Movies V
There's so much to catch up on! I've been seeing movies, reading books, living love, etc., etc., etc! Keep an eye out for posts soon on the Summer of '10, Into the Now circa 2010, and others.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Grade: C. Eh. The book was better. But isn't it always? *le sigh* They did cool things, not all the actors sucked; I enjoyed myself.
Letters to Juliet - Grade: A-. This movie was cute. I like that she's getting away from role in Mean Girls, though let's be honest, I struggled sometimes to keep that image of her out of my mind. But she's not a bad actress. The storyline was very heartfelt, and I liked this movie. Would I see it again? Hrmmm, dunno. But once was okay.
How to Train your Dragon - Grade: A+. This was a wonderful movie. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Laughed, may or may not have cried, really got emotionally involved. This movie was simply wonderful.
The Last Airbender - Grade: F. F is for Fail. This movie was AWFUL. Horrible. A complete disappointment and thoroughly, thoroughly upsetting. As an avid lover of the cartoon series, I was hopeful. It's not a book, so they can hopefully get it right. The previews were breathtaking and really exciting. And then... No. *shakes head* IT was my man M. Night too, so I was super looking forward to this movie. I mean, how much did I LOVE Lady in the Water? In a movie where you mispronounce the main character's name from the get-go, you know it's going to be bad. Katara was too wimpy, and cry-babyish, and Sokka?! I mean, could they have been any more OFF? Ruined. Just ruined. The only characters they got RIGHT were Momo and Appa. Oh wait, that's because they are played by the same person in both the animated and live action. Figures. Yeah, HATRED for this movie.
House of Wax - Grade: C-. Ew. This movie was gross. I'm not a big fan of horror, but this movie was on tv and caught my eye. But then it was gross too. Blood and fingers being cut off and what not. And then the storyline was just stupid. Like really? That's... that's the basis for the premise. Boo. Be a little more creative next time.
The Goonies!!! - Grade: A+. How can you NOT love this movie!? CLASSIC!!! "Heyyyyy youuuu guuuuuuys!" Turtle had never seen it, can you believe?! She lived under a rock when she was little. Serious. Such a great adventure movie. Indiana Jones for kids.
District 9 - Grade: A. What a heavy-hitting movie! Definitely wasn't expecting that. Was thinking something Independence Day-ish, and instead got this confrontation of social and racial issues now facing us shrouding in "aliens." Such a good movie (Turtle cried!) lol. I'd recommend everyone see this at least once.
Ponyo - Grade: B-. Meh. As always, the cinematography was breath-taking. Just gorgeous. Wasn't a big fan of the storyline though. Miyazaki has much better films than this one; which was kind of disappointing since it was "his last." I guess I'll console myself in the fact that his son is off to a brilliant start.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Grade: A. Not going to lie, I was nervous about seeing this movie. I'm not the biggest Michael Cera fan; the type of movies he's in aren't the kind of movie I particularly enjoy. Most times I think the humor is crude, the storyline overly weak, and... I'd just rather not. I was quaintly surprised. This movie taped into everything I embody as a Classic Gamer. Any of you who were gamers back in the day - original mario and zelda for the nintendo - should definitely give this movie your investment. You'll be pleasantly pleased.
Predators - Grade: B. We all know I'm a huge Aliens v. Predators fan, even though the 2nd one sucked. So when I saw a new one was out, I wanted to go see it. When it came to the Dollar Theatre, I made the trip. It was worth a dollar. The last person I thought would see the movie went with me. Turtle. Way to break out of your shell girl! She thought the movie was super gross and bloody and repeatedly squealed, which made it all the more exciting for me. :) It was a decent storyline, especially the twist. Pretty good.
The Road - Grade: A-. One of the better book-to-movie adaptations. Well done, believable, heart-breaking. Turtle bawled. A very gritty story. I didn't have any problems with the actors either, and all the important book elements I felt were brought into the film.
