Love Happens I was stranded on a plane and got the opportunity to watch three movies. This was one of them. Jennifer was cute and the story was ok. Other than that, it was not worth watching again.

District 9 2nd plane movie. I kinda liked this. I didn't think I would, but as I think back on it I really did. The action was cool and I think Sharlto did a good job. He reminded me of the manager from Flight of the Conchords. Some of the alien nonsense was gross but all in all, good flick.

Taking Chance Third in the plane movie series. Kevin. sigh. This was a nice story. Parts of it were a little hokey, but I got what they were trying to do. Take notice and be respectful! Mascara warning on this one.

That may have been part of my problem with it:

All true, especially the part about it working with the movie, because...
I liked the whole thing, though.

Old Mother Riley Meets the Vampire Cheapo British comedy with a cross-dressing star. Only redeeming feature is Lugosi here, who clearly enjoys sending up his vampire persona. (IMDB rating: 2.4/10, 343 votes)

Society Hugely enjoyable horror, with a truly nauseatingly hilarious finale. Also, one of the most extraordinary limping camel shots in all of non-porn cinema adds a touch of glamour to this already magnificent film.

THX1138 Pretty cool movie. It reminded me of Logan's Run but I guess since it was out first, Logan's Run reminds me of this. Some great camera work. I got a little bored with it towards the end, but overall it was good.

Juile & Juila Loved it. Meryl was fabulous as Julia Childs and Tucci did a great job here. They go well together. I was a little annoyed with Amy Adams' character, but she did a good job. It was a cute love, finding yourself, cooking story.


Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs I have to give it some stars for effort because I can see how kids like it. It was cute, but I can't quite wrap my imagination around it. I mean, I know toys don't actually come to life when we aren't around, but for some reason I could relate a little easier to that than to ordering food from the sky. I liked the voice casting and of course, Steve was my fav.

I thought it was cute, clever and funny. Food falling from the sky isn't any crazier than dogs flying fighter planes, foxes buying tree houses or whatever the fuck Ponyo was about.

Frontières Christ on a bike, wtf? Probably the worst/funniest film I've seen in a long while. I really would like any of you people to give me your thoughts on this total crapfest, unbelievably bad. Lady's avoid because of the severe and totally unwarranted gore and with the most ridiculous story line. Sorry, did I say story line, there fucking isn't one, just the most terrible shit that any one has ever chucked a few bob in for. Seriously, this nonsense has got my goat this evening and it pisses me off that whilst I'm at the Clermont Ferrand short film festival there's a 5 minute movie of a guy having a wank in a shower! Um, is this filmic art for fucks sake or are tossers with a camera just taking the piss out of us honest people?

Apart from that rant, this was great. Black Sheep Just well directed brilliance of the highest order. Nobody of any note, but they all played their parts really well. I've even saved this one to my hard drive to show to friends because it's such fun and a breath of fresh air.

Crying Freeman Total cobblers, I would have had more fun having an enema.

It was probably the high point of his day.

I can see it now:

and you suckers paid to see it

A Prophet Slightly overlong, but otherwise brilliant prison drama.
Creep Disgusting and annoying in equal measure. (Why are there still horror films, where the monster is incapacitated, lying on the floor, groaning and clutching some bleeding wound, and the hero(es) just drop their deadly weapon and run away instead of finishing off the monster, which by that point has proven beyond doubt, that only utter destruction will stop him?) (If you think this is a spoiler, you haven't seen enough films.)
Unfaithfully Yours One of the best films I've seen in aeons. The first two acts set up beautifully a flawless, hilarious third act. Cannot recommend it warmly enough.

Yeah, if you would have asked, he would have shown it to you for free.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Perhaps not historically accurate, but oh so fun.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)
Originally I rated it 9/10, until I found out they had manipulated the order of scenes to make an effective ending. Either way it touched me like few movies have.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The effects were the least cheesy thing about the movie.

Near Dark Good solid fun.
Pickup on South Street Classic 50s B-movie perfection. (Smithee, did you go see it?)

I'll try to keep these short (will probably have to since they're from September ) All the Cinema reviews are slightly modified Twittereviews

Get Over It DVD
Had never heard of this retread of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (probably my favorite of Shakespeare's plays), especially surprising based on the amazing cast. Sadly, they cut out Bottom and his players and the plot is a bit ridiculous at times.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Cinema IMAX 3D
This wasn't worth the hour-drive to Philly nor the extra money. I noted some more of the film's flaws on this second viewing, but I'm still really excited for the next two (and now I'm 5 months closer to their release!)

