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cwfilmbuffThere's a lot of them.
Movie 62: X-Men: First Class
A lot better than I expected. Good acting, especially from Michael Fassbender, and a more interesting plot than your average comic book movie (and an origin story at that). I would have liked to have seen some of the other characters fleshed out some more, and the ending seemed rushed, but I enjoyed it as a whole.
Movie 63: Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen casting actors to play thinly-disguised versions of himself can get old, but I actually liked Owen Wilson as Woody Allen as Gil. I'm glad the time travel element is never really explained - the whole movie is built around a sense of wonder that would have suffered from over-explanation. What could have been a cheesy plot is actually a thoroughly entertaining movie thanks to good dialogue and performances (incidentally I have yet to see a bad turn from Alison Pill - even in bad movies she's been consistently good).
Movie 64: Super 8
It was really good, but I kept thinking it should have been better. The sci-fi element is actually the least interesting part of the plot, and I thought it would have been a better movie without it. Where the film really shines is when the kids in it are making their movie - these scenes really capture the excitement of doing something creative with limited resources.
Movie 65: Kung Fu Panda 2
Not as good or original as the first one, but still fun.
Movie 66: Cars 2
Not a good movie, but I enjoyed it because it was my daughter's first movie in a theater, and she loved the experience.
Movie 67: Toy Story 2
Continuing my fatherly duty to expose Audrey to great movies we popped this in one weekend. It still holds up a decade and a half later, plus it has a story that can hold the interest and evoke strong emotional responses in a two-year-old.
Movie 68: The Thing
Once I got over the fact that Antarctica in winter shouldn't have a day/night cycle as shown in the movie, this was a really good suspense thriller. And while the practical effects were far from perfect, they succeeded where CGI so often fails by obviously being in the same room as the actors, creating a better sense of realism.
Movie 69: Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party
Basically just Tobolowsky (a character actor with more than 100 credits to his name, but most people know him best as the insurance salesman in Groundhog Day) telling stories. It works because he's a great narrator, and watching this it's easy to see how this movie led to his excellent podcast.
Movie 70: The Tree of Life
Maybe the first Terrence Malick movie I've thoroughly enjoyed. I thought The Thin Red Line was messy and The New World was boring (although beautifully shot), but Tree of Life manages to combine Malick's unconventional narrative style with a fascinating family drama. Placing the interpersonal struggles of one family in a context that encompasses God and the beginning of the universe, he manages to convey the idea that despite how insignificant one life might seem in the grand scheme of things, it is anything but to the person living it and the people around them. It doesn't hurt that Malick brought back cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, whose visuals are stunning from start to finish.
Movie 71: Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
Basically a crew following O'Brien on the tour he did last year while he was contractually obligated to stay off of television. In what could have been a fluff piece I was glad to see the filmmakers didn't shy away from showing their star warts and all. He takes out his anger on his staff, he complains about having to meet people, he's quick to blame others when something goes wrong, etc. Somehow the movie manages to make these traits understandable, without trying to present them as anything but the flaws they are. Still, it misses the mark in enough places that it never rises above the average tour documentary.
Movie 72: Wet Hot American Summer
I kept hearing how funny this spoof of summer camp movies was, and after a slow start it actually lived up to the hype.
Movie 73: The Last House on the Left
The low-budget, almost documentary look of the movie makes it a lot more effective than it would have otherwise been. A few other simple touches, such as the juxtaposition of cheerful music to the slowly building dread that permeates the first half of the movie, make the film a lot more disturbing that it would have otherwise been.
Movie 74: Escape From New York
There's not a lot to this action movie - the premise is thin, the action is OK but largely forgettable, and the story relies too heavily on coincidence - but Kurt Russell makes the character of Snake Plissken memorable enough to make it watchable despite its shortcomings.
Movie 75: Batman: Under the Red Hood
I enjoyed it, but for a movie that covers a major event in the Batman comics (the aftermath of Robin's death), this lacked the impact the subject matter needed. That said, I'll take this over the Schumacher Batman movies any day.
Movie 76: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2
I didn't really like the decision to split the last book of the series into two movies, largely because I didn't think there was enough there to justify it. And the first Deathly Hallows movie reinforced this by not feeling like a complete movie. Part 2, on the other hand, does work as a self-contained movie, largely because it centers around one major event and spends enough time examining what is going on with all the various people involved. In a series where each entry has spanned an entire school year, it's refreshing to see a movie that only covers a few days without constantly jumping forward in time. I had a few problems with the decisions they made, but it was still a satisfying ending to the series.
Maybe if I updated this thing more often I wouldn't have to rack my brain (and netflix activity) to remember what I'd been watching.
