Lincoln (2012)

Filled with old timey political debate and closed door meetings. Chalk full of ridiculous hairstyles, walking canes, hearth fires, longwinded speeches, and the corpse of Tommy Lee Jones. (Someone needs to inform him he died 7 years ago and it’s safe to walk into the light.) If those are things you enjoy seeing on screen, this is a must see for you.

The film features an endless slate of A and B list actors. It may be simpler to list the actors not starring in Lincoln. The production value is very high, however it felt more like a stage production. I was particularly annoyed by Sally Field’s overly dramatic portrayal of Lincoln’s wife. Lifetime movie obnoxious. The movie is somewhat entertaining, but comes off more as a heavy handed history lesson.

Rating: C

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

There’s a lot of torture and paperwork to wade through before the big payoff at the end arrives. Plenty of cruelty and human suffering from both sides as well. Don’t mistake this for a traditional action movie—just one really long reenactment. Films should not be nominated for best picture simply because they depict Osama being shot in the head.

Rating: C+

The Sandlot (1993)

I’ve seen this several times, and I think I enjoy it less with each viewing. Few of the jokes hit. The kids are all basic movie stereotypes. The plot isn’t very compelling. Perhaps worth seeing with the family once, if there are no other options.

Rating: C-

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

I did such a terrific job of avoiding all mentions of this film prior to seeing it, that I had myself convinced it was about a high school football coach leading his team to victory by using a set of special plays in the Silver Linings Playbook. Turns out I was way off, which is how I like it.

I love going into movies ignorant of what I’m about to see. So I instantly went from liking this movie to loving it once Jennifer Lawrence came onscreen. I enjoyed her character because I love girls who are honest, slightly crazy, and aggressive about what they want. (Ideally, that would be me, but it’s been a while since that was the case)

Anyway, all interactions and conversations between Jennifer and Bradley’s characters were golden. Smart, funny dialogue. We can thank David O. Russell for taking an average story and elevating it to an award winning level. After all, this is the man that brought us Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, and The Fighter. This is definitely the crowd pleaser I heard it was.

Rating: B+

Equilibrium (2002)

I couldn’t buy into the premise of the movie—that a population would forgo all emotion in favor of peace. Additionally, I didn’t believe the emotionless performances of the actors. The bald men on the show Fringe did a better job than this futuristic population. Acting was laughable and the dialogue was embarrassing. Even Christian Bale came off as amateur hour in this one. As for the action, it was like the Three Stooges were trying to rip off The Matrix. A failure.

Rating: F

Flight (2012)

A film about addiction, heroism, culpability, and recovery. Dark at times and somewhat depressing. Not a lot of likable characters to get behind. I felt it ended well though.

Rating: C+

The Legend of Suriyothai (Suriyothai) (2001)

The was the first Thai film I ever watched. A great historical epic with quality production and acting. I was very impressed. Tons of battle scenes, lots of violence, and an interesting storyline.

Rating: B-

There Will Be Blood (2007)

I should start this review by first stating my bias: I'm a HUGE PTA fan. (Paul Thomas Anderson) I think the man's a genius. Magnolia being my favorite, but Punch Drunk Love a close second. There Will Be Blood lets PTA stretch his legs with some new subject matter and style. His mood-setting soundtrack is still present however.

My second bias, since I'm feeling particularly honest today, is an incredible respect for the acting of Daniel Day Lewis. The man can do no wrong. It's hard to choose a favorite role, but if forced to at gun point, I'd have to go with his brutal role in Gangs of New York. Once again, DDL delivers a flawless performance, immersing himself in the character. Why anyone agrees to be in a film with him is a mystery to me. They all look like novice hacks in comparison.

The story here is as dark as the oil, and the telling of it is as hard as the drill work shown in the film. There are no classic good or bad guys—characters freely move back and forth between likable and nasty behaviors. One wonders if success makes you slightly insane or if minor insanity is a requirement for becoming successful. There's no doubt Daniel has lost a part of his mind by the final scene. The film is beautifully shot and riveting to watch. It slows to a crawl at times, and will certainly rub some viewers the wrong way with it's subject matter. To be enjoyed in the company of other serious movie buffs.

Rating: B+

Argo (2012)

Newly crowned Golden Globe winner for best picture is a solid hostage rescue film, with attention to detail and credible acting. Hard to say how factual the film is compared to what actually happened. Many times the scenes felt dramatically forced in order to amp up the its suspense.