The Final Destination Cinema 3D
I really enjoyed the opening credits--foolishly thought the film had a chance to be good. I literally LOL'd about 10 minutes from the end & LOTI'd throughout.

Bollywood Hero TV
I wanted to like this simply because I thought it would be a good meta-story for Kattan to do something decent. The cameo from Keanu was pretty funny, and some of the numbers were fun, but the story was a bit bloated.

Gamer Cinema
Ugh... this was pretty ridiculous. Some decent action at times that was very poorly directed. Plus, if this were real the movie would be NC-17. Waste of Michael C Hall

Extract Cinema Sneak-In
I wonder if Office Space was funny in its theatrical release, because this was disappointing even with slightly lowered expectations... Maybe a few rewatches on DVD with friends will make this funnier?

The Beaches of Agnes Cinema
This was a delightful (if somewhat long) doc about a French director I've never heard of (cue Humph shaming me re: Agnès Varda)-a modern day 8 1/2 if you will.

World's Greatest Dad Cinema Sneak-In
I'm probably giving this an extra half star because I was impressed/surprised by its director but the film moved me & it got dusty in the theater. I was very shocked at where the story went (don't read much about it before watching it!)

Big Fan Cinema
I guess Patton Oswald is capable of playing more than a rat! This was pretty good even if parts were a tad unbelievable.

Thirst Cinema Sneak-In
Thought this was an inventive and fascinating look at a time-old tale. It's wonderfully shot with an odd little detour about 2/3 of the way through (which I barely can remember)

Super High Me TV
Decent enough docu-comedy. Really wish I had seen this while I was out in LA to see if I could have gotten some help with my migraines/cluster headaches.

All About Steve Cinema
Bullock plays annoying/cute really well & there are some good laughs hidden within a ridiculous plot that pushes the film toward badness.

The Hammer TV
Carolla is always fun for a good rant, but overall the film somehow disappointed and surprised at the same time. I expected worse (think The Ringer) but also wasn't too impressed to highly recommend it.

Adam Cinema
This was a sweet & touching look at someone incapable to understand love—a completely clueless guy. Maybe that's why I liked it so much!

9 Cinema
This was visually stunning, beautifully scored & pretty well voice-acted, however 9 (the short film)'s story wins out due to its simplicity.

Whiteout Cinema Sneak-In
Either this had really bad marketing or I just inferred very poorly from its trailer. I was expecting some sort of mysterious ice monster movie but instead got a crime/thriller. While I wasn't looking forward to the horror plot, the actual story still wasn't that good.

The Informant! Cinema
This starts off really slowly but the final hour is pretty fun. Damon does fantastic (deserved the nomination over Freeman). Couldn't believe the cameos (were those the Smothers Brothers?!)

Sorority Row Cinema Sneak-In
When I sneaked into Sorority Row there were 10 people in the theater. After about an hour, people started to leave. 90 minutes into the film, the final 2 walked out. It's a 101 minute movie!
Horror movies aren't really my bag, baby, but this seemed pretty bad nonetheless. I did enjoy the killer's explanation for it all a bit (which I've since forgotten)

In the Loop Cinema
This is a fucking hilarious mockumentary based on a UK TV series. Superb writing, bloody good acting with just some distracting camerawork (it broke the 180° rule way too many times for my liking)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Cinema
This was hilarious but was very bad to watch on an empty stomach. The 3D effects weren't worth the extra cash (not that I actually paid for it) so this would be a good DVD rental. Great voice acting

Lynch Mob Cinema Sneak-In
This is the best zombie/voodoo/slave/mafia/pedophile/cannibal movie ever made! Only thing—it still kinda sucked. Especially the Lorre character; painful to watch him chew scenery!

Jennifer's Body Cinema Sneak-In
There were way too many Cody-isms here, plus Fox's "acting" ruined a semi-interesting story. There were only a few good bits amongst a bunch of crap.

Love Happens Cinema
Fogler, Lynch & Greer give great supporting performances in the otherwise meh-diocre comedroma™ which likens "love" to "shit."

