m sure it would be quite an undertaking and, frankly, I’m just not up for it. But I have seen quite a few Bond movies as well as the Austin Powers trilogy (I feel like that should count for something), so I feel...
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39. Argo
Ben Affleck, you talented bastard. You’ve come a long way from the TV Movie A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story, wherein you played a teenager who just couldn’t stop taking steroids. My friend Matt was obsessed with that movie in high school for some reason and always talked our Home Economics teacher into letting us watch it on days when we weren’t cooking something...
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38. Pitch Perfect
You guys, I’m having a real hard time keeping up with my reviews for some reason. I saw this movie WEEKS ago and have been super lazy about writing anything. And it’s not like I haven’t had the time—I spent all day yesterday marathoning episodes of Bones for some reason (I’d never seen the show and could no longer live with the uncertainty of not knowing for sure...
October 2012
4 posts
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37. Silver Linings Playbook
Wow. Long delay, huh? I have no excuses, other than that fact that I work in an industry that requires me to sometimes work longer hours than I would prefer and therefore leaves my brain tired at the end of the day and unlikely to voluntarily look at or draft written words. But that’s not a good enough excuse. I’ve also gotten pretty lazy. But enough about me, on with the...
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36. Looper
Holy shit, you guys, this movie was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! It’s been a long time since a movie excited me as much as this one did. I know, Avengers and Dark Knight Rises were both only a few months ago, but I went into both of those movies pretty much knowing I was going to love them. With Looper, although I had high hopes, I had no idea what to expect. I had a lot of faith in Rian...
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35. The Master
I saw The Master last weekend, but I haven’t written about it until now because I wasn’t ready. I sort of feel like I’m still watching the movie, even a week later. The scenes have been playing out in my mind as I go about my daily business. I can’t shake it. It’s just one of those movies, you know?.
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Particularly entrancing was Joaquin...
September 2012
3 posts
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34. Sleepwalk With Me
I’m getting really bad at this whole blog thing. I saw this movie like two weeks ago and I’m just now writing about it. I’ve been pretty busy, so that’s part of it, but also I just didn’t really have anything to say. But don’t get my wrong, this movie is great. If you’re already familiar with Mike Birbiglia and his sleepwalking story, you already...
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33. Celeste and Jesse Forever
Ok, I admit I am a total sucker for indie movies about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness. I’ve been looking forward to this movie for quite a while, and not just because of the subject matter. I am also a big Rashida Jones fan, and knowing that she co-wrote this movie with Will McCormack really gave me confidence that it would be good. Plus, Andy Samberg is my future husband (a...
32. The Campaign
Blah. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to say about this movie and I’ve decided that I treasure Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis way too much to say anything other than this movie was disappointing. A good idea in theory, had some funny moments, but overall was not that enjoyable. Instead of seeing this movie, just pop in your old worn out copy of Anchorman, or...
August 2012
3 posts
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31. Arbitrage
Richard Gere is a sexy silver fox, is he not? He totally is. I am a fan, not just of his sexiness, but also of his quiet intensity. It’s like, he’s super serene and has it all pulled together, but you just know that at any moment he could explode with rage. Like, keep all snow globes out of his reach if you have reason to believe he could get angry with you, ya know what...
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I used to be legit. I was too legit. I was too...
False alarm! Don’t worry; I’m not giving up on my goal to see 50 movies in one year. But you guys! I haven’t been to a movie in over a week! And I probably won’t make it to the theater again until next weekend! Yikes!! I’m falling behind and it’s kind of killing me inside, but thankfully I have had good excuses to slack off on the humanitarian-esque project that is seeing 50...
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30. The Watch
I have been seriously slacking on the movie watching these past few weeks. Not intentionally, mind you, but because my social calendar has been extraordinarily full as of late, which has consequently caused me to work more when I’m not busy being social. But amidst the various birthday parties, travels, comedy shows, and gorging myself on state fair foods (oh, and working too), I did...
July 2012
9 posts
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29. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Oh Sweet Jesus. This movie is amazing. By now you’ve probably heard the buzz, which has been heating up since it won a bunch of awards at Cannes and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It’s also getting Oscar talk, and I really hope people don’t forget about it come nominating time because—especially with the expanded Best Picture category—it certainly deserves...
