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Revisiting 1990: Goodfellas

August 20, 2010

Considered For: Top 5

“What are you, a fuckin’ sick maniac?”

Interesting. I’ve long thought of Goodfellas as the top film of 1990, but after watching it last night, I realize that I may have never even seen it. I was positive that I had, but nothing about this movie seemed familiar and I know damn well I haven’t seen Lorraine Bracco in a movie since I’ve started watching The Sopranos. I really felt that I’ve seen this movie before, but last night I felt like I was watching it for the first time.

Goodfellas is an epic story, based on a true story, about the Italian mob in New York City from the 1950s through the 1970s. Ray Liotta plays Henry Hill, our “hero,” a kid that grows up wanting nothing more than to be a gangster. He starts off as a delivery boy for respected mob figures Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and works his way up the ranks with friend Tommy DeVito (later played by Joe Pesci) and they both wind up integral parts of the organization by their early 20s (although Pesci was nearly 50 when this movie filmed… LOL). Henry eventually meets Karen (Bracco), they marry, and together they become enraptured and victimized by the ways of the organized crime business and the financial freedom and social dominance it offers.

I hate to say it, but I think Goodfellas might be a tad overrated. For one, I didn’t like it as much as Miller’s Crossing, another 1990 film focused on organized crime. I’ll take Gabriel Byrne’s Tom Reagan over Liotta’s Henry Hill any day, in terms of both character and acting. For two, a #17 of all-time ranking on IMDB’s greatest movies ever list seems overboard. With that said, Goodfellas is still a very good movie and probably deserved more acclaim than 1990’s most highly lauded film Dances With Wolves, a movie noticeably absent from IMDB’s same list.

Goodfellas does feature a stellar cast. I knew before watching that Lorraine Bracco was Oscar-nominated, but watching the film, I kept thinking of what a great job Joe Pesci was doing as the outlandishly violent and explosive Tommy DeVito. When I researched the Oscars after the movie, I was pleased to find out that not only was Pesci nominated, but he took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Very deserved. Bracco was also outstanding as Henry’s wife, Karen, dealing with the loose morals of a wiseguy husband, a man that thinks it’s okay to have multiple girlfriends in addition to a wife. She does a great job walking the line between jealous, vengeful wife and drug-addled woman addicted to the life of crime, quick money and supposedly easy living. I find it astonish that in the 9 years between Goodfellas and her role as Dr. Melfi on The Sopranos, the biggest movie she was in was Hackers. Robert De Niro offers a good performance, but it wasn’t much of a stretch for him and I wouldn’t rank it amongst the top five of his career or even his best of the year (check out Awakenings). I’m not sure Ray Liotta was the best choice for Henry Hill. Apparently, Liotta turned down the role of Harvey Dent in Tim Burton’s Batman in order to star in Goodfellas, a good move considering no one remembers Harvey Dent in the original Batman and Goodfellas is by far the best film Liotta’s ever worked in. Liotta does a decent enough job, but some of his scenes, mostly when he is laughing hysterically, made me cringe a little bit. Liotta has never really gone on to do anything worthwhile for his career and I wonder if Goodfellas could have been even better with a more capable actor in the lead role.

It would be a fair argument to say that Martin Scorsese should have won his first Best Director Oscar in 1991 for Goodfellas. While Dances With Wolves might have been an easier film for the Academy to swallow, I can’t imagine someone saying with a straight face that it’s a better film, particularly in the directing department. There’s a great scene in Goodfellas where the camera follows Henry and Karen through the back entrance of a restaurant, through the kitchen, and into the dining room where a table is immediately set for them, not once breaking for a separate take. Simply put, Goodfellas was better than Dances With Wolves and Scorsese, long overlooked by the Academy, was robbed.

I don’t want you to come away from this review with the impression that I didn’t like Goodfellas that much. I loved it. Yes, maybe Ray Liotta wasn’t the best choice for Henry Hill; yes, I liked Miller’s Crossing more; but Goodfellas was still a GREAT film, just maybe not as great as some people have made it out to be. If you haven’t ever seen Goodfellas, I’d bump it to the top of your Must Rent list and if it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, it’s worth revisiting.

Grade: A
Viewings: maybe 2?
Replay Value: A must for the DVD collection.
Oscars: A Best Supporting Actor win for Pesci. Nominations for Bracco, Scorsese, Best Picture, Film Editing, and Adapted Screenplay.
Sequel Potential: None. Based on a true story.
Nudity? Amazingly, no. Lots of sexual references, but no nudity that I can remember.