Surrogates Cinema
Elizabeth Banks had been talking up this film on Twitter for a few weeks--expected to see her as a sexy robot but afterward realized she was just a producer. :disappointed: A pretty cool concept with a pretty lame ending.

Fame Cinema
I'm guessing this remake won't "live forever." It's entertaining, especially the cafeteria jam, but not that great of a film, and besides a few scenes quite forgettable.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself Cinema Sneak-In
If Tyler Perry can do bad all by himself, why does he need to bring down these other good actors? I can't understand the appeal and need to go see his next one with my parents who have enjoyed both TP films they've seen

Cold Souls Cinema
Weird little film which felt like Being Paul Giamatti but not quite as good. Very funny at times but soooooo slow at others.

The Secret of My Succe$s DVD
Extremely 80s—who knew a movie could feature Yello's "Oh Yeah" not once, but twice!?! Can't say I've seen her very much, but Helen Slater was a horrible actress here. Completely horrible!


Done September! Whew...

The Wolfman I wish I could give it more stars. And for the first 40mins or so, I thought it was heading in the right direction. Little did I know... It starts off like the film I was hoping to see, a lavish, reasonably faithful remake of the original that doesn't mess about with the 'myth'. At first I quite enjoyed the double-crap-your-pants shots, where the director would scare you with a flash of something and a blast of an instrument once, and then follow it up with a second just as you're checking your pants to see if they're soiled. (It does get wearisome after a while.) Then, halfway through, the film becomes a full-blown Freudian Oedipal drama that reenacts the most literal primal scene (when the child thinks Daddy is killing Mommy, when in fact Daddy is fucking Mommy) I have seen in a long time, and things just become completely ridiculous. When Anthony Hopkins walks down a mental asylum corridor in his top hat, playing a harmonica (and he is not the loony one, just a visitor), the whole film falls completely apart and descends into pathetic parody. Further: Benicio del Toro is shit (he can't do a neutral American accent, let alone a mid-Atlantic one), as is Emily Blunt (although at least she tries), and Hugo Weaving just looks and sounds like he is about to say something about Mr Wolfmanson not being able to complain if he has no mouth. And Anthony Hopkins acts as if even the paycheck could not motivate him to do anything other than phone it in. And why oh why should they decide to mess with a historical character that did not die mysteriously in a hunting accident at 40ish, but lived to be 86, I don't understand. A desperately disappointing film that no end of Rick Baker wizardry (he hasn't lost any of his brilliance) could drag above the rating it gets from me.

Here's half of October...

Toy Story & Toy Story 2 Cinema
Spent almost 3.5 hours in the same seat and it was kind of tiring. Was neat seeing these Pixar classics in 3D on the big screen. Still not a huge fan of the sequel, especially after midnight.

Zombieland Cinema
Was really excited for this & was kinda worried it couldn't possibly live up to expectations. Luckily, I was wrong. Hilarious & all around awesome. Loved the rules and graphics.

The Invention of Lying Cinema Sneak-In
Gervais makes suprisingly good films (first Ghost Town and now this)! Thought the joke would get old fast, but the script was clever with its plot line from left field, and the cameos were great!

Pandorum Cinema Sneak-In
This was a pretty exciting thriller/mystery, especially the first half hour when you're literally & figuratively in the dark. Then it got all monstery and went horror instead of sci-fi thriller.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Cinema
Saw this silent film with an organist (pretty cool) but because it's a silent film, the projectionist wasn't aware how to load the film correctly and 1.5 reels were loaded backwards (making the intertitles hard to daer). Chaney was fantastic but I'll admit I wasn't too fond of this classic.

Capitalism: A Love Story Cinema
Another great film from Moore. Is it a good documentary? Hard to say...as it is w/ most of Moore's films. It sure did piss me off though.

Whip It Cinema
Had a great double feature with this and a real derby bout (season finale). The film was a little liberal with the rules but it was still a great story with a lot of fun scenes.

I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell Cinema
Who'd have guessed I'd enjoy a film about selfish sarcastic a-holes?

Paranormal Activity
There were several really great scares (especially night #13) inside a lot of boring "reality." This is an excellent little film that's probably going to make a huge profit (and it did).

Detective Story Very stagey, but very good police drama, set almost enitrely in the bull pen of a precinct. Kirk Douglas acts his socks off, all to good effect.

