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.
361: GI Joe: Retaliation – FAR Superior to part one. The Rock saved the day from Channing Tatum. They NAILED Cobra Commander. (Review)
362: Olympus has Fallen – I was not expecting something this good on that cold April day, but Olympus delivered. Great action, good cast, and no cheese. A straight up action flick in the vein of Die Hard. (review)
363: Oblivion – I was amazed to see Tom Cruise make it back on a top 10 list, but he did. This surprisingly good scifi movie hit all the right notes for me. Pretty much Wall-E with clones instead of robots. (review)
364: Iron Man Three – A stylish finish to the Iron Man trilogy, but suffered from some flaws. Possibly the last Iron Man film as Downy appears in other Avengers films. (Review)
365: The Great Gatsby – The best version of the novel. It was a stylish take on my favorite book that was miles ahead of previous efforts. (review)
366: Star Trek Into Darkness – JJ Abrams fumbles a little with this one, but it is good Star Trek. The story of the dangers of the miliary industrial complex and the failure of the progressive 1960’s dream were great. (Review)
367: The Hangover Part III – This absolutely would have been the worst if not for the black hole that was movie 43. I am still not sure if it was a comedy. (review)
368: Man of Steel – This was the epitome of the Superman I grew up with. It was the first serious take on a “Super” character. No cheese, no comedy, a serious movie. This turned off a lot of people who complained that it was “joyless”. They expect every comic movie to be Avengers where the jokes keep pace with the action, but that’s not what comics are. When you read a comic, the stories are serious. Superman isn’t funny, neither are those around him (save occasional Jimmy Olsen Turtle Boy). This was one of the best comic movies ever made because it did not screw around. Those Phantom Zone Penis Prison ships were an unfortunate choice though. Might have made #2 if not for that. (review 1 and review 2)
369: This is the End – Rogen and Franco dive into the APOCALYPSE! One of the better comedies in recent years. (Review)
370: Fast and Furious 6 – Not as good as the amazing chapter 5, but still good. An amazing turn around for this series. (Review)
371: The Lone Ranger – I understand why this failed, but it was a great movie. Excellent action and decent performances, especially from Depp who got most of the scorn. (Review)
371: Pacific Rim – The most fun in a movie theater this year, hands down. Seeing this in IMAX was the only way to see it. The biggest tragedy is that I will never see it on that scale again, meaning my one viewing was likely my only viewing. (review)
372: The Wolverine – The first 2/3 of this film were great. The botched ending brought the entire thing down. (Review)
374: The World’s End – The best of the Cornetto trilogy. This was a terrific look at aging and the desire of some 40 somethings to recapture those lost years. Pegg gives one of his best performances in the midst of an Alien Invasion. (review)
375: Blue Jasmine – Woody Allen back in top form. Cate Blanchett making a very strong play for Best Actress, and a great assortment of costars. This is the reason I see films, especially in the theater. It’s a whole different experience seeing Woody’s world on the big screen. (review)
376: Bad Grandpa – Jackass may be over, but we’ll always have Knoxville pooping on a wall. A worthy (Review)
377: Thor: The Dark World – A somewhat lesser entry into the series. Some of the chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman died a bit here, not sure why.
378: Catching Fire – Katniss does it again, while I loved the first film, this was incredibly improved. It amps up the danger and went in a direction I was not expecting. Not reading the novels was actually a tremendous advantage. (review)
379: Day of the Doctor – Technically a cheat, but I saw it in the theater, and it was movie length. (Review)
I was a bit surprised how low this one placed, but while good, I don’t think it measures up to the competition. It builds on the work in the first and advances the story forward. Wonderful casting and cutting edge effects and technology come together to give us a great adaptation of the novel. (review)
381: Anchorman 2 – Not as good as the first, but it could never be. Anchorman became the defining comedy of the last decade, although subtly. It’s catchphrases are in the lexicon. This was a nice revisit to that world. I am glad they made it. (Review)
This was relatively easy as it was the FIRST movie I saw in 2013. Everything went up from here.
360: Movie 43 – Sweet Jesus, this movie is terrible. Sitting in the theater, I had an unmistakable moment of awareness this may be worse than Battlefield: Earth. I do not write those words lightly. Battlefield was the worst film of the “aughts”, and possibly of all time. At the very least, I could identify BF:E as a movie. This is a series of unfunny clips trying to be the next Kentucky Fried Movie. It fails miserably. For a detailed recounting of the horror that was Movie 43, check out my review.
382: American Hustle – Pulling out the late win is American Hustle. I had a tough time deciding between this and Blue Jasmine, but it was the strength of the actors that propelled this to the top. It looks at the late 70’s as it was often portrayed, seedy, run down, corrupt, but with style.
The Skinny from the Fatty 