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Howl's Moving Castle -- 9/10

I really love Miyazaki and all of his works. His art style is unmatched in the animated movie genre. He's the Miyamoto of anime!

TRF

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (Rodman Flender, 2011) ***
Conan O'Brien is my favorite working talk show host, so I was really happy to see this documentary on Netflix Instant Streaming. It's got some really cool insight into The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour, which I wish I had seen live. Conan is very funny and seems like a very cool guy. As weird as it is to say this, though, I wish the movie didn't focus on him as much as it did. I wanted to see more footage of his associates and especially his sidekick Andy Richter. Also, the movie didn't show enough footage of the actual show. Most of it was backstage. There were a lot of cool celebrity appearances in the movie from Jim Carrey, Eddie Vedder, Tenacious D, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Jack McBrayer, and Jack White (along with many other celebrities who were on the tour but weren't in the film), but we don't really get to see them do much on stage with Conan O'Brien. Overall, I liked the film, but it could've been longer and incorporated more of the actual show.

TRF

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (John A. Davis, 2001) ***
I remember seeing this movie in theaters as a small child and loving it, and I'm happy to report that it still holds up today. The animation is very cool, the voice work is solid, and it's actually quite funny. It's not the smartest family film out there, but it's certainly far from dumb. The characters are very likeable and the villains are pretty cool too. I recommend checking it out. The television series is also pretty good.

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights (Emmet Malloy, 2009) ***½
I recommend this movie to anyone who is even remotely a fan of The White Stripes. They're one of my favorite alternative rock bands and I love Jack White. This movie is one of my favorite documentaries of recent years, second only to Exit Through the Gift Shop.

TRF

Due Date (Todd Phillips, 2010) *
I went into this with high hopes. I love Todd Phillips, and Robert Downey, Jr. is one of my favorite actors. At the very least, I was expecting it to be average. What I wasn't expecting, however, was that I would hate it with all of my heart and soul. I don't think I laughed even once. Both of the characters are unlikeable. Robert Downey, Jr.'s character is a huge prick and Zach Galifianakis's character is unbearably moronic and annoying. They're polar opposites yet somehow, they become friends in the end, which feels forced. All in all, this is a terrible knockoff of Planes, Trains and Automobiles with caricatures of Steve Martin and John Candy's characters.

Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2008) ***½
I loved this movie, which is exactly what I was expecting. The soundtrack reminds me of Refn's most recent movie, Drive. I loved the soundtrack. Tom Hardy is fantastic in the lead role and makes a bunch of bold moves, one of them being full frontal nudity (that takes balls, no pun intended). After seeing him in this and in Warrior, he is quickly becoming one of my favorite new actors. His portrayal of Charlie Bronson blends both horror and comedy, as he is incredibly intimidating at some points and ridiculously funny at other points.

TRF

Buried (Rodrigo Cortés, 2010) **
This is a highly overrated movie. It's got a cool premise but that's where the enjoyment ends. There's no real mystery to the film. It's a series of phone calls that add nothing to the overall story, and by the end, you know as much about Paul Conroy's situation as you did at the beginning. Perhaps if the movie was longer than 95 minutes, Conroy's background as well as the story could be fleshed out more, making me actually care. Unfortunately, I really didn't. The last minute or so was the best part of the film, but the buildup to that point was disappointing. In addition, Ryan Reynolds is hard to take seriously as a dramatic actor. I don't even like him that much as a comedic actor, and he was just plain awful in this movie. I think if this concept was given better treatment (better cast, script, etc.), I might have really enjoyed it since it is a great premise for a film.

Howard the Duck (Willard Huyck, 1986) *
Wow, what an incredibly stupid movie. The duck puns are stupid, the characters are stupid, the script is stupid, and there are duck tits in the movie . . . duck tits. Duck tits. Duck tits. Duck. Tits. Duck tits.

Superbad (Greg Mottola, 2007) ***
Very funny movie, although I never loved it as much as most people do. The real center of the comedy of this movie is Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the iconic "McLovin'" and the two officers he hangs out with. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera just seem kinda bland to me and don't contribute nearly on the level of Mintz-Plasse. Still, his scenes are enough to hold up the film and keep it entertaining. Plus, the movie gave Emma Stone a career, which I gotta give it props for. Without Superbad, there wouldn't be Zombieland, Easy A, or the countless wonderful dreams I have of her.

Brisby

Trollhunter - An independent foreign film from Norway about a group of college students doing a documentary (yes, it's one of THOSE films...mockumentary or whatever it's called) about a man they believe is a bear poacher. He actually works for a secret organization that deals in "troll management." He exterminates trolls that get too close to civilization or cause problems and then covers it up. I guess he gets bored and lonely at his job so eventually he lets the kids tag along and film what he does.

