This page will be constantly updated as I watch movies on DVD or in Theaters. It’s going to get pretty long and as it does, you should probably just do a Ctrl (or Cmd) – F search for what you’re looking for.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs – It’s based on a children’s book, but I found myself laughing a lot. Voices by Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, and Mr. T. It’s the best kid’s movie I’ve seen in a long time.
The Road – Post-Apocalyptic tale of a Father struggling to survive as he protects his son. Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy book, which I also recommend. Cold, gritty, and masterfully crafted and performed. It’s the best adaptation since Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings. Watch it. (Read DrChocolate’s review here).
Shutter Island – Leonardo DiCaprio is a cop investigating a disappearance at a mental institution. Directed by Martin Scorcese, who’s specialty is getting you into the mind/frame of mind of the central character and he’s at the top of his game here. This movie gets you as twisted up as some of the patients at the hospital. DiCaprio is winning me over little by little. Watch it. (DrChocolate’s review here)
Inception – The latest from the great Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Batman Begins, Memento). Watch it (Review here, but don’t read it until you see the movie)
2012 – Disaster flick by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow). More of the same. Worth a watch if you want to turn the brain off and have nothing better to do.
Big Fan – Patton Oswalt is the type of guy who calls in to Sports Talk Radio so often they know his name. He gets beat up by the player he idolizes and the movie explores the conflict that ensues. It has its faults, but overall, it was very interesting. Oswalt is surprisingly convincing.
Youth in Revolt – Michael Cera invents an alternate persona to get the girl of his dreams. Said persona then goes amok. It’s pretty pretentious as a lot of Cera’s movies can be, and there’s a lot of unnecessary, “hey look at this edgy animation we can do” thrown in, but that’s what the hipsters like these days. Overall, it was pretty entertaining, but sometimes it tries way too hard. I find the modern hipster to be the same way.
Avatar – The story’s been done before, many times, but man is it pretty. If you can catch it in theaters, it’s worth seeing just for the spectacle. Otherwise, go ahead and skip it.
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Very clever and well done. A refreshing take on a children’s movie, but I don’t think I ever read the Roald Dahl book. Dr Chocolate says it’s spot on.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard – Meh.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – Ridiculous … But still kind of fun. It seemed like a 12-year-old wrote it, but Joseph Gordon-Leavitt was great as always. It wasn’t as fun as The Mummy, but it wasn’t as stupid as Van Helsing (both done by the same director, Stephen Sommers).
Black Dynamite – Ridiculous … ly awesome.
Kick-Ass – Thanks to this movie, I now have a crush on an 11-year-old girl. Luckily, she’s completely fictional, and really it’s just a crush on her incredible kick-assery. This movie is good good fun and it does indeed kick ass.
The Book of Eli – None of the ideas in this movie are anything new, but I knew that going in. I was just hoping for a fun, post-apocalyptic action flick. What I got was a lame, preachy plot with scattered bits of excitement. It just tried waaay too hard.
The Social Network – The Facebook movie is as compelling as the site itself. David Fincher spins the story about a socially-inept geek who creates THE social website in such a way that you’ll be hanging on writer Aaron Sorkin’s every word. Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg better than Zuck himself. It may be completely inaccurate, but this version is a much better watch.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – This is the first video game movie I’ve seen that was almost as fun to watch as the video game was to play. That said, it’ll challenge your brain a whole lot less than the game.
Salt – Angelina Jolie takes the helm of a movie originally written for Tom Cruise and it looks and feels like a Tom Cruise movie. It was fun enough, but something felt off. Just your average action/thriller.
Tangled – I’ll put it this way, Disney knows how to make a Princess Movie.
Toy Story 3 – I’ll put it this way, Pixar knows how to make a movie. This sequel’s as strong as the original, but it’s pretty dark, so it may not be appropriate for the youngest viewers.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – The weakest in a series that’s getting weaker with every sequel. This one was almost unbearable for me, but the kids might like it.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – Edgar Wright, the director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, shows us what he can do without Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and he does not disappoint. It’s stylish and hip, without being pretentious, something a lot of movies starring Michael Cera can’t accomplish. All in all, it’s a fun watch.
True Grit – The Dude dons a duster and a cowboy hat as a curmudgeonly old US Marshall who joins Texas Ranger Matt Damon on a vengeance mission for a little girl. Whoever said the western was dead, didn’t tell the Coen brothers. Their remake of this classic is more character-driven than the original, and each character is as rich as the gold they trade.
Tron: Legacy – If the 13-year-old me had imagined a sequel to the 1980s Tron, he never could’ve imagined what they did in this movie. Filmed entirely in IMAX and partially in 3D, this movie gave me a silly grin from start to finish. The plot is almost as weak as Avatar’s, but the visuals are exponentially better and more dazzling. Watch it in IMAX 3D if you can.
Green Zone – Paul Greengrass teamed up with Matt Damon again, but this one is more political thriller and less Bourne. It’s every bit as exciting as the Bourne movies, with a lot less shaky-cam. It’s worth a watch. DrChocolate’s thoughts are here.
An Education – I really need to watch this movie again because I’m not really sure how I feel about it. It’s definitely worth a second watch. Sarsgaard is in top form and Carey Mulligan deserved every bit of her Oscar nomination. It kept me riveted all the way, which is rare for a me in a romance. Mostly, it just caught me off-guard, which is rarely a bad thing. Read DrChocolate’s thoughts here.
The Town – Ben Affleck’s latest directorial attempt and in it, he shines. It’s enough to make you wonder how he’d do with a feature not set in New England. In this one, you’ll find yourself rooting for a band of Charles Town bank robbers, except for Jeremy Renner’s character, thanks to his bone-chilling performance. Give it a watch, but it’s not for the faint of heart, violence and language abound.
The A-Team – If you liked the show, you’ll like this movie. It wasn’t exactly as I imagined it, but I can’t say I was disappointed. I’d still like to see what Michael Bay could do with the franchise.
Brothers – This one threw me for a loop. I was expecting some cheesy, fluff war piece and what I got was something with depth. It had its flaws, mostly in the script, but Gyllenhaal, Maguire, and Portman gave it a soul. Worth a watch if you’ve got nothing better going.
Red – Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren look like they’re having a blast playing retired black ops agents that get pulled out of retirement. I had a blast watching them do it. Even Mary-Louise Parker was fun to watch as a customer service rep who gets caught in the middle. Watch it for a good time.
Exit Through the Gift Shop – When an eccentric videographer approaches renowned street artist Banksy about making him part of a street art documentary, Banksy turns the tables on him and makes his own movie about the eccentric. Does Thierry Guetta realy exist, or is Mr. Brainwash just a character in Banksy’s latest piece of art? It’s an interesting watch either way.
Legion – It’s a silly movie about fallen angels, the end of the world, and a chosen baby, but it was pretty entertaining. Watch it if you want to turn off the brain, otherwise don’t bother.
The Men Who Stare at Goats – George Clooney is a warrior monk that was once part of a secret pyschic army led by the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. Ewan McGregor plays a reporter trying to uncover the details. There’s not much to it, but it was plenty entertaining.
Up in the Air – George Clooney is a corporate hit man, traveling from company to company to fire people for bosses that don’t like to get their hands dirty. He enjoys his job, but more importantly, he loves to travel. Then he’s paired with a young up-and-comer who wants nothing more than to settle down somewhere. The opposing philosophies make for a surprisingly captivating story. It spawned a lot more thoughts than I can put on this page. Read them here.