Movie Blog

Saturday, February 2, 2013

High Noon (1952)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: A gritty western classic that does a splendid job of demonstrating how the greatest rewards can come from buildup and anticipation, rather than from the showdown or the finale itself. For better or for worse, this is not something you see too often with current day movies, and I found it to be quite effective and rewarding.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Friday, February 1, 2013

The Avengers (2012)

Rating: 8.0

Comments: This one did a very good job of living up to all the buildup from the prior movies. It delivers great all around entertainment with humor, tons of action, and good tie-ins to the previous movies. Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and some of the hero vs hero fight scenes were especially entertaining.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

Rating: 6.5

Comments: With a bit of extra attention and focus, this one rewards with a realistic, somewhat deep, and often blurry study of desire, love, and emptiness.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Friday, January 25, 2013

Baghead (2008)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: Provided unique takes on some common horror themes, and presented them with concision, smooth execution and a cool low budget feel. Very enjoyable and well done all around. Will definitely check out more from Jay and Mark Duplass.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Monday, January 21, 2013

Safe House (2012)

Rating: 6.5

Comments: Nothing too groundbreaking or special, but good all around spy infused action and excitement.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: A classic which uses a much more subtle approach to disturbing its viewers that you'd typically find with current day horror movies. I found this to be a very welcome change, although I can imagine it was far more jarring to its viewers in 1968.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Higher Ground (2011)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: A very solid directorial debut for Vera Farmiga that does a nice job of blending mild humor with religious introspection and the ups and downs of life.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Friday, January 18, 2013

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

Rating: 5.0

Comments: Tilda Swinton put forth a tremendous performance, however, the story felt a bit forced and over-dramatized, which took away from the overall experience for me. Of course, that should not in any way discount the very real and very serious nature of the tragic theme this movie covers.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)

Rating: 8.5

Comments: Lots of great and moving footage that thoroughly entertains and effortlessly reminds the viewer how talented an artist and performer Michael Jackson was.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Monday, January 14, 2013

Repulsion (1965)

Rating: 5.0

Comments: From the perspective of depicting the spiraling madness of the lead character, it is very effective and quite disturbing. Perhaps that should have been enough, but in the end it just felt like something was missing.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Sunday, January 13, 2013

A Woman Under The Influence (1974)

Rating: 6.0

Comments: The subject matter, pace, and length made for a somewhat difficult watch, but Gena Rowlands performance makes it worth checking out.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Jack Reacher (2012)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: While the somewhat slow pace conjured some doubt along the way, when all was said and done I found this one to be very satisfying and enjoyable. Cruise's take on the tough, rogue upholder of justice was unique and convincing, and Robert Duvall added an extra spark of fun and humor.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Friday, January 11, 2013

Django Unchained (2012)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: All the over-the-top violence, humor, excess and length that one would expect from Quentin Tarantino. The dialog and the performances from Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx were standouts.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Jigoku (The Sinners Of Hell) (1960)

Rating: 4.0

Comments: This one started off quite well, but the second half of the film was very obscure. It seemed to get kind of lost in all the wild imagery, symbolism, and moral commentary.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Bernie (2011)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: An entertaining dark comedy with captivating characters and a compelling story. Jack Black was great, and the delivery was very creative, especially the use of the residents from the town in which the story took place.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Loong Boonmee raleuk chat) (2010)

Rating: 4.5

Comments: This movie deserves a lot of credit for its extremely unique storyline and presentation, however, I got lost in the slow quietness of it all and was unable to fully grasp the message.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Body Double (1984)

Rating: 3.5

Comments: Had too much of the stereotypically cheap 1980's cinema feel for my tastes. Perhaps it just didn't age well.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Blow Out (1981)

Rating: 8.5

Comments: The cinematography and camera work really grabbed me on this one. T ravolta's and Lithgow's performances, the unique use of sound, and the wonderfully captured sound equipment were highlights as well. It gave me a whole new respect for De Palma and the process of making movies

Additional Note: If possible watch the Criterion version and be sure to check out the interview with Garrett Brown. Amazing stuff. The De Palma interview is super good as well.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The War Of The Worlds (1953)

Rating: 5.0

Comments: Fantastic special effects for its time, however, it had trouble living up to the all great images conjured up by the 1938 radio broadcast with which I was more familiar (probably not a very fair comparison).

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Rating: 8.0

Comments: A cool mix of comedy, drama, science fiction and good fun. Juno meets Primer maybe. Solid acting by the leads and tight production made this feel much more high budget than it was.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Monday, December 17, 2012

Page Eight (2011)

Rating: 8.0

Comments: A great made-for-TV spy thriller with good depth and superb acting. While the plot shares similarities with many other spy movies, the dialog, acting and the overall mood help set it apart. A must see for anyone who enjoyed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The American or others with more intrigue than action.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Wikipedia
(EDU)

Friday, December 14, 2012

Circumstance (2011)

Rating: 7.5

Comments: Stylistic and first rate production along with very believable performances by the two leads and a fairly good storyline make for a very solid movie across the board. I am not sure how accurate it is, but seeing the western influence in Iran was an interesting contrast.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Griff The Invisible (2010)

Rating: 5.5

Comments: It had some promising moments and offered an interesting twist on the homemade superhero genre, but overall it never really got going and ended up being just OK.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Weekend (2011)

Rating: 6.0

Comments: A solidly directed, well-acted, and very explicit portrayal of the highs and lows of romance. The regular depictions of drug use sometimes detracted a bit from the characters overall appeal, who were otherwise quite endearing and genuine.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

Wikipedia
(EDU)

Saturday, December 8, 2012

The Woman In Green (1945)

Rating: 6.5

Comments: Quite entertaining, like most of the movies from this series. While it may not be the best of the ones with Professor Moriarty as the antagonist, it has all the elements you'd expect and is certainly worth the time.

Additional Info:

Rotten Tomatoes

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