Movie 62: X-Men: First Class
A lot better than I expected. Good acting, especially from Michael Fassbender, and a more interesting plot than your average comic book movie (and an origin story at that). I would have liked to have seen some of the other characters fleshed out some more, and the ending seemed rushed, but I enjoyed it as a whole.
Movie 63: Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen casting actors to play thinly-disguised versions of himself can get old, but I actually liked Owen Wilson as Woody Allen as Gil. I'm glad the time travel element is never really explained - the whole movie is built around a sense of wonder that would have suffered from over-explanation. What could have been a cheesy plot is actually a thoroughly entertaining movie thanks to good dialogue and performances (incidentally I have yet to see a bad turn from Alison Pill - even in bad movies she's been consistently good).
Movie 64: Super 8
It was really good, but I kept thinking it should have been better. The sci-fi element is actually the least interesting part of the plot, and I thought it would have been a better movie without it. Where the film really shines is when the kids in it are making their movie - these scenes really capture the excitement of doing something creative with limited resources.
Movie 65: Kung Fu Panda 2
Not as good or original as the first one, but still fun.
Movie 66: Cars 2
Not a good movie, but I enjoyed it because it was my daughter's first movie in a theater, and she loved the experience.
Movie 67: Toy Story 2
Continuing my fatherly duty to expose Audrey to great movies we popped this in one weekend. It still holds up a decade and a half later, plus it has a story that can hold the interest and evoke strong emotional responses in a two-year-old.
Movie 68: The Thing
Once I got over the fact that Antarctica in winter shouldn't have a day/night cycle as shown in the movie, this was a really good suspense thriller. And while the practical effects were far from perfect, they succeeded where CGI so often fails by obviously being in the same room as the actors, creating a better sense of realism.
Movie 69: Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party
Basically just Tobolowsky (a character actor with more than 100 credits to his name, but most people know him best as the insurance salesman in Groundhog Day) telling stories. It works because he's a great narrator, and watching this it's easy to see how this movie led to his excellent podcast.
Movie 70: The Tree of Life
Maybe the first Terrence Malick movie I've thoroughly enjoyed. I thought The Thin Red Line was messy and The New World was boring (although beautifully shot), but Tree of Life manages to combine Malick's unconventional narrative style with a fascinating family drama. Placing the interpersonal struggles of one family in a context that encompasses God and the beginning of the universe, he manages to convey the idea that despite how insignificant one life might seem in the grand scheme of things, it is anything but to the person living it and the people around them. It doesn't hurt that Malick brought back cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, whose visuals are stunning from start to finish.
Movie 71: Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
Basically a crew following O'Brien on the tour he did last year while he was contractually obligated to stay off of television. In what could have been a fluff piece I was glad to see the filmmakers didn't shy away from showing their star warts and all. He takes out his anger on his staff, he complains about having to meet people, he's quick to blame others when something goes wrong, etc. Somehow the movie manages to make these traits understandable, without trying to present them as anything but the flaws they are. Still, it misses the mark in enough places that it never rises above the average tour documentary.
Movie 72: Wet Hot American Summer
I kept hearing how funny this spoof of summer camp movies was, and after a slow start it actually lived up to the hype.
Movie 73: The Last House on the Left
The low-budget, almost documentary look of the movie makes it a lot more effective than it would have otherwise been. A few other simple touches, such as the juxtaposition of cheerful music to the slowly building dread that permeates the first half of the movie, make the film a lot more disturbing that it would have otherwise been.
Movie 74: Escape From New York
There's not a lot to this action movie - the premise is thin, the action is OK but largely forgettable, and the story relies too heavily on coincidence - but Kurt Russell makes the character of Snake Plissken memorable enough to make it watchable despite its shortcomings.
Movie 75: Batman: Under the Red Hood
I enjoyed it, but for a movie that covers a major event in the Batman comics (the aftermath of Robin's death), this lacked the impact the subject matter needed. That said, I'll take this over the Schumacher Batman movies any day.
Movie 76: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2
I didn't really like the decision to split the last book of the series into two movies, largely because I didn't think there was enough there to justify it. And the first Deathly Hallows movie reinforced this by not feeling like a complete movie. Part 2, on the other hand, does work as a self-contained movie, largely because it centers around one major event and spends enough time examining what is going on with all the various people involved. In a series where each entry has spanned an entire school year, it's refreshing to see a movie that only covers a few days without constantly jumping forward in time. I had a few problems with the decisions they made, but it was still a satisfying ending to the series.
Maybe if I updated this thing more often I wouldn't have to rack my brain (and netflix activity) to remember what I'd been watching.
