Current Ranking: #9 out of 33
Date Watched: 07/30/2010
Original Ranking: #9 out of 33
Nic says:
As you may have noticed, one of our greatest pet peeves is when trailers give away too much of the movie’s plot. The movie theater previews featuring Charlie St. Cloud did a great job of just giving us a hint of what the movie would be about. The commercial trailers, however, started revealing a little too much. Or so we thought...
There’s a great twist in the story and this movie becomes far from predictable. Zac Efron does a great job in this film, showing a great display of emotion surrounding the loss of his character’s younger brother. St. Cloud is a terrific drama and is nothing like I imagined it would be.
Amy says:
I LOVE this movie!!! It has a wonderful love story, an excellent plot that is easy to follow but hard to predict, and totally loveable characters! I laughed, I cried, and left feeling good about the world. A great date night!!!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Inception
Current Ranking: #5 out of 32
Date Watched: 07/22/10
Original Ranking: #5 out of 32
Nic says:
There’s not much to say about Inception that hasn’t already been said by the rest of the world. It is every bit as amazing as you’ve heard (and unlike anything you could ever dream of). What I can add, however, is my sincere appreciation for Christopher Nolan’s execution and development of this story. Rumors are he spent somewhere between 8-10 years developing this script, perfecting it along the way. This in itself is an amazing task in a world where great stories like Twilight are being hurried into half-ass movies just to make a quick buck. But not Nolan, he’s in it for the art.
The other thing I love about this movie is the suspense leading up to its release. The trailers revealed very little about the plot, even while including some of the movie’s best scenes!
Amy says:
OK, I hope Nic is talking about the first Twilight, not Eclipse! Because Eclipse was awesome! And it ranks higher than Inception on our movie ranking I might add. (Nic says: “Oh yeah. I meant the first one. Eclipse was much better.”)
I definitely really, really like this movie. I won’t say I love it because there were some holes in the plot, and holes are my biggest movie pet peeve! An example is when Cobb convinces Mal they need to die in order to exit their dream world so they lie down on some train tracks. They were supposed to have grown old together in their dream world and should have been quite old while laying on the tracks, but they both appear young in the scene. What’s up with that? That is one of a few holes that make this movie just not quite perfect.
Despite the holes, it is a very entertaining story with interesting characters, amazing scenes and lots of creativity. It is fun to watch!
Date Watched: 07/22/10
Original Ranking: #5 out of 32
Nic says:
There’s not much to say about Inception that hasn’t already been said by the rest of the world. It is every bit as amazing as you’ve heard (and unlike anything you could ever dream of). What I can add, however, is my sincere appreciation for Christopher Nolan’s execution and development of this story. Rumors are he spent somewhere between 8-10 years developing this script, perfecting it along the way. This in itself is an amazing task in a world where great stories like Twilight are being hurried into half-ass movies just to make a quick buck. But not Nolan, he’s in it for the art.
The other thing I love about this movie is the suspense leading up to its release. The trailers revealed very little about the plot, even while including some of the movie’s best scenes!
Amy says:
OK, I hope Nic is talking about the first Twilight, not Eclipse! Because Eclipse was awesome! And it ranks higher than Inception on our movie ranking I might add. (Nic says: “Oh yeah. I meant the first one. Eclipse was much better.”)
I definitely really, really like this movie. I won’t say I love it because there were some holes in the plot, and holes are my biggest movie pet peeve! An example is when Cobb convinces Mal they need to die in order to exit their dream world so they lie down on some train tracks. They were supposed to have grown old together in their dream world and should have been quite old while laying on the tracks, but they both appear young in the scene. What’s up with that? That is one of a few holes that make this movie just not quite perfect.
Despite the holes, it is a very entertaining story with interesting characters, amazing scenes and lots of creativity. It is fun to watch!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Current Ranking: #20 out of 33
Date Watched: 07/18/10
Original Ranking: #18 out of 31
Amy says:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a fantasy movie that has a little bit of everything: action, romance, comedy, and even some surprises. There was good chemistry between the actors. I normally don’t care for Nicolas Cage, but his role as the sorcerer is suited to his aloof acting style. The apprentice, played by Jay Baruchel, pulls off the lovable geek role perfectly and works well opposite Cage.
The story was good, the acting was good, even the special effects were good. But everything was just good and not amazing. It could have been better.
Nic says:
Baruchel’s character, David, just seems to get too lucky in this movie. Maybe it’s because he’s the “Prime Merlinian” and that’s how it’s supposed to work, but I am more likely to attribute it to a failure in character development. David spends rarely any time practicing magic with Merlin’s ring, but when the time comes to perform without the ring: he’s ready.
The best part of the whole movie, I think, is the throwback scene to Fantasia. I loved it when David tried to clean his living quarters by bewitching the brooms, mops, and other cleaning supplies.