I'm not gonna lie, the movie concept is totally ridiculous, but if you can get over it, it's really not that bad. It's isn't scary even though it's labeled as a horror film and the trailer below leads you to believe that the movie has way more action than it actually does -it's pretty slow in the beginning. Also, apparently trolls really hate Christians and you better not say Jesus around them because it makes them go crazy. lol

Would I recommend it to everyone? Probably not, but if you like these sorts of films, then definitely yes...AND it's on Netflix instant watch right now so if you're bored some night, give it a look.

[video=youtube;TLEo7H9tqSM]

Dyer Makn

Brisby said:
Trollhunter - An independent foreign film from Norway about a group of college students doing a documentary (yes, it's one of THOSE films...mockumentary or whatever it's called) about a man they believe is a bear poacher. He actually works for a secret organization that deals in "troll management." He exterminates trolls that get too close to civilization or cause problems and then covers it up. I guess he gets bored and lonely at his job so eventually he lets the kids tag along and film what he does.

I'm not gonna lie, the movie concept is totally ridiculous, but if you can get over it, it's really not that bad. It's isn't scary even though it's labeled as a horror film and the trailer below leads you to believe that the movie has way more action than it actually does -it's pretty slow in the beginning. Also, apparently trolls really hate Christians and you better not say Jesus around them because it makes them go crazy. lol

Would I recommend it to everyone? Probably not, but if you like these sorts of films, then definitely yes...AND it's on Netflix instant watch right now so if you're bored some night, give it a look.

OH I totally meant to watch this movie but I kept forgetting about it!

I wouldn't say I love the "mockumentary" style movies but I thought that it seemed interesting, would you still recommend it as a watch (I'm very open when it comes to movies)

Brisby

Dyer Makn said:
OH I totally meant to watch this movie but I kept forgetting about it!

I wouldn't say I love the "mockumentary" style movies but I thought that it seemed interesting, would you still recommend it as a watch (I'm very open when it comes to movies)

Watch it for it's uniqueness, and it's still a fun movie. I liked it but I tend to like the weirder stuff. :)

Dyer Makn

Brisby said:
Watch it for it's uniqueness, and it's still a fun movie. I liked it but I tend to like the weirder stuff. :)

That's definitely something I like to see in movies though, hopefully I'll really like it.

Brisby

Dyer Makn said:
That's definitely something I like to see in movies though, hopefully I'll really like it.

Have you seen Noroi: The Curse? It's a Japanese mockumentary/horror and I really enjoyed that one as well. You should see it if you haven't already. :)

Dyer Makn

Brisby said:
Have you seen Noroi: The Curse? It's a Japanese mockumentary/horror and I really enjoyed that one as well. You should see it if you haven't already. :)

I looked it up and no I haven't even heard of it, but I'm not much a fan of the horror genre, the movie has to be really story oriented and not "scary" (not like the movies that the camera turns to a scary looking face with a high pitched music cue, that does nothing for me.)for lack of a better word. Also the fact that horror movies are usually accompanied by huge plot holes and terrible actors keeps me away too. :p

To help explain that, one of my favorite movies is 28 days later.

Brisby

Dyer Makn said:
I looked it up and no I haven't even heard of it, but I'm not much a fan of the horror genre, the movie has to be really story oriented and not "scary" (not like the movies that the camera turns to a scary looking face with a high pitched music cue, that does nothing for me.)for lack of a better word. Also the fact that horror movies are usually accompanied by huge plot holes and terrible actors keeps me away too. :p

To help explain that, one of my favorite movies is 28 days later.

Oh no, Noroi isn't that kind of horror movie. It's very story orientated, very little gore. I would say it's more of a thriller because it relies more on the element of suspense and builds up. It's a long movie but it's very good.

I own 28 Days Later and love it. Have you seen REC? Zombies and mockumentary. lol (Well, according to the sequel they weren't actually zombies but I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the second movie because it sucked).

Dyer Makn

Brisby said:
Oh no, Noroi isn't that kind of horror movie. It's very story orientated, very little gore. I would say it's more of a thriller because it relies more on the element of suspense and builds up. It's a long movie but it's very good.

I own 28 Days Later and love it. Have you seen REC? Zombies and mockumentary. lol (Well, according to the sequel they weren't actually zombies but I refuse to acknowledge the existence of the second movie because it sucked).