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28. The Dark Knight Rises
WARNING: HYPERBOLE AHEAD! I SAW THE DARK KNIGHT RISES AND IT WAS GREAAHHHHAHAHAHHAHHHAAHGSJSLBLSBLURGHH!!
(Ugh. Get ahold of yourself woman!)
Ok. Let me start by saying I don’t think my expectations or anticipation levels have ever been as high for any movie in my entire life as they were for this movie. And let me tell you: I was not disappointed. If it’s even possible, I think my...
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27. Ted
As I mentioned in my last post, I saw Ted last weekend. I guess I shouldn’t have waited so long to write this post, because now I’m sort of at a loss for words on what to say about it. I wasn’t super excited to see the movie in the first place, but a friend wanted to go and I always welcome the opportunity to see a movie with a friend. It’s not that I didn’t...
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26. Magic Mike
True Story: my dearest friend Alli and I bonded over a male stripper. What I mean to say is, when we were confronted with being in the same room as one, we snuck out a side door and hid in the alley until he left. The next time I found myself in close proximity to a male stripper, another of my dearest friends and I hid in a kitchen, using the refrigerator door as a shield. I guess you...
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Halfway There!!
I’m on my way! Six months of 2012 have come and gone, and I’m halfway to my goal of 50 movies. I thought it would be appropriate at this time to look back at the films I’ve seen and pick some favorites. Since it’s the halfway point, instead of picking a top ten, I think a top 5 is appropriate. Without further ado, in no particular order, here are my top 5 movies of 2012 (so far):
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25. Lola Versus
I saw this movie this past weekend but have had a bit of writer’s block regarding the review. I briefly considered just putting up a picture of Joel Kinnaman instead of a review, but I feel like I owe it to anyone who continues to read these (and myself) to at least make an attempt (don’t worry, I’m still going to include a picture of Joel Kinnaman). The difficult thing is,...
June 2012
6 posts
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24. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
In addition to seeing Safety Not Guaranteed last weekend, I also saw Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Sadly, the latter was not as good as the former. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it though, so I guess there’s nothing sad about it, it just means Safety Not Guaranteed was a better movie. But keep in mind: I think Safety Not Guaranteed was better than most, if not all, of the...
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23. Safety Not Guaranteed
I’m just going to come right out and say it: Safety Not Guaranteed may be the best movie I’ve seen this year. Yes, The Avengers was awesome, and yes, I have a strong Wes Anderson bias so Moonrise Kingdom is also at the top of the list, but this movie? Wow, you guys, it was just really great in so many ways. What ways, you say? I’m so glad you asked because I’d love to tell you.
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22. Moonrise Kingdom
I finally saw Moonrise Kingdom, and I absolutely loved it, as was expected. I actually saw it last weekend, but I’ve had a difficult time writing about it for some reason. I’m not sure why, but it’s hard for me to put into words what I love so much about Wes Anderson’s movies. My cinematic vocabulary is not very sophisticated, so I guess I will just say that I love...
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21. Snow White and the Huntsman
I think my overall opinion of Snow White and the Huntsman is largely positive. I saw it after golfing 18 holes at the slowest moving golf outing in the history of man, so I was pretty exhausted and possibly suffering from heat stroke. Also, because the golf outing took so long, we had to go to a theater that I don’t usually go to, and unbeknownst to me the movie was showing in...
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20. Prometheus
You guys, this movie is pretty kick ass. I was pretty sure that would be the case, but I was a little nervous. To be honest, I’m not a die-hard fan of the Alien franchise. Alien came out while I was in utero, and I saw it at some point on some cable channel. Although I am a fan of sci-fi, I’m not a fan of horror, and I would argue that Alien definitely straddles the line...
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19. Bernie
This post has taken me a long time to get up for two reasons. 1) I don’t really have that much to say about this movie. 2) I’ve been busy. I saw this movie last Sunday (i.e., 6/3) and then I had a busy few days before leaving on Wednesday night to head to Michigan for a long weekend. I’ve had a glorious time (and I saw Prometheus—review to come), but all my going to...
May 2012
7 posts
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18. Battleship
I am starting to worry that going to so many movies will, instead of enriching my life, ultimately send me into a murderous rage. The problem is, at the theater I am required to be in close proximity to other human beings for two hours. And you know what? Other human beings are dickwads. Of course not all of them are, but I’ve become convinced that a large portion of our society is...