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Revisiting 1990: Dances With Wolves

August 18, 2010

Considered For: Top 5

“Turned Injun, didn’t yeh?”

I can’t say I was looking forward to watching Dances With Wolves as its run time was intimidating (3 hours, 45 minutes) and the story didn’t really scream of excitement. Usually when I’m not amped up for a sweeping epic, I’ll start the movie a couple of times, watch about ten minutes, before giving up and sending it back to Netflix. It did take me roughly 48 hours to make it through Dances With Wolves, but I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I was expecting.

Based on a novel, the story thrusts us into an undisclosed time in history and introduces us to Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) suffering from a wound on his leg that most likely will cost him the limb. Next thing you know, Dunbar forces his foot into a boot and starts riding a horse in the middle of an open war zone, basically on a suicide mission. The opposition apparently has the worst shot in the world as Dunbar survives unharmed, rallies his troops, and is eventually seen as a hero. He’s rewarded for his efforts by receiving a post in an isolated fort on the frontier to be manned by himself.

At this fort, Dunbar becomes lonely and finds that his only company is his horse Sysco and a wolf he names Two Socks that frequents the area. Before long, a few Indians show up and after realizing that the white man is not a threat, Dunbar finds himself assimilating in their culture. The majority of the film focuses on Dunbar’s experience with the Sioux tribe, conveniently assisted by a white woman (Mary McDonnell) the tribe had taken in as a child, but ultimately, conflict arises, and Dunbar finds himself at odds with the American Army.

I’m no fan of Kevin Costner as an actor and his perfomance in Dances With Wolves, although Oscar-nominated, is nothing spectacular either. Dunbar is a good character, but Costner doesn’t bring anything extra to the table and I can imagine several more talented actors making this an iconic character. I’m not really sure what to make of Mary McDonnell’s performance either. She has gone on to star in one of my favorite science fiction shows (Battlestar Galactica) and grew into a solid actress. Her work here was Oscar-nominated as well, but she spent the majority of the movie with a seemingly blank look on her face. Perhaps it was because her character, Stands With A Fist, was in mourning for most of the movie, but the effect left me slightly unimpressed. The best acting in this movie is clearly done by the Native Americans and any movie that can take actors I’m not familiar with and turn them into memorable characters gets kudos from me.

spoilers ahead

I wasn’t really moved by Dances With Wolves, like I think I was supposed to be, but I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. It’s kind of weird that an animal (Two Socks) without a speaking role was my favorite character and the saddest parts in the film were when both Sysco and Two Socks got the ax. Sysco’s death made sense in the scheme of the scene, but killing off Two Socks was purely pointless. I refuse to believe a wild animal would stand still while humans are repeatedly shooting at it. The wolf can barely muster up the courage to take a piece of meat out of John Dunbar’s hand, but was willing to stand its ground and be shot to death? Really? The end of the film confused me as well. It concludes with Dunbar leaving the winter camp of the Sioux Indians with his new wife, Stands With A Fist, because he fears the whites are going to come looking for him. Well, if they are going to come looking for you, they’re no less likely to stop by the winter camp simply because you left. Does he think the American Army is going to show up and be like “Hey, is John Dunbar in? No? Okay, thanks… sorry to bother you.” No, there will be bloodshed regardless, so dude might as well stay and take part in the fight. It was a very weak way to complete an otherwise very enjoyable movie.

I wouldn’t rank this movie amongst my all-time greats, and I’m not going to say you have to see it if you’ve somehow missed it these past twenty years, but it’s worth watching and wasn’t nearly the chore I was expecting it to be. It’s a good story, with mediocre acting, and a solid directorial effort from Costner. Better than I was expecting, but definitely not worth it’s Best Picture Oscar.

Grade: B-
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Most films with running times of 3+ hours are tough to watch repeatedly.
Oscars: Won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Costner), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Nominated for five others, including acting nominations for Costner, McDonnell, and Graham Greene.
Nudity: Mary McDonnell almost gets naked, but unfortunately nudity is limited to Kevin Costner’s ass… several times.

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Revisiting 1990: Miller’s Crossing

August 9, 2010

Considered For: Top 5

“What’s the rumpus?”

This is the first movie I watched on my quest to figure out the best movies of the past twenty years. I knew I’d seen it before, but for some reason I couldn’t remember anything about Miller’s Crossing. Even reading the synopsis didn’t ring much of a bell. I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve seen it… certainly since watching films has become important to me, which makes it weird that I was drawing a total blank. Not long into the movie though, things started clicking, and I remembered liking Miller’s Crossing very much. I left it off my initial top five list for 1990, but after getting a grilling on a hip-hop forum I post on for omitting it, I knew it was time to revisit this early Coen Brothers production.