I certainly wasn’t impressed on the scale of best picture winner. Then again, I am baffled at 75% of what gets nominated for major awards. Argo was an entertaining 2 hours, with a little history lesson to boot. Nothing more.

Rating: C+

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

I immediately got the sense that the author/screenwriter/director thinks his dialogue is much wittier than it actually is. I found the script and characters extremely clichéd. as if I was watching reenactments of scenes from far better films. The cast didn’t do anything for me either. Paul Rudd was wasted in his role. Great soundtrack though.

Ok, so it wasn’t all that bad, but it wasn’t good either.

Rating: C

Street Kings (2008)

It's hard to impress audiences these days with a dirty cop thriller, what with The Departed, Training Day, and F/X's The Shield. How do you live up to those? You got to give Street Kings props for making a worthy effort. Things start out a bit convoluted, but improve as the film progresses.

Rating: C+

Saved (2004)

Good concept and cast, but surprisingly shallow performances. Sort of like "But I'm A Cheerleader", for the 1-2 of you who saw that. It had that cheap indie feel, but in a bad way. There were quite a few funny scenes, which make it worth seeing, but I felt it could have been more polished.

Rating: C

Shaolin Soccer (Siu Lam Juk Kau) (2001)

This film is unclassifiable. Sure, it's a "kung fu" movie, but it's a hundred other things too. I must have said "What the f%#@" to myself dozens of times while watching. It loosely follows a plot line, but suddenly things take a turn for the insane with no warning. It's destined to be a true cult classic because it's so off the wall.

Make sure and watch the Chinese version on the DVD, as the US version is only 87 minutes, while the original in all it's psychotic glory runs 113 minutes. Check reality at the door and rent this movie.

Rating: B-

Jane Eyre (2011)

I generally keep my distance from British period pieces, but I made an exception for Jane Eyre. It was directed by Cary Fukunaga, the man behind my favorite film of 2009: Sin Nombre. With a background in cinematography, both are rich in picturesque scenery. Fukunaga excels at creating interesting characters as well, and bringing out superb performances from his actors. Jane Eyre is a lovely, sad, intellectual, and restrained film. I look forward to everything else this director endeavors to make.

Rating: B

End Of Watch (2012)

More and more I find myself determining whether a movie is good or not based on how it measures up to my favorite television shows. Hopefully it gives me something more than a good episode of TV.

End of Watch is reminiscent of Southland, a fantastic cop show. Both make use of different camera styles and angles to bring the viewer into the action. The plot isn’t readily apparent. It sneaks up on you through slowly intertwining subplots. A nice companion piece to the directors other film—Training Day.

Rating: B-

Gangster Exchange (2010)

Frat boys got together and made an action movie. Below straight-to-video production and acting. Terrible. Wikipedia says this film debuted at the Beverly Hills Film Festival where it won the Audience Choice for Best Film. How bad did the competition have to be for this POS to win?

Rating: F

The Neverending Story (1984)

Saw this when I was little and had fond memories. Too bad these movies are never as good as you remember them being when you were a kid. Plus, the DVD extras sucked.

Rating: C

Jaws (1975)

This came out around the time I was born, and I never got a chance to see it. Sure, I knew the movie was about a shark attack, but I had no idea how the story would unfold, and I enjoyed watching it.

Rating: C+

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (2011)

A documentary about an old Japanese guy who’s been making sushi for decades in his little restaurant in the Ginza train station. It’s received 3 Michelin stars and he’s renowned as one of the best sushi chefs in the world. His life revolves around it, to the point where he was nearly a stranger to his kids when he was younger.

The film also says a lot about the Japanese philosophy about work culture. It’s night and day different from what we are accustomed to in the US. An interesting doc that will leaving you hankering for sushi.

Rating: C+

King Kong (2005)

This was a great film to see in the theater. It was made for the big screen. Tons of action, larger than life characters, and great sound. Peter Jackson can do no wrong in my book.

I knew Jack Black had it in him to do a serious role, and I'm glad Peter saw it too. Naomi Watts was perfect in the lead. The ape was simply amazing. Wasn't cartoony looking at all. Yes it was long, but it's a fantastic trip.

Rating: B