Precious - Grade: A. Nominated for and winner of multiple awards; this movie caught my attention before I knew anything about it. The movie is not for the faint of heart, or anyone who has reservations about language or sexual content. The movie is openly raw and real, with some of the best acting and documentation of the real I've seen. I applaud this movie for its courage in bringing to light issues many turn their backs on in favor of ignorance.
Grave of the Fireflies - Grade: D. The critical acclaim for this movie drew me to rent it. Roger Ebert claimed: "It belongs on any list of the greatest war movies ever made." Pretty lofty claim. It wasn't Miyazaki or his son, but I thought we'd give it a try. Result: Bleh. The movie was awful. The storyline was completely unnecessary and could have been averted at any point if the main character hadn't been so stubborn. Rather than highlighting the awfulness of war, it simply accented the stubbornness of a boy who ended up killing his sister because he was stupid and prideful. I wouldn't put this movie on any list of war movies.
Shelter - Grade: C. A lot of my friends talk about how this is their favorite "gay" themed movie. So I finally gave it a go. Blah. The storyline was flat, the characters transparent, and the steamier scenes weren't even scintillating. I wasn't impressed. Prayers for Bobby was 100x better.
Skeleton Key - Grade: A+. This one has been on my list for a long time. I'm not super into scary movies, but this one caught my eye and I wanted to see it. So glad I did. The movie has a twist in it that was super 6th Sense. Like you get to the end, *cue twist*, and you're left going WHOAAAAAAAAA. My brains are on the floor in a heap. Good times with this movie.
Invictus - Grade: C-. Eh. I'm not too into sports movies, but this won awards I guess, and had really good actors. And to top it off, the movie was completely anti-climactic. Which I guess if you're covering a "true" story, you can't stray too far from what really happened. But I was just waiting for the rally, the break-away, the heart-pounding rush of an exuberant win. And then it was just eh. Not such a fan.
The Blindside - Grade: A. This movie is everything people say it is. Heart-felt, powerful, hopeful, and inspiring. What a great mom. This is the kind of true story that SHOULD be a movie.
More on the way!
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Grade: C. Eh. The book was better. But isn't it always? *le sigh* They did cool things, not all the actors sucked; I enjoyed myself.
Letters to Juliet - Grade: A-. This movie was cute. I like that she's getting away from role in Mean Girls, though let's be honest, I struggled sometimes to keep that image of her out of my mind. But she's not a bad actress. The storyline was very heartfelt, and I liked this movie. Would I see it again? Hrmmm, dunno. But once was okay.
How to Train your Dragon - Grade: A+. This was a wonderful movie. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Laughed, may or may not have cried, really got emotionally involved. This movie was simply wonderful.
The Last Airbender - Grade: F. F is for Fail. This movie was AWFUL. Horrible. A complete disappointment and thoroughly, thoroughly upsetting. As an avid lover of the cartoon series, I was hopeful. It's not a book, so they can hopefully get it right. The previews were breathtaking and really exciting. And then... No. *shakes head* IT was my man M. Night too, so I was super looking forward to this movie. I mean, how much did I LOVE Lady in the Water? In a movie where you mispronounce the main character's name from the get-go, you know it's going to be bad. Katara was too wimpy, and cry-babyish, and Sokka?! I mean, could they have been any more OFF? Ruined. Just ruined. The only characters they got RIGHT were Momo and Appa. Oh wait, that's because they are played by the same person in both the animated and live action. Figures. Yeah, HATRED for this movie.
House of Wax - Grade: C-. Ew. This movie was gross. I'm not a big fan of horror, but this movie was on tv and caught my eye. But then it was gross too. Blood and fingers being cut off and what not. And then the storyline was just stupid. Like really? That's... that's the basis for the premise. Boo. Be a little more creative next time.
The Goonies!!! - Grade: A+. How can you NOT love this movie!? CLASSIC!!! "Heyyyyy youuuu guuuuuuys!" Turtle had never seen it, can you believe?! She lived under a rock when she was little. Serious. Such a great adventure movie. Indiana Jones for kids.