Joel and Ethan Coen have been some really consistent filmmakers over the years. No Country For Old Men, The Big Lebowski, and Fargo all rank amongst my favorite films of their respective years, and now, Miller’s Crossing can be added to that list. I have no doubt that when my journey through 1990 is finished, this movie will be in my top five and, possibly, my top flick of the year. In Miller’s Crossing, the Coens tell a mob story that finds Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) playing a loyal advisor to crime boss Leo (Albert Finney). Tom finds himself in hot water when it’s discovered that he’s banging the boss’ lady (Marcia Gay Harden), but Tom is never one to panic when he finds himself in hot water and always seems to have a plan in motion.

While I won’t say Miller’s Crossing is a spectacular mob film like, say, The Godfather, it’s definitely a solid story. Byrne plays Tom with a calm, cool, and collected suave… so much so, that you never doubt that he’s in control of all his problems. John Turturro shows up as Harden’s brother, and the cause of the initial conflict in the film…. the shmatte. He’s at his pathetic best when he’s taken out to Miller’s Crossing for his reckoning. Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, and Jon Polito all give solid performances as well.

It’s probably been a while since most people have seen this movie and for those of you that haven’t, I’d highly recommend it. An early Coen Brothers classic!

Grade: A
Viewings: 2
Replay Value: Worth owning
Oscars: Snubbed
Nudity?: I don’t think so.

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Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire

August 5, 2010

I’d been avoiding Precious for a while before I finally got around to watching it. Something was telling me it was going to be slow… and boring… and I just couldn’t muster up the stomach to watch it. Even the title of the movie was holding me back. The fact that someone as obnoxious and seemingly untalented as Mo’Nique won an Oscar was extremely intriguing, however, and I just couldn’t ignore the accolades thrust upon this film any longer. I’m glad to say it was my most pleasant surprise of any 2009 film.

I was right about one thing… Precious is not an easy film. The story is dark and some of the characters are hard to watch, particularly Mo’Nique as Precious’ abusive, alcoholic mother Mary. Precious’ circumstances are grim; she’s pregnant with a second child from her own father, a fact that creates even more tension in her relationship with her mother. Rather than realizing the traumatic experience of her child, Mary blames Precious for tempting her husband and takes out her own feelings of inadequacy on her daughter, often physically. Meanwhile, Precious is struggling to fit in at school and is recommended to try alternative schooling, where she meets her new teacher Ms. Rain. Once here, Precious begins a quest to break free of her violent and demoralizing upbringing.

I never read the book this film was adapted from, so I have no idea how faithful the script is to the source material. Either way, the story here is one worth watching. Yeah, it’s not an easy watch, but most films dealing with tough themes aren’t. Sapphire has created a character that is easy to root for because at her core, she seems like a good person and is clearly a victim of circumstances. You will definitely be rooting for her.

The best thing about Precious is the acting. I would have bet a lot of money against Mo’Nique if someone ever suggested she would win an Oscar, but she KILLS her role in this movie. She’s brutal and heart-wrenching as Precious’ troubled mom. It’s one of those performances, like Heath Ledger in last year’s The Dark Knight or Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married, that make you go “where did that come from?” Gabourey Sidibe plays the title character and watching the movie you think she’s doing a decent job, but only because you have no idea who this actress really is. I was watching Sidibe in her audition and in various other extras on the DVD and it’s pretty clear that she has some serious acting chops. Her real personality sounds more like a white valley girl than a troubled, black woman so her transformation makes the performance all the more spectacular. As if Mo’Nique wasn’t surprising enough, I found myself enthralled by the woman playing Mrs. Weiss, Precious’ welfare counselor, and was somewhat shocked and appalled to discover that it was Mariah Carey. I really thought she did a terrific job and even though she looked like a Plain Jane in this movie, her beauty still shown through, as I found myself attracted to her and wondering who the actress was. I was wondering after the movie what I would have thought of her performance if I had known who she was from the jump. I feel like I would have been inclined to hate on her… but alas, I will never know.

Precious is a tough movie, but it’s one worth sitting through. It’s not my favorite movie of 2009 and probably not the best, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the most powerful. As it stands, Precious would probably find a spot in my top five films of 2009. Highly recommended, if only for Mo’Nique’s brilliant performance.

