Movie Reviews (Sept. '09 - June '10)

I've seen about 90 movies since the beginning of September, so I'll just review a few here. Agree with a rating? Disagree? Drop a comment. I already know I stand pretty alone on my rating of Iron Man 2…

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The Disclaimer
Just because I've watched a movie or enjoyed it doesn't mean that it's for everyone. I don't like or condone raunchy content in a movie and I use the websites, Kids In Mind and ScreenIt, to find out what kind of content is in a movie before I watch it. BUT. Everyone's tolerance level of how much content you'll put up with if the movie's worth watching varies. I'd prefer the movie to be clean, but if it's overall worth watching and isn't overly raunchy, I'm able to look past a lot of it. With that in mind, when I say a movie is good, I'm saying that in an overall sense, and I'm saying that from my perspective. I'm not endorsing it, nor am I saying that the content that is in it is appropriate for all ages.

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(500) Days of Summer
The trailer for this movie grabbed me instantly and it blew my mind as I had hoped! I could watch it over and over and over. A stud soundtrack, killer actors, and a great storytelling vehicle make it an all-time fave for me.
10 of 5.

Eagle vs. Shark
I finally saw this and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure if it'd just be another movie that tried to be as hilar as Napoleon Dynamite but fell flat on its face, but it stood enough on its own for me. Some of the dialogue is priceless!
4.5 of 5.

The Informant
I saw this at a late showing so I honestly don't remember too much about it besides what I rated it. It was certainly different than I thought it was going to be and that wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it kept my attention. There are occasional little voiceovers from Matt Damon in between scenes and he has some laugh-out-loud lines.
4.5 of 5.

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes strikes again! There's a reason this guy is one of my favorite directors. The pace of the movie was fast by normal standards and compared to his usual slower style, it was blazing fast, but that's part of what I loved about it. Stop motion films always impress me and this also had the story, the humor, the Wes factor, and the fun that make it an all-time fave. Summer and I have already decided it'll be a classic for our family, especially around the Thanksgiving season!
10 of 5.

A Serious Man
I love the Coen brothers, but this was shockingly terrible, in my opinion. I didn't know it was like a modern re-telling of the story of Job, but even given that, it doesn't sway me into liking it. I wasn't in it from the very beginning and it just got irritating. I'm not one to walk out on movies, but this one got dangerously close to getting a walking.
1 of 5.

United 93
I'm way behind on seeing this and am glad I finally saw it. It leaves you super emotional… and ready to start a fight with some terrorists. Very well done!
5 of 5.

Man On Wire
This was a super intriguing documentary on the tightrope walker who successfully schemed to stretch a line and walk between the World Trade Center buildings. This guy has crazy skills and does some nauseatingly cool stuff on a tightrope.
5 of 5.

Food, Inc.
Pretty eye-opening documentary about a lot of things with our diet and the food industry. You always have to watch persuasive documentaries with a grain of salt cos they can easily just tell one side of the story, but I thought this was done well and it left me thinking differently about my eating. I haven't gone Vegan or anything like that, but overall, just have tried to be more conscious of what I eat and the quality of that food.
5 of 5.

Moon
I haven't had a gut-wrenching feeling in a while like I did with this movie. Sam Rockwell is pretty much the only face you see and Kevin Spacey voices the station computer, but it doesn't come off like a stripped down short film.
5 of 5.

Defending Your Life
I'd never heard of or seen an Albert Brooks movie, but upon recommendation, watched 3 of them and really enjoyed this one. He's been called the "West Coast Woody Allen" and I agree. The storyline of this movie is original and makes for some pretty funny moments.
4 of 5.

Iron Man 2
Ugh. In a nutshell: this sucked. Honestly, the first 5 minutes set the tone for me and it didn't get better after that. I can't really quantify what exactly I didn't like, but overall the character development felt rushed, there wasn't as much action as I expected, and Stark's attitude / dialogue felt cheesy not clever. The only redeeming factors were some amazing technology throughout and the fact that the whole pre-movie playlist was AC/DC.
1.5 of 5.

Sherlock Holmes
I felt like I was one of the last people to see this. It was just one of those that I knew was pretty good, but I just didn't make the time to watch it. I enjoyed it quite a bit! It was a fun adventure with some cool effects (slow-mo fight scene, anyone?)
4 of 5.

Moulin Rouge
Never seen this until just recently and was bugged that I had never experienced the musical goodness of this movie. I'm not a fan of musicals unless the music is dynamite and luckily this had both that and visual appeal. Some of the songs have been stuck in my head non-stop and that's okay with me.
5 of 5.

Art & Copy
Last, but certainly not least, this documentary on advertising was awesome! I enjoyed seeing pieces of great advertising from yesteryear and hearing from some of the A-list creatives of our time. It's on Netflix Instant so you have no excuse to not watch it, especially if you're in the creative world!
5 of 5.