Date Watched: 07/18/10
Original Ranking: #18 out of 31
Amy says:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a fantasy movie that has a little bit of everything: action, romance, comedy, and even some surprises. There was good chemistry between the actors. I normally don’t care for Nicolas Cage, but his role as the sorcerer is suited to his aloof acting style. The apprentice, played by Jay Baruchel, pulls off the lovable geek role perfectly and works well opposite Cage.
The story was good, the acting was good, even the special effects were good. But everything was just good and not amazing. It could have been better.
Nic says:
Baruchel’s character, David, just seems to get too lucky in this movie. Maybe it’s because he’s the “Prime Merlinian” and that’s how it’s supposed to work, but I am more likely to attribute it to a failure in character development. David spends rarely any time practicing magic with Merlin’s ring, but when the time comes to perform without the ring: he’s ready.
The best part of the whole movie, I think, is the throwback scene to Fantasia. I loved it when David tried to clean his living quarters by bewitching the brooms, mops, and other cleaning supplies.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Despicable Me
Current Ranking: #19 out of 33
Date Watched: 07/11/10
Original Ranking: #17 out of 30
Nic says:
Steve Carell definitely has a talent for picking excellent movies. Despicable Me is another great film, filled with humor and inspiration. He disguises his voice very convincingly as Gru, and I often forget Carell is behind that quasi-European accent. Where Despicable Me falls short, however, is it is almost too predictable. When Gru is forced to decide between being a hero to three little orphans or becoming the world’s most legendary villain, we know what he will ultimately choose even before he does.
Nonetheless, the movie hits right on target for comedy. Gru’s minions are hysterical, and I love how they speak in their own language as well as involuntarily become guinea pigs for the lab’s latest experiments.
Amy says:
Despicable Me was indeed a funny movie. It was just a shame the plot was so predictable, as Nic said. With the great previews and star-studded cast, I was excited for the movie and thought it would rank closer to Toy Story 3. But, unlike Toy Story, there were no surprises, very little emotional moments, and nothing truly spectacular about the film. I left somewhat entertained and a bit disappointed.
Date Watched: 07/11/10
Original Ranking: #17 out of 30
Nic says:
Steve Carell definitely has a talent for picking excellent movies. Despicable Me is another great film, filled with humor and inspiration. He disguises his voice very convincingly as Gru, and I often forget Carell is behind that quasi-European accent. Where Despicable Me falls short, however, is it is almost too predictable. When Gru is forced to decide between being a hero to three little orphans or becoming the world’s most legendary villain, we know what he will ultimately choose even before he does.
Nonetheless, the movie hits right on target for comedy. Gru’s minions are hysterical, and I love how they speak in their own language as well as involuntarily become guinea pigs for the lab’s latest experiments.
Amy says:
Despicable Me was indeed a funny movie. It was just a shame the plot was so predictable, as Nic said. With the great previews and star-studded cast, I was excited for the movie and thought it would rank closer to Toy Story 3. But, unlike Toy Story, there were no surprises, very little emotional moments, and nothing truly spectacular about the film. I left somewhat entertained and a bit disappointed.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Last Airbender
Current Ranking: #28 out of 33
Date Watched: 07/07/10
Original Ranking: #24 out of 29
Amy says:
The Last Airbender could have been a great movie. It has an interesting plot, beautiful scenery, and some great Tai Chi moves. However, the acting just doesn’t work. One example is Jackson Rathbone, who plays Sokka in the film, kept making exaggerated facial expressions that are really distracting; it is like he is overacting with his face. Now, having just seen Rathborne play Jasper in Eclipse, I know this guy isn’t just a bad actor, so I am assuming he was instructed to overdo it by the director. I can only speculate the movie makers were trying to “dumb down” Airbender for kids. But kids don’t need dumbed down movies!
Nic says:
Unfortunately, The Last Airbender only works if it is allowed to be completed as the trilogy it is intended to be. On its own, this movie does not stand a chance. In addition to the already mentioned poor acting, and the story not being finished, the movie’s greatest shortcoming is its attempt to pull at emotions that we, as viewers, cannot empathize with due to a failure to draw us in. The movie wants us to feel sad that the avatar’s clan has all been killed, and sympathetic to the Fire Nation prince who is outcast by his father, however, neither of these plots are developed enough for us to truly care about. The movie seems to provide us only short glimpses into these pasts in exchange for more (tiresome) battle scenes.
Date Watched: 07/07/10
Original Ranking: #24 out of 29
Amy says:
The Last Airbender could have been a great movie. It has an interesting plot, beautiful scenery, and some great Tai Chi moves. However, the acting just doesn’t work. One example is Jackson Rathbone, who plays Sokka in the film, kept making exaggerated facial expressions that are really distracting; it is like he is overacting with his face. Now, having just seen Rathborne play Jasper in Eclipse, I know this guy isn’t just a bad actor, so I am assuming he was instructed to overdo it by the director. I can only speculate the movie makers were trying to “dumb down” Airbender for kids. But kids don’t need dumbed down movies!