Grade: A-
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Not much… a great, one time film, but nothing I’d add to my DVD collection.
Oscar Watch: Nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Director, with wins for Mo’Nique in Best Supporting Actress and Geoffrey Fletcher for Best Adapted Screenplay. Gabourey Sidibe was nominated for Best Actress.
Nudity: A couple of rape scenes that are obviously more stomach-turning than erection-inducing.

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Grown Ups Sucks

August 4, 2010

Grown Ups seemed like it would be a decent, light comedy, but I can’t really say I was too excited for this movie. Adam Sandler and company are well past their comedic primes. Sandler still has the capability of being funny, but Rob Schneider, Chris Rock and David Spade haven’t really been relevant for about a decade. And Kevin James, well, I like King Of Queens okay, but that’s about it. This movie would have me a lot more excited 10-15 years ago.

The premise of the film is that a group of guys that won a basketball championship as kids reunite as adults after their former coach dies… but the story isn’t important here. What’s important is that we have five guys that think they are comic legends and set out to make a hilarious movie. While my expectations were tempered heading in, the end result was still disappointing. The funniest part in the movie happens in the opening credits (Kevin James getting out of the pool in his yard) and it’s pretty much downhill from there. I’m not buying David Spade as a womanizer. Rob Schneider has pretty much never been funny and his character makes him even more annoying than usual here. Chris Rock, the funniest of the bunch, is basically nonexistent. Kevin James is fat and apparently that’s supposed to be funny over and over and over again… but it’s not. Adam Sandler is the straight man here… the most successful of the group (both in real life and in the film) and his character is ashamed of this. He’s constantly trying to hide the fact that his kids are beyond spoiled and that the Asian girl traveling with them is actually their nanny. Sandler provides the most laughs, but honestly, none so hilarious that I can remember them now.

Even with low expectations, Grown Ups still disappointed. I’m surprised that some people out there are eating this up. I don’t even want to waste too much time talking about it. I’d recommend skipping it unless you’re truly bored. It’s not atrocious, but it’s decent at best.

Grade: D+
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: One time rental at best.
Oscar Watch: Not gonna happen.
Nudity: Give me Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Rob Schneider’s ridiculously hot daughters naked in this movie and I’d give it a B… didn’t happen.

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The Best Movies Of The Past 20 Years

August 1, 2010

I’m going to start a series of posts highlighting the best movies of the past twenty years. I’ve made some pretty solid lists for the 1990s, but I feel there are a lot of important films that I either haven’t seen in forever or just haven’t ever watched. I was eight in 1990 and I didn’t really get into movies until 1999, so there is a bit of catching up to do. I’m going to start with the year 1990 and over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be watching some of the films from that year that I think should be considered and I’ll be posting mini-reviews for all of them. I’m going to start with the past twenty years and see how that goes, but I ultimately want to expand the series to the Best Movies Of My Life, which would date back to 1982.

For each year, I’m going to pick what I think is the best overall film and also include a list of my top 5. Since certain genres are often overlooked in Best Of lists, I’m also going to include my top comedy, horror, and animated movie for each year. Lastly, we all have a movie that we love but isn’t particularly good; something that holds a special spot in our heart anyways. For each year, I’ll be selecting my top guilty pleasure. Stay tuned. I’ll be starting on 1990 this week.

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Inception – A Total Mind-Fuck Of A Good Time

July 28, 2010

I saw Inception for the second time tonight. Well, sort of… I went with a friend of mine a couple weeks ago and after 4-5 drinks we headed to the theater and I was disappointed to find the movie already in progress. Not a good look for a film I knew was going to have a pretty tough story. Anyways, after about thirty minutes and several shared looks of confusion, we decided it was time to walk out. Drunk or not, I couldn’t believe I actually stepped out on a Chris Nolan film. Without question, he’s been my favorite director over the past half decade.

Deep in my heart I knew something was amiss and with all the critical acclaim, word of mouth, and the filmmaker’s background, it was time to give Inception another shot. I thought we had been about 15-20 minutes late the first time I went to see it, but after it took 90 minutes for me to recognize a scene from the movie, I realized we had walked into the wrong theater altogether. I guess that’s what happens when you try to point two drunk people in the right direction. Give us five minutes in the concession line and we’re going into the first theater we see that says Inception above it.

With sober eyes and a fresh start from the beginning, I’m in awe of this movie. From a writing standpoint, my mind is completely blown. The complexity of Nolan’s story is immense; I’m not going to pretend I understood everything that was happening, but the general story line is understandable and the difficulty of the script is going to provide for multiple enjoyable viewings in order to comprehend everything that’s going on. Not a lot of filmmaker’s would be able to make this movie, let alone turn it into a summer blockbuster, but not many people have the clout that The Dark Knight director has. Maybe I underestimate the intelligence of the general public, but I’m genuinely surprised that this movie has made $142 million in ten days and currently sits at #3 on IMDB’s top 250 all-time list. That gives Nolan three films in the top 30 and 5 in the top 110 of all-time and this guy only has six major releases under his belt.