The Star Chamber (Part two of a Douglas-family double-bill.) Michael Douglas becomes disillusioned with the law, and joins a secret society of nasty judges who 'review' cases where the offenders got off on technicalities. Things get complicated. Yaphet Koto investigates. Good, typically-80s shlocky fun. The lighting deserves special mention.

Valkyrie (2008) - . Interesting, especially with regard to how the conspirators planned to ensure the SS was sidelined after Hitler's assassination.

Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum (2009) - . Sequel to the French parkour action flick, Banlieue 13. The sequel was more of the same action, though a little too much happy coincidence in the plot. Meh.

Avatar (2009) - . Absolutely awesome visuals - the attention to detail was fantastic. The story wasn't nearly as stupid as I was imagining it might be, though the villains and their motivations were much too cartoonish for my taste. Moreover, the little digs regarding shock-and-awe were out of place.

The Hurt Locker (2008) - . Even though I was never a member of an Army EOD team, quite a lot of the plot didn't ring true. Still, Bigelow managed to really evoke a lot of tension in the disarmament scenes, but even more so in the sniper standoff scene. It's not quite an Oscar contender for Best Picture in my book, but it was still pretty good.

It Happened One Night (1934) - . Clark Gable was definitely a star and Claudette Colbert did a fine job as well, but the story was too full of that stupid romanticism so prevalent in the early twentieth century. You know, the "Oh, I've been with you for two straight days and even though we've disagreed on many things and I seem to dislike you, in reality you've managed to see a part of my soul that no one else has. I'm in love!" Part of me was thinking this must have been what they were basing Forces of Nature on. What an unfortunate legacy.

Notorious (1946) - . Not one of my favorite Hitchcock films, but still damn good. Grant was super-debonair, Bergman was absolutely gorgeous and Hitch framed some absolutely beautiful shots. The spinning camera as Ingrid Bergman wakes up and stares at Cary Grant approaching was great as was the closing scene as Claude Rains grudgingly walks back to his Nazi chums.

Tonari no Totoro (1988) - . Similar in many ways to the other famous Studio Ghibli films: inventive, superb animation, and a nice, happy story. I like the way Miyazaki can tell a story that can maintain suspense without including an antagonist.

Brief Encounter (1945) - . Like Hitchcock, David Lean can sure shoot a beautiful film. Unlike the ridiculous romanticism I mentioned in It Happened One Night, this story seemed much more realistic. At the beginning, I wasn't sure I would like where the subject matter was going, but the way it was resolved and the way the actors managed to translate the real feelings of their characters made everything work beautifully.

Coraline (2009) - . Although it had a lot of originality, I was never really engaged with this film. I initially tried to watch it in 3D, but the red and green glasses were just too irritating. Overall, just kind of meh.

BTW, with the exception of Valkyrie, I watched all the previous films since Tuesday night. What a productive business trip.

Finishing up October...

Where the Wild Things Are Cinema
Never read the book before but Jonze & Henson's Shop really made it come alive! Excellent acting from young Max, but the ending didn't quite click for me.

The Stepfather Cinema
Is this supposed to be a thriller/horror film? Or is there a new genre called "crap?" Some nice bikini scenes from Amber Heard, but otherwise a complete waste of time

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant Cinema
If this gets a sequel (it's trying WAY too hard to set up for one) I'll be shocked. It's a confused, boring mess of a film

Couples Retreat Cinema Sneak-In
How disappointing-this was really hurt by its PG-13 rating. Laughs weren't as plentiful as I'd hoped. Higgins & Jeong were great but barely in the movie. Definitely could have used more of this scene

Saw VI Cinema
Never in a million years would I have thought a Saw sequel could remind me of a Michael Moore film (Sicko) This was nowhere near as good as the first but better than most of the sequels.

Zombieland Cinema Sneak-In
Didn't seem quite as good the second time around, but it's still hilarious

Amelia Cinema
I liked Amy Adams's Earhart better. In fact, I liked Night at the Museum 2 better than this film. That one at least had 2 funny monkeys!

Astro Boy Cinema Sneak-In
A talented cast does not a good movie make. There were a few fun/funny parts but was mostly a boring & trite piece of pseudo-anime.

My One and Only Cinema
This was a little bit of a surprise. Zellweger was annoying (I hate her face) but Lerman was really good as was the sudden "surprise" ending.

Rocky Horror Picture Show Cinema
Must have seen this at least two dozen times now... Nothing more to say really.