Nic says:
Unfortunately, The Last Airbender only works if it is allowed to be completed as the trilogy it is intended to be. On its own, this movie does not stand a chance. In addition to the already mentioned poor acting, and the story not being finished, the movie’s greatest shortcoming is its attempt to pull at emotions that we, as viewers, cannot empathize with due to a failure to draw us in. The movie wants us to feel sad that the avatar’s clan has all been killed, and sympathetic to the Fire Nation prince who is outcast by his father, however, neither of these plots are developed enough for us to truly care about. The movie seems to provide us only short glimpses into these pasts in exchange for more (tiresome) battle scenes.
The one aspect of the movie that I do like is that it makes spirituality, chi, and energy cool for kids. The battles (however boring to watch) consist mostly of tai chi moves, instead of hand-to-hand combat. The best display of this comes when a band of 5 or 6 Earthbenders conduct a series of synchronized moves that almost appear as though they are dancing.
Even though this movie was not terrific, I would still like to see the trilogy complete, if only to see how the story ends.
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Current Ranking: #4 out of 33
Date Watched: 06/28/10
Original Ranking: #4 out of 28
Nic says:
This is definitely the best movie adaptation of the Twilight books so far. (Yes, I’ve read them.) The actors seem to have finally grown into their roles in this film.
The adapted script for the movie took very few liberties with the original story, and the few it did take were excellent. My favorites were definitely Jessica’s high school graduation speech and Lautner’s one-liner in the tent where he tells Edward “Everyone knows I’m hotter than you.”
Date Watched: 06/28/10
Original Ranking: #4 out of 28
Nic says:
This is definitely the best movie adaptation of the Twilight books so far. (Yes, I’ve read them.) The actors seem to have finally grown into their roles in this film.
The adapted script for the movie took very few liberties with the original story, and the few it did take were excellent. My favorites were definitely Jessica’s high school graduation speech and Lautner’s one-liner in the tent where he tells Edward “Everyone knows I’m hotter than you.”
The one thing I don’t quite understand, and maybe this is just the politics of movie making, is why they replaced the actress who played Victoria. Victoria hardly has any screen time in the film, and the actress, Bryce Dallas Howard, did not strike me as anything spectacular. If anything, she has a softer and less threatening look than her predecessor.
Amy says:
As a HUGE Twilight Book fan, I was a little leery of seeing this movie. While I liked New Moon, I hated the first movie, and so I was not sure what to think going into the third movie. The movie is totally fantastic! I absolutely love watching this third installment on the big screen (and when I say big, I mean really big because we saw this movie in IMAX.) We are seeing it again this weekend and I can hardly wait!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Knight and Day
Current Ranking: #24 out of 33
Date Watched: 06/24/10
Original Ranking: #19 out of 27
Amy says:
Knight and Day was an okay action flick. It ranked right there with Bounty Hunter, where it has some good parts but ultimately falls a little flat. I was a little surprised I did not hate Tom Cruise, who plays the leading man; I am kind of tired of seeing the former Mission Impossible actor. However, his character’s dry sense of humor actually worked for Cruise, and the chemistry with Cameron Diaz worked for the story. There were a lot of laughs and exciting moments on screen, with a continually hysterical Diaz and too-cool-for-words Cruise. But not enough laughs to make up for the so-so plot. It definitely could have been better.
Nic says:
Tom Cruise has definitely worn out his role as a bad ass missionary. The only role I really want to see him reprise is Tropic Thunder’s Les Grossman. (However, upon reviewing his IMDB filmography, I see he is already working on Mission Impossible 4. Also, did you know his birth name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV??? No wonder he’s crazy… he’s the fourth to have that ridiculous name!)
Date Watched: 06/24/10
Original Ranking: #19 out of 27
Amy says:
Knight and Day was an okay action flick. It ranked right there with Bounty Hunter, where it has some good parts but ultimately falls a little flat. I was a little surprised I did not hate Tom Cruise, who plays the leading man; I am kind of tired of seeing the former Mission Impossible actor. However, his character’s dry sense of humor actually worked for Cruise, and the chemistry with Cameron Diaz worked for the story. There were a lot of laughs and exciting moments on screen, with a continually hysterical Diaz and too-cool-for-words Cruise. But not enough laughs to make up for the so-so plot. It definitely could have been better.
Nic says:
Tom Cruise has definitely worn out his role as a bad ass missionary. The only role I really want to see him reprise is Tropic Thunder’s Les Grossman. (However, upon reviewing his IMDB filmography, I see he is already working on Mission Impossible 4. Also, did you know his birth name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV??? No wonder he’s crazy… he’s the fourth to have that ridiculous name!)
Sorry, back to the movie. The plot is nothing new, something was stolen that needs to be kept away from bad people who seek to exploit it (heck, this could’ve been Mission Impossible 4), but Diaz’ and Cruise’s dynamic is new. They attract to each other instantly, and spend most of the movie trying to save each other from being killed. No, wait… that’s not new either.
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