Welcome to the 5th section of my Movie list! We have previously covered films from 1987-2009 in parts I , II, III, IV! This segment will cover 2010-2014, A period dominated by genre films. This is also the point at which I began to blog about my movie viewings! Look for the (Review) links to see what I thought! As always, I will provide “skinnys” of all the films I saw in cinemas in each individual year.
325: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – I delved into it more fully in my old blog, but this film was a wonderful continuation of the Sherlock Holmes that Guy Ritchie gave us 2 years ago. Jared Harris is terrific as Professor Moriarty – the great nemesis of Holmes. RDJ continues his great performance as the master detective of 221B Baker Street, but Jude Law continues to rise to the challenge as gives us a terrific Watson. The chemistry between these 2 is flawless. They need to make more movies together. (Review)
327: X-Men First Class – Talk about another come from behind victory. While the Planet of the Apes films slowly descended into garbage over 40 years, X-Men nosedived in short order from one of the best superhero films ever made (X-Men 2) to the abyss that was X-Men 3 and continued to slide in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.This movie flat out ignores the fact that #3 or Wolverine ever happened (something wolverine 2 is also said to be doing). It jumps back to the early 1960’s, as a young Professor Xavier puts together his team of Mutant heroes. The character of Magneto, as in the previous films, steals the show. While Ian McKellan is a fantastic actor, it is clear that he cannot be believably de-aged to appear as if he was in his late 20’s. Luckily, we had one of the best friggin actors on the planet ready to jump in:Michael Fassbender.
You may remember how he stole the show in Inglorious Basterds…not an easy thing to do with This guy also stealing the show.
Essentially, the movie was a huge act of grand larceny against Brad Pitt…
but I digress. Fassbender is on a hell of a roll in the last few years. I have a funny feeling that his recent film “Shame” would have made it on this list, but I did not get a chance to see it. Based on reviews from critics I trust Shame is awesome. I have no doubt that this man will be getting an Oscar really soon. I don’t know which film it will be for, but it is coming.
This film, like any, is not without its flaws. I am looking at you Betty Draper…
Seriously now. How on earth could the inclusion of the above image be a BAD thing in a movie? She is just that damn untalented.
328: Captain America The First Avenger – The epitome of a Marvel Comics film. In fact, the best entry into the Marvel Avengers film series. Chris Evans nails it. Hugo Weaving nails it. Everyone is on the money. Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci were perfectly cast. If you have not seen this yet, why are you reading my Blog? Get your ass out there a rent it.
329: The Artist – Absolutely deserving of the Oscar. A Black and White “Almost-Silent” film about a film star who loses his way in life. It was a pleasure to see this one on the big screen.
330: The Muppets – Come on! You know you love them! Pure Nostalgic heaven. Muppets are back.
331: Deathly Hallows Part 2 – The grand finale to the Harry Potter extravaganza! The three kids in these films: Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were surrounded by the greatest actors that their country has to offer…No…actually ALL of them. Something had to rub off, and much rubbing off was going on in the making of this series (they were teenagers after all). Ralph Fiennes FINALLY gets to act in one of these films (he performances thus far were essentially cameos) and Alan Rickman, who has been setting up the character of Severus Snape for 10 years, finally gets his payoff as the hero of this series. Snape is awesome, and Alan Rickman is the reason.
332: Paul – See that orgasmic look on Simon Pegg’s face? That was me every summer..in the exact same spot he is walking.
A movie that seems to be made specifically for me. That is the only possible explanation. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost go to Comic-Con. That was the set up of this film. I love Comic-Con. As an 8 time veteran, I am about as in love with that show as you can get. Like me, their characters are completely gaga over Comic-Con. After the show, they decide to go see the famous UFO sites of America…and pick up an Alien. Luckily this alien has the voice and mannerisms of Seth Rogen, which serves to elevate this film into the stratosphere. Their great adventure takes them on a geek ride for the ages, all while Sigourney Weaver is trying to catch them. Ripley….Epic. Literally everyone I know emailed me immediately after seeing this film and wanted to tell me about it. That’s a sign of great film.
333: Thor – The God of Thunder! My pal Bob is the biggest Thor fan on Earth, and he gives this a thumbs up. Good enough for me! Chris Hemsworth stood firm as a believable Thor- not an easy thing to do. Natalie Portman gave us her most flattering performance in years. I actually believed she was happy and in love with Thor. The rest of the Cast, including Loki, were phenomenal.
334: On Stranger Tides – Despite the rage placed on this by critics, I found this to be a very enjoyable entry in this classic series. Better than #3 by a mile! Geoffrey Rush gives his best Barbossa performance, and Ian McShane shines as Blackbeard!
335: Sucker Punch – A movie I enjoyed considerably. A movie with schoolgirl mental patients/hookers fighting clockwork WWI German Armies and Robots, as well as Samurai monsters and Dragons!! Sign me up!
336: Dark of the Moon – Amazingly good! The stink of #2 was washed away. Leonard Nimoy saves the day with “The needs of the Many, outweigh the needs of the few”. Genius.
337: The Hangover Part II – Essentially the first movie repeated. Same set up, same structure in every way. Somehow JUST AS FUNNY.
338: Cowboys & Aliens – I have no beef with this movie. Ford was great, Craig was great, and the story was great. It was essentially an Old west tale, but instead of cowboys or criminals, they went against Aliens. A good movie.
339: Tower Heist – This should have been a home run. Ben Still, Matthew Broderick, and company break into a tower to steal from the rich a-hole that stole their money, with the help of Eddie Murphy. This was supposed to be Murphy’s return to form. Sad.
340: Green Lantern – What can I say. A part of me LOVES this, because GL is my favorite hero. A part of me LOATHES this because GL is my favorite hero. I have a GL tattoo for OA’s-sake! Badly cast. Reynolds is the ideal Flash, not Hal Jordan. The big bad should not be a giant shit cloud. How many times will movies make this mistake?!!
326: Rise of the Planet of the Apes – I had little hope for this film. Of the original Planet of the Apes films (I refuse to acknowledge the Tim Burton remake- with the exception of a great Paul Giamatti performance) one of the best was part 4: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. This film is a re imagining of it. What could have been a bad, bad thing became one of the best science fiction films made in years. Andy Serkis delivers an Oscar worthy motion capture performance as Caesar, the intelligent ape. John Lithgow is great as a man suffering from Alzheimer’s. What this film does that is so awesome is that it gives us a believable premise for how the Apes could realistically take over the earth. This is the best Apes film since the original, and is worth your time.
The Skinny from the Fatty 