Disclaimer: I’m kind
of a movie nut, so I have lots of opinions. However, I’m also kind of an idiot,
so keep in mind that these are just personal preferences.
Potentially great movies
that I haven’t gotten the chance to see yet:
Disappointments:
- The Hobbit (I really wanted to love this movie as much as I love the Lord of the Rings, but it just wasn’t even close. Okay, the last hour was pretty enjoyable, but not enough to make up for all the tedium leading up to it.)
- Les Miserables (Yikes. I’m not sure how Tom Hooper managed to de-beautify this music, but it happened, and the movie really suffered. Acting-wise, the performances were quite good, but live singing by non-professionals just doesn’t work.)
- The Avengers (Meh)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (Amazingly meh)
- Prometheus (Has easily the most disgusting birth scene ever; also kind of boring)
- Snow White and the Huntsman (Terrible)
- Brave (Omg, that little girl was such a bitch)
- The Vow (Liking A Walk to Remember is shameful enough, thank you very much)
- This Means War (Okay, I admit I cracked up a few times when I watched this on the plane. But I blame that on the altitude, because this movie was pretty bad.)
- The Five-Year Engagement (STAY AWAY)
Pleasant surprises:
- 21 Jump Street (Hilarious. Plus, a Johnny Depp cameo never hurts :])
- The Lorax (I would advise everyone to watch this movie with a bunch of rowdy college kids at Dr. Seuss’s alma mater)
- Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Really sweet and surprisingly deep)
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Like a coming-of-age movie for old people!)
I’ve seen a lot of movies, but this one is something completely
unique. It’s not the easiest to watch though – I would describe it as the film
equivalent of a free verse poem. Also features some of the coolest original
music I’ve ever heard in a movie.
Django Unchained
Django Unchained
Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve watched a
Tarantino movie all the way through, and it was actually pretty good. Sure,
there was some distasteful gore, and the movie could have been about half an
hour shorter. But there were also some really funny moments, and I thought the
overall story was pretty cool.
Top 10 Favorites
I’m going to be totally honest: When I first saw the poster for
this movie, I thought it was about Driver’s Ed. But then Saurus assured me that
it’s actually really good, and, of course, she was right. Even though the
reporters-stalk-time-traveller premise seems strange at the beginning, all of
the plot points cleverly tie together by the end. More importantly, though, the
movie is populated by interesting characters who quietly evoke a sense of
empathy, and it’s through these people that the story manages to stay grounded
in all its quirkiness.
Funny and fun and The
Breakfast Club and SINGING! It’s so easy to go wrong with a premise that’s
basically “Glee: The College Years”, but Pitch
Perfect manages to exceed expectations with its endlessly quippy lines and
confident attitude. Sure, it’s not quite as sharp as the classics in this genre
(i.e. Clueless, Mean Girls), but it definitely hits the spot like a warm cookie
from Foco.
At first, this movie seems like it’s just going to mess with
your mind like Inception; however,
the basic theme – violence and urban poverty create an endlessly vicious cycle
– is actually quite simple. Looper
weaves its time travel element into an intelligent, well-written action film,
cleverly touching upon reality-based social issues along the way.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Argo so good; it’s just a solid, solid movie. Thrilling and smart
and even funny at times, the movie is incredibly enjoyable to watch. Ben
Affleck, who knew? And if you didn’t like it, well, then, “Argo f**k yourself”.
Moonrise Kingdom is
an indie gem that really stands out, even in a year filled with great studio
films. The movie has a light touch, but it doesn’t feel insubstantial, and its
deadpan humor is absolutely hilarious. The two 12 year-old leads are
incredible; you’re rooting for them the entire time. Plus, even though the
movie was clearly made on an indie budget, it looks really good, like some kind
of HD video Instagram.
5. Lincoln
Like watching a brilliantly executed play, with the added bonus
of film’s detail and immersion. Everything is really classy and excellent, with
Daniel Day-Lewis once again demonstrating his skills as an acting savant. Right
now, this would be my prediction for Best Picture at the Oscars in February.
Epic, dude, epic. TDKR
is a great ending to a great trilogy, closing the book on Christian Bale’s
Batman and cementing his legend in Gotham and in cinematic history. Somehow,
despite my sky-high expectations, I was impressed yet again.
I’m still in awe of this novel’s creative, compelling plot. But
even moving beyond Suzanne Collins’ original story, The Hunger Games film adaptation nails it, producing a thrilling
blockbuster that’s also wonderfully subtle and nuanced. Jennifer Lawrence
grounds the film with depth and emotional honesty (sidebar: she is a goddess
and I might be in love with her), and it’s telling that I’ve seen this movie 3
times and cried twice each time (reaping scene and Rue’s death, natch).
Subtly funny, heartbreakingly sad, and tremendously poignant,
this is the kind of story that feels like it’s changing your life as you watch
it unfold. In particular, Logan Lerman’s performance as Charlie really makes
this film. (He reminded me of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50, actually, and I mean that as the highest compliment.) I’m
not sure how different the experience would have been if I had read the book
first; regardless, this movie is absolutely extraordinary.
There are few things I love more than a fresh, meaningful, sweet,
genuinely funny romantic comedy, and this is a great one. The story is so
compelling and the dialogue feels so natural that it’s not until the end
credits that you realize “oh yeah, this boils down to a classic boy-meets-girl
plot”. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence make a true power couple – we all
know that J-Law is the best actress of her generation, but Cooper really delivers
as main character Pat. The movie centers on his mental illness and how it
affects various relationships, tracing his heartwarming journey to find the
silver linings in life. Go see it!
Awesome post! I have a few movies to add to my must-see list now. I still don't understand how you managed to watch that many new movies in one year though. (26?!)
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