Is that the movie Quarantine is based off of? I haven't seen either but I've heard nothing but great things about REC (its easy to tell that I don't spend too much time with the horror genre :p)

TRF

Airplane! (Jim Abrahams/Jerry Zucker/David Zucker, 1980) ****
There's really not much I can say about this. It's the greatest parody film of all time, no doubt. The jokes come at you a mile a minute, and the straight performances make the jokes even funnier. It's such a quotable film, too, and it's the only movie that gets away with puns.

Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) ***½
The action is great, the acting is solid, and the concept is very cool. My only gripe is that the film doesn't really establish the rules of the universe, so it has nothing to really adhere by, and I'm not sure I fully understand all of it.

Tron: Legacy (Joseph Kosinski, 2010) ***
The film doesn't have much going for it in the substance department, but its style more than makes up for that. The performances are decent (I like how Bridges brings a casual vibe to his performance a la The Dude) and the script is nothing special, but the father/son relationship between Kevin and Sam Flynn is touching at points. Also, Michael Sheen is great in his small role as Castor and easily stands out among the other characters. As per the usual, Olivia Wilde looks beautiful. The visual effects are fantastic and the soundtrack is incredible. I wish there were more disc fighting and light cycle scenes. More action would make this film so much more than what it is, which is already good.

Piranha (Alexandre Aja, 2010) ***
It's so stupid, it's actually entertaining. The violence is so over-the-top that you can't help but laugh and there's a lot of nice eye candy in the film, as you would expect. It's a fun homage to exploitation B-movies and I recommend checking it out if you want a "turn your brain off" type of horror comedy.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (Troy Duffy, 2009) ***
Very underrated movie. Its over-the-top violence makes it a very fun movie. It's not particularly intelligent but I do like the action and the music and the acting is enjoyable as well.

Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) **
Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) ****

TRF

Killer Elite (Gary McKendry, 2011) ***½
I finally got around to seeing this, and I'm glad I did. It was a lot better than I expected it to be. I've always loved Jason Statham, and he proved once again why he's my favorite action star. Robert De Niro and Clive Owen are also good in this, although De Niro isn't in it as much as I had expected and hoped (still, it's nice to see him actually care about a role). The film tries to have a story, which is a surprise for this kind of film. It's kind of funny, because these kinds of films generally have no plot, but this one actually gets kinda convoluted. Still, it's not half-bad and there's a fair bit of mystery to it. Obviously the bread and butter of this film is the action, and that was done really well. There are some fast-paced, exhilarating hand-to-hand fight scenes, one great one in particular between Statham and Owen in a hospital. De Niro also has his fair share of combat scenes, and I never realized how badass he could be at his age. Overall, if you're looking for a deep movie you'll be disappointed, but any fan of action movies should enjoy this, especially if you like Jason Statham.

laphamking

Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) ***½
The action is great, the acting is solid, and the concept is very cool. My only gripe is that the film doesn't really establish the rules of the universe, so it has nothing to really adhere by, and I'm not sure I fully understand all of it.

They do establish the rules, its just that there seem to be so few rules established that it brings up more questions. For instance,

Spoiler:

the first time DiCaprio takes Ellen Page's character into the dream world, he explains to her that she can't mess with the world too much, otherwise the subconscious will become aggressive.

It's minor, but it technically is a rule, and there are others like that. Like most Nolan films, it gets better on multiple viewings.

Brisby

The Cove - Well, I'm sure there is a good message somewhere in this film if only the makers would stop crying like babies long enough to actually say it. I could buy the whole "we shouldn't eat dolphines because they have deadly amounts of mercury and that's bad," but I wasn't buying the sickeningly sappy parts where people claimed to have deep, spiritual connections to the dolphines and that's why we shouldn't eat them/put them in captivity blah blah. Lots of scenes involving unintentional hilarity as well. One in particular that made me LOL for a good minute was when O'Barry told the story about one of his dolphines committing suicide in his arms. It's sad, because things like this really shouldn't be making me laugh. I wonder if other parts of the world feel the same way about westerners and what they see as OUR barbaric practices. You know, some poor Hindu monk stands outside a steakhouse with a tear rolling down his face as the fat white people inside stuff their faces with 12 oz ribeyes. Oh well, actually by the end of the movie I kinda wanted to know what those dolphine fillets tasted like. Too bad they have such unhealthy amounts of mercury. :(

GoodEnoughForMe

An Unreasonable Man: 7/10

A well handled documentary that runs a bit long. It has a bit of a bent but still manages to take an axe to some of Nader's faults. What it did very well was capturing his seemingly limited allure to power; he always managed to put a lot of the political charge he helped lead in the hands of others. He never wanted to be a one man army. Relentlessly stubborn and sometimes combative, it's a good look inside his rise and fall.