District 9 - Grade: A. What a heavy-hitting movie! Definitely wasn't expecting that. Was thinking something Independence Day-ish, and instead got this confrontation of social and racial issues now facing us shrouding in "aliens." Such a good movie (Turtle cried!) lol. I'd recommend everyone see this at least once.
Ponyo - Grade: B-. Meh. As always, the cinematography was breath-taking. Just gorgeous. Wasn't a big fan of the storyline though. Miyazaki has much better films than this one; which was kind of disappointing since it was "his last." I guess I'll console myself in the fact that his son is off to a brilliant start.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Grade: A. Not going to lie, I was nervous about seeing this movie. I'm not the biggest Michael Cera fan; the type of movies he's in aren't the kind of movie I particularly enjoy. Most times I think the humor is crude, the storyline overly weak, and... I'd just rather not. I was quaintly surprised. This movie taped into everything I embody as a Classic Gamer. Any of you who were gamers back in the day - original mario and zelda for the nintendo - should definitely give this movie your investment. You'll be pleasantly pleased.
Predators - Grade: B. We all know I'm a huge Aliens v. Predators fan, even though the 2nd one sucked. So when I saw a new one was out, I wanted to go see it. When it came to the Dollar Theatre, I made the trip. It was worth a dollar. The last person I thought would see the movie went with me. Turtle. Way to break out of your shell girl! She thought the movie was super gross and bloody and repeatedly squealed, which made it all the more exciting for me. :) It was a decent storyline, especially the twist. Pretty good.
The Road - Grade: A-. One of the better book-to-movie adaptations. Well done, believable, heart-breaking. Turtle bawled. A very gritty story. I didn't have any problems with the actors either, and all the important book elements I felt were brought into the film.
Precious - Grade: A. Nominated for and winner of multiple awards; this movie caught my attention before I knew anything about it. The movie is not for the faint of heart, or anyone who has reservations about language or sexual content. The movie is openly raw and real, with some of the best acting and documentation of the real I've seen. I applaud this movie for its courage in bringing to light issues many turn their backs on in favor of ignorance.
Grave of the Fireflies - Grade: D. The critical acclaim for this movie drew me to rent it. Roger Ebert claimed: "It belongs on any list of the greatest war movies ever made." Pretty lofty claim. It wasn't Miyazaki or his son, but I thought we'd give it a try. Result: Bleh. The movie was awful. The storyline was completely unnecessary and could have been averted at any point if the main character hadn't been so stubborn. Rather than highlighting the awfulness of war, it simply accented the stubbornness of a boy who ended up killing his sister because he was stupid and prideful. I wouldn't put this movie on any list of war movies.
Shelter - Grade: C. A lot of my friends talk about how this is their favorite "gay" themed movie. So I finally gave it a go. Blah. The storyline was flat, the characters transparent, and the steamier scenes weren't even scintillating. I wasn't impressed. Prayers for Bobby was 100x better.
Skeleton Key - Grade: A+. This one has been on my list for a long time. I'm not super into scary movies, but this one caught my eye and I wanted to see it. So glad I did. The movie has a twist in it that was super 6th Sense. Like you get to the end, *cue twist*, and you're left going WHOAAAAAAAAA. My brains are on the floor in a heap. Good times with this movie.
Invictus - Grade: C-. Eh. I'm not too into sports movies, but this won awards I guess, and had really good actors. And to top it off, the movie was completely anti-climactic. Which I guess if you're covering a "true" story, you can't stray too far from what really happened. But I was just waiting for the rally, the break-away, the heart-pounding rush of an exuberant win. And then it was just eh. Not such a fan.
The Blindside - Grade: A. This movie is everything people say it is. Heart-felt, powerful, hopeful, and inspiring. What a great mom. This is the kind of true story that SHOULD be a movie.
More on the way!
Comments