Drama/Comedy, 113 Minutes, 2011
Some movies can be judged for their quality. The quality of the performances, the script, the effects, staging or any number of things. Others can be judged for their passion or their commitment to their subjects and still others for their social stances.
Drama/Comedy, 97 Minutes, 2001
As my hordes of imaginary regular readers know I watch a lot of bad monster movies. So many, in fact, that when an actual good monster movie sneaks in I sometimes have to consider: is it truly a good movie or have I abused my pallette to the point where even mediocre seems good by comparison? Can a dog that eats cat-turds truly appreciate filet mignon?
“The Secret World of Arrietty” on IMDB
Family, 94 Minutes, 2011
This is Studio Ghibli’s eagerly anticipated adaptation of the massively popular children’s book, “The Borrowers”. While not faithful to the storyline of the book it’s abundantly clear that the filmmakers have a deep and meaningful respect for the source material.
Romance, 100 Minutes, 2011:
“The Artist” is a wonderful film that masterfully tells a timeless story. However if you watch it in the theater you’ll have to prepare for some things. Perhaps ten minutes into the movie you’ll have deal with the older woman loudly whispering to her husband, “What, they don’t talk in this whole thing?”
Drama, 103 Minutes, 2009
Harry Brown is an ex-marine who, shortly after losing his wife, losses his oldest (and only) friend to gang violence. Harry Brown decides to get even. You can say that this is just “Death Wish” with a British sensibility and you’d be right. However if you thought that was an insult you’d be wrong.
“A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas” on IMDB
Comedy, 90 Minutes, 2011:
I entered into this with mixed feelings. Having adored the outlandish abandon of the first installment I looked forward to the second… and absolutely hated it. It felt forced and spiteful where the first was organic and hopeful. It just didn’t gel for me for whatever reason. I’m happy to announce that “A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas” is a fine return to form.
It’s been a while since I’ve treated myself to a nice, relaxing crappy-movie marathon and I decided to, since I’d queued several, set my will against a trio of shark-themed fin-fests. Will I survive? Will I turn them off in disgust and return to “Skyrim” (they do need me there, what with all the dragons and unpludered crypts)?
Sci-fi, 103 Minutes, 2011
I’m a huge fan of John Carpenter’s 1982 classic “The Thing” [IMDB]. Thirty years later the ground-breaking practical effects are still just as creepily effective. The performances are some of the best ever seen in horror and the pacing and staging has rarely been topped.
Sci-fi/Action, 127 Minutes, 2011
This movie was completely – and I mean utterly – formulaic. It was unabashedly and aggressively manipulative – I mean Michael Moore was taking notes during the screening. The plot was full of holes a giant robot could dance through. Seriously: if you’ve seen “Rocky” or “The Champ” or “Over the Top” then you’ve seen this movie already.
Comedy, 112 Minutes, 2011
There’s no way to ignore the elephant in the room here: the premise of this movie is (to be as absolutely forgiving as possible) is as worn as the tissues your grandmother keeps stuffed up her sleeve. On the ranking of archetypical stories it falls someplace at the bottom of the list along with low-rent standards like “dog that thinks it’s people” or “stripper fights crime.”
