Undefeated (2011)

Sometimes a good documentary becomes better simply because they got lucky while the cameras were rolling. It requires careful forethought, but also a bit of luck. Undefeated is a prime example of this. 

Rating: B

A Little Bit Zombie (2012)

Everything a zombie movie shouldn’t be, and worse. An embarrassment to the genre.

Rating: F

Along Came Polly (2004)

This was a cute romantic comedy in regular Ben fashion. Plenty of funny scenes that were even better than the previews made them out to be. Phillip Seymor Hoffman was an added bonus. He's a genius.

Rating: C+

Taken 2 (2012)

I went into this expecting something terrible (what does that say about me, that I chose to watch it anyway), so I was pleased that it ended up being ok. They actually set up a slightly plausible story of why they were being re-taken. However, after the bodies starting piling up, I’m sure they were rethinking their logic of abducting his family in order to get justice for all the people he killed in the first film.

Will there be a sequel to make him pay for everybody who died in this round? They mentioned two other sons, but didn’t reveal whether he disposed of them, as well as every other relative of someone he killed. The ending as a whole was unsatisfying. Certainly not on par with the fresh and fun action flick the original was.

Rating: C

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

There were parts of this film I really liked and others that came off as formulaic. Performances were top notch all around. Possibly Oscar worthy. I'll bet there are a lot of female actors in Hollywood who wish they'd landed these roles. Meaty.

Rating: C+

Les Misérables (2012)

Forced myself to watch Les Misérables, the final Best Picture nominee I’ve yet to see. By and large, I hate traditional musicals. Show tunes make me ill. Les Misérables starts off with a grating slave song, and continues to deliver one bleating number after the next.

I was having nightmarish flashbacks to when Chicago won Best Picture in 2002. What a train wreck that was. If they’d shut their warbling mouths for two seconds in favor of more dialogue, I might actually be able to enjoy the film for more than a minute at a time. But EVERYTHING’S got to be a frigging song with them!

Rating: F

Roger Dodger (2002)

A ladies man uncle takes his 16 year old nephew under his wing for a night in New York with the intent of teaching him the ways of bedding a lady. Lots of funny, content heavy dialogue back and forth. There are some underlying themese at play, and although it's not a perfect film, it did impress me.

Rating: C+

Amour (2012)

Like watching paint dry. But instead of paint, it’s an old lady. And instead of dry, it’s die. The entire process is stretched out over 2 agonizing hours. Minutes feel like weeks as the camera lingers on her diaper changes, assisted showers, dazing into space, and mumbling.

Yeah, I get that this is a labor of love for her dedicated husband. That doesn’t mean people want to tune in and watch it happen. And in the end, after your spirits are sky high from all this pleasantness, SPOILER ALERT, he smothers her with a pillow. And they lived happily ever after. The end.

Rating: F+

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

A bit slow and documentary-like, but engaging at the same time. A fascinating look at a piece of American history nonetheless. Is it wrong if I spent half the movie wishing for another season of Deadwood?

Rating: C+

Life Of Pi (2012)

A pretty amazing piece of cinematography. Ang Lee brought the story to life the way few others could. I was engaged throughout, sometimes on the edge of my seat. Hard to believe this was the main character's first acting role. Original as it is beautiful.

Rating: B+

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)

As far as documentaries go, this is a great one. Like everyone else in America, I was aware of Jim and Tammy Faye, and the huge scandal with Jessica Hahn that transpired -- but what happened to Tammy Faye after it was all over?

Maybe you don't give a crap either way, but her life is quite a story, and it held my attention all the way through. I was at Sundance the year this film debuted for the first time, and ran into her at an after-party. She was very sweet and immediately put her arm around me. Check out the proof :)

Rating: B-

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2012)

As far as plotlines go, this is an unusual one. And with movies, I favor unusual plots. Then you have Lasse Hallström directing. Additionally, I’ve been a huge admirer of Emily Blunt’s screen work for some time, so this was a must see for me.

A slow, patient film, much like the sport of fishing. Yet it was also rewarding and engaging. I quickly discovered later via Google that there is not, in fact, salmon fishing in Yemen. This is based on a novel, not a true story.

Rating: C+

The Island (2005)

Very entertaining. If this was a remake, it was news to me. I thought the story was fairly original despite there being a lot of  "cloning" movies coming out at the time.

Rating: C+

Rust and Bone (De Rouille et D'os) (2012)

Some nice performances in an ok film. The CGI work on her amputated legs was impressive. Rating: C

Summer Catch (2001)

Predictable, bad dialogue, and pretty much nothing that really drew me into the movie. Beyond a few well timed jokes, the supporting cast didn't do much to help.

Rating: D

Racing Dreams (2009)

I should state right off the bat that I hate NASCAR. But Racing Dreams is a documentary about kids trying to become NASCAR drivers through success in pro go-kart racing, so it had some appeal to me. Some. The subjects are tweens. One can only take so much footage of a tweens daily life before reaching for the fast forward button.

The culture they grow up in, Southern Culture, is completely foreign to me. I have a hard time relating. You know, little kids drinking Red Bull, moms with flat tops, Dads with their kids being raised by their grandparents while they are in prison, country music. Gross stuff. I’m not too keen on the South.

But like Hoop Dreams and all the other docs that follow young kids trying to become successful, it was fun to see their passion and energy.

Rating: C

The Intouchables (2011)

It’s a rare movie that can make you laugh and cry at the same time, and this one had me doing it on multiple occasions. Turns out, The Intouchables is not a documentary about Sudanese orphans as I had guessed. It’s a French film about a tetrapalegic and his unusual caretaker. Based on a true story. It’s hard to find anything wrong with this movie. It was really well done and easily takes a top 10 spot for 2011.

Rating: A-

Save the Last Dance (2001)

Julia Stiles was a pretty impressive dancer for only having a few months training prior to the shoot. Sure, the plot revolves around some very classic themes made famous by other movies, but they are reinvented here in an entertaining, new way. Acting is fairly solid. Dancing and music are great. Deleted scenes were weak (a sign of good editing), but the 'making of' is worth seeing.

Rating: C+

Kick-Ass (2010)

The movie lived up to the hype. All the ass-kicking I had hoped for and then some. Funny, crude, ultra-violent, and creative. Loved it. Hit Girl reminded me of a young Natalie Portman in The Professional (Leon). Nic Cage came off as lovable for a change, perhaps because he was channeling his inner Raising Arizona days. It was a great premise that delivered. Looking forward to future sequels.

Rating: A-

The Fighter (2010)

I wasn't thrilled to see yet another boxing movie, but a Golden Globe nomination and director David O' Russell's resume changed my mind. Turns out it's not a movie about boxing at all. It's a character driven drama that happens to have some boxing in it.

You'll leave this film with two very deep impressions. 1. Christian Bale may be a prick, but he's an acting savant. His portrayal of Dickey, a crack addicted, washed up boxer is cinematic magic. 100% Oscar worthy. And 2. His sisters stole the show. Comedy gold watching them on screen. Everything was spot on. That shouldn't downplay performances from the mother, Mark Wahlberg, and the rest of the cast. It's a very solid film which captures the 80's beautifully. Highly recommended.

Rating: A-