by pomeroy on Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:15 pm
pomeroy's journal
Italicized movies are movies I'm seeing for the first time. And, since ThisIsTheGirl asked so nicely, I'll rate them.
January
The Good Shepherd - A 7/10. This movie could have been so much better if it had had better editing. The flow was not nearly what it could have been. But, I still enjoyed watching Damon have no emotions.
Reservoir Dogs - 9/10. It's not perfect, but it's damn close. Such a great, quotable movie.
You, Me, and Dupree- 5/10. This wasn't as bad as I was expecting, and I did end up laughing at it quite a bit. Owen Wilson's stoner schtick is starting to wear thin, though.
Lucky # Slevin - 7/10. I really don't like movies that depend on the ending to make the film as a whole work. The first 45 minutes of this movie are crap.
Charlotte's Web -8/10. I think that my rating, and personal reaction, on this are skewed right now. I ended up fairly emotional at the end of this...weird.
Dazed and Confused - 9/10. I love this movie. I get older, it stays the same age.
Babel - 4/10. A waste of film. Pretty, gritty images wasted on a pointless story that hammers its points hard.
The Protector - 8/10. Tony Jaa is amazing. And the elephants are awesome.
Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - 0/10. A waste of my life that I will never get back. I no longer trust Will Ferrell in anything.
Employee of the Month - 6/10. Way funnier then it had any right being.
February
Children of Men - 9/10. Alfonso Cuaron is amazing, and this movie is crazy good.
Jesus Camp - 7/10. Informative. And, shockingly, as balanced as it is going to get.
The Devil Wears Prada - 6/10. Streep is great, as always. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb - 10/10. One of my favorite movies. I introduced this to a friend, and was happy to have the excuse to see it again.
Garden State - 8/10. I still really like this movie, in spite of its ending. I think it's a nerd's dream of a flick (Meeting the perfect woman for you and falling in love with each other in, what, 3 days? Come. On.), and I think the ending is a bit ridiculous (except for the final line in the movie), but what it gets right, it gets right. Braff's comments on growing up and that theory of a home really hit home for me, and I have a great relationship with my parents.
Crank - 7/10. This movie was good fun up until the end, which I thought wasn't in line with the rest of the movie's tone. It was just weird. I enjoyed most of it (and some of the stunts were just great), but, I think I enjoyed The Transporter series of films more (I prefer Statham to be a bit more suave).
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Unrankable. This is my favorite movie. The top of the list. It just works for me, and assigning it a number is stupid. Is it the best movie ever? No, probably not. But each time I watch it, I see something new or remember something that makes it feel fresh. This is also my favorite Benicio del Toro role (he just nails his part).
Farce of the Penguins - 5/10. Jesus. Bob Saget really doesn't have much of a career left, does he? I enjoy him in pretty much everything (his stint on Entourage was hilarious), but this was kind of a chore to get through. It was funny at points, but was mostly just hard to watch. Only 80 minutes, though, so it was over fairly quickly.
An Evening with Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder - 7/10. I'm a Kevin Smith fanboy (and I know this because I was laughing at this while my roommate barely cracked a smile during the time he was watching it), but this had nothing on the first set. No truly great "Superman" story. But, Kevin can talk about anything, really, so it's not like it was a total waste.
American Pie - 8/10. I still really like this movie. I think it is really sweet, and now that the shock factor of it has worn off, I think this movie really stands on its own. The performances are all pretty good (although Chris Klein always looks like he just woke up) and some of it is just genuinely funny.
The Departed -8/10. I liked this. It's a bit forgettable, but it works.
Man of the Year - 7/10. I was shocked by this. This was marketed so wrong...it's astounding. I cannot believe this is the same movie that those trailers showed. I expected a dumbass comedy (which, it had its dumbass moments), but for the most part this was an actual drama. It was pretty good. I'm still a bit surprised, honestly.
March
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition - 9.5/10. I love this movie. It's by far my favorite of the trilogy. I like the pacing of it, and there's nothing in it that really makes me cringe (unlike certain moments of the other two).
Tenacious D: In the Pick of Destiny - 7/10. I thought it was really funny. I'm a big D fan, though, so it's not a big shock that I was entertained. It's not a great movie, by any means, but I was entertained.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition - 8.5/10. Still a really good movie, but certain things (the really bad greenscreening when the hobbits are riding the Ents, Legolas as a skateboarder, etc) just make me cringe. It's still good, but not in the same league as the Fellowship (by the way, I love snowdays...I get to just chill out and watch overly long movies).
Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys - 5/10. Completely forgettable. Wait. It DID have John Cleese in a wig and a fake beard. That was pretty funny. But, the movie focuses on lame points about "guys" versus "men" and these points are so stupid. I actually think the premise of the movie had some potential, but focusing on the "public restroom problem" isn't that great. I know that this is being played for laughs...but it wasn't that funny anyway. A lot of wasted potential here.
Marie Antoinette - 7/10. This was ok. I really don't have much of an opinion about it. Kirsten Dunst was pretty good. I think my feelings about this movie were summed up by my roommate as we watched it. He kept wondering why nothing really happened in the film, and then when the credits rolled and Sophia Coppola's name came up as the director he said, "Oh. Now I completely get it." Yeah.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - 8/10. I really think that this movie is very funny, but I also am a bit tired of Borat. I loved him years ago, but I also grew to like Ali G (the character) more. While this is a very funny movie, I think it has its stretches of little-to-no laughter (and I do think that this comes from having watched the entire Ali G series several times), but it more than makes up for it at other points.
300 - 7/10. Look...I like a LOT about this movie, but as a movie, I don't think it's that great. It's got some great images, some awesome fight scenes, and I think Gerard Butler is great here...I just am not sure it adds up to something amazing. I don't get the "best comic book adaptation EVER" accolades this is getting (I think V for Vendetta holds that prize, honestly), but it is damn entertaining.
The Prestige - 9/10. Ok, it's official. Christopher Nolan is my favorite working director. I've dug everything the man's put out, and this is no exception. Bring on The Dark Knight.
TMNT - 6/10. This movie was fun, but nothing special. The lack of a villain that I could give a crap about, and Splinter's voice really made this worse to me.
Blades of Glory - 7/10. Enjoyable. Remember when I said I don't trust Will Ferrell? I still don't, but I'm glad I got dragged to this.
Children of Men - 9/10. Still amazing.
April
Rocky Balboa - 8/10. A great end to the character.
Rent - 8.5/10. I think this movie is really, really good. I think it could have been great. On the extras disc, they have deleted scenes and an alternate ending. I think that if the scene "Goodbye Love" would have been in the theatrical cut (c'mon...it's an extra 5 minutes) and the alternate ending had been used in place of the one that was used (same runtime, but it bookends the movie better), this would have been right up there with the best movie musicals. That's right, I said it.
Oldboy - 8/10. The first 30 minutes of this movie are brilliant. The rest isn't, but it's still pretty good. And those fight scenes! Thanks! I'm not as thankful for the incest plot, but whatever.
Grindhouse - 8.5/10. Loved parts of it, was bored during parts of it. I think the directors' goals were met.
Empire Records - 9/10. One of my favorites. I love this for personal reasons.
V for Vendetta - 9/10. Great flick. I still think this is the best comic adaptation ever. And Hugo Weaving does an amazing job.
Last edited by
pomeroy on Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:53 pm, edited 18 times in total.