TRF

laphamking said:
They do establish the rules, its just that there seem to be so few rules established that it brings up more questions. For instance,
Spoiler:
the first time DiCaprio takes Ellen Page's character into the dream world, he explains to her that she can't mess with the world too much, otherwise the subconscious will become aggressive.
It's minor, but it technically is a rule, and there are others like that. Like most Nolan films, it gets better on multiple viewings.

Establishing the rules is not just about telling the audience what they are, but actually following them, which I don't think Inception did a good job of.

Spoiler:

What confuses me is that when Saito gets shot, they tell him that if he dies in the dream, then he'll be stuck in limbo. Later in the film, Ellen Page and DiCaprio go to limbo, and they kill themselves to get out. Why is getting killed a big deal if you can just kill yourself in limbo to escape?

laphamking

TRF said:
Establishing the rules is not just about telling the audience what they are, but actually following them, which I don't think Inception did a good job of.

Spoiler:
What confuses me is that when Saito gets shot, they tell him that if he dies in the dream, then he'll be stuck in limbo. Later in the film, Ellen Page and DiCaprio go to limbo, and they kill themselves to get out. Why is getting killed a big deal if you can just kill yourself in limbo to escape?

Spoiler:

Technically, Page and Dicaprio went one level before Limbo, as we see only Page kill herself to wake herself up, Dicaprio gets stuck in a new, lower level, and somehow Saito having been in Limbo so long finds a way to get he and Dicaprio out of Limbo when they are both stuck there. I do agree that part is really iffy, and should be better explained.

Crymzen

captain america 4/5 enjoyed it more than i thought i would

TRF

Selena (Gregory Nava, 1997) **½
I'm usually a sucker for biopics, but this really wasn't that great. Edward James Olmos is good as always and Jennifer Lopez isn't half-bad (better than usual). However, the script is weak and the message about following your dreams is a bit heavy-handed. Overall, it's a pretty generic and uninteresting biopic, but it's watchable.

Brisby

Thor - I actually enjoyed this movie quite a bit (I was surprised). Nothing much to say about it though. I kinda liked Loki and felt sorry for him in the end. :(

TRF

The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet, 2010) ****
This is a fantastic and criminally overlooked animated film. The animation is gorgeous, combining fluid traditional animation with cel-shaded CGI and painted landscapes. The film features little to no dialogue, but the gorgeous imagery does a great job of telling the story. The story itself is also very good. It focuses on a magician who feels that his craft is becoming dated due to the recent expansion of rock n' roll (this takes place in the 1950s). It also focuses on a heartwarming relationship between this man and a younger girl whom he figuratively fathers. I recommend checking this movie out if you're looking for something a little more unique and subtle in your animated films. It's very beautiful and very charming.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Michael Bay, 2009) *½
Man, what a shit movie. The acting is awful, the comic relief is awful, and the CGI is pretty underwhelming. The action scenes are also very poorly shot. Overall, this film really has nothing going for it except for Hugo Weaving's awesome Megatron voice (which no doubt went through a fuckload of audio processing programs). I haven't seen Dark of the Moon yet but I doubt it's as bad as this movie is.

TRF

EuroTrip (Jeff Schaffer, 2004) **½
The movie is OKAY, nothing more. There are some funny jokes, but most jokes consist of breasts being exposed. I'm not complaining, but it doesn't make the movie any funnier, just a bit easier to watch. Overall, it's not terrible, but it's no different than any other sex comedy out there (a genre which I'm really not a fan of).

Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) ****
This was my favorite movie of 2010. Natalie Portman gives both an enchanting and visceral performance. The dance choreography is wonderful, the cinematography is fantastic, and the CGI is used incredibly well. It's a bit artsy, but creepy as hell and is still good for multiple viewings (this was my third viewing).

Dragon Ball Z: Return of Cooler (Daisuke Nishio, 1992) ***
I watch these Dragon Ball Z movies with my little brother. I used to watch the show a lot as a little kid and now my brother watches Kai. Nicktoons has been airing the movies lately, so I checked this one out to see if it held up since I last saw it, and I'm glad to say it does. It's basically one big fight, but it's essentially what Dragon Ball Z is and always has been.

Red (Robert Schwentke, 2010) ***
This is a very fun movie. The performances are funny and the action is well-done. It starts off kinda slow, but it quickly picks up and gets into the action and becomes both funny and badass.

Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011) ****
I loved this movie. Brad Pitt gives one of his best performances in years (much better than his great performance in The Tree of Life), Philip Seymour Hoffman is great as usual, and Jonah Hill is surprisingly good. The film doesn't delve into overused plot points and never tries to push any kind of motivational theme onto the viewer. The script is great and provides a lot of very funny moments. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes sports movies, although it is a bit slow and drags towards the end.

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