While the story in this movie is what really captivated me, the camera work and special effects are a work of art themselves. People walk on walls and upside down, huge landscapes collapse upon each other, and large pieces of scenery are moved with a touch or a simple thought. The cinematography is also stunning as we are given several long shots of beautiful scenery.

The acting in this movie is kind of an afterthought and I thought everyone was solid. Nolan always casts well and usually keeps a close circle of actors he trusts around him. When he does branch out, he has a tendency to invoke stellar performances (think Heath Ledger as The Joker). I’m not sure we have any award-worthy performances here, but the entire cast does a great job. Nothing really needs to be said about Leonardo DiCaprio. I honestly think he might be the best actor of my generation. I think Ellen Page gets an unfair amount of flak, but I recognize her as one of the best young actresses and this movie does nothing to disprove my theory. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is someone that has really shocked me over the past year. The first time he made me go “hmmm” was in last year’s campy G.I. Joe, where he was nearly unrecognizable and a ton of fun as Cobra Commander. I saw the vastly overlooked (500) Days Of Summer earlier this year and that was the performance that made me realize this kid was legit. His work in Inception is just another step in the right direction of what looks to be a somewhat surprisingly promising career as a serious actor.

Inception is INSANE. I recommend you buy all your concessions before the movie starts and that you clear your bladder repeatedly ahead of time because this is the type of film where you could get lost if you step out for five minutes. The story is crazy, the acting is solid, and the visuals are stunning. Easily the best movie I’ve seen this year and it’s a film that will leave you thinking about it for a long time after, eager to see it again so you can get the full concept.

Second Helping (spoilers): I figured Inception needed to be seen at least twice within a close time frame. Chris Nolan seems to have that affect. The first time I watched Memento, as soon as it finished, I started it over and watched it again. I’ve never done that with a movie, before or since. I might have if I had seen Inception on DVD for the first time. The story was a lot easier to follow the second time through and you are able to pick up on a lot of things you couldn’t the first time. It’s a bit frustrating seeing it for a second time with someone seeing it for the first time. I kept looking at my friend throughout the movie and I really didn’t feel like she was having the same experience I was. I kept asking questions and getting the wrong answers. During the climax, after another failed oral exam, I started announcing to her what level of dream they were in every time they cut scenes. Finally, she got it, but after the movie her overall vibe was “it was okay,” which is an unacceptable response.

I read somewhere speculation that Cobb’s totem wasn’t the spinner because that was his wife’s. That much was true, but after spending the entire second viewing looking for a possible totem for him, I found nothing. There’s also been speculation about the very end of the movie. Is he still dreaming? The scene closes with the top still spinning, which leaves open the option that he was indeed dreaming. I’m not buying it. If you can follow the different levels of dreaming, you can identify what appears to be the “conscious level” for all the characters… and during this “conscious level” we have seen Cobb spin the top and watch it fall. Unless we are being hoodwinked by fancy film-editing, and somewhere between Cobb getting off the plane and coming home to his children someone has put him back into a dream state, then that top at the end of the movie eventually falls… we just don’t get to see it because Chris Nolan can be a bastard like that.

A great movie a second time through and I think the director’s commentary on the DVD will be one of the most anticipated of all-time, which probably means Nolan won’t do one. Give us a great Batman 3 and we’ll forgive you anyway, Chris.

Grade: A
Viewings 2
Replay Value: A must-own DVD requiring repeated viewings
Oscar Watch: I can’t imagine anything edging this out for Best Original Screenplay. Nolan will also get a Best Director nod. Eight months into 2010 and this has to be the favorite to WIN Best Picture, but with most Oscar Bait movies coming out in the fall/winter, that is subject to change. Regardless, with ten nominees now for the Oscar, Inception will still be up for the award. I’m sure we’ll see noms for cinematography, art direction, sound mixing, editing, sound editing, score, and visual effects. This movie is that huge. I don’t think anyone is a cinch for any acting nominations, but DiCaprio is always a contender and Gordon-Levitt, Marion Colliard, and Ellen Page might all have long shots in the supporting categories.
Nudity Alert: None

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She’s Out Of My League

July 8, 2010

This movie kind of came out of nowhere. Somehow, it hit theaters, went through its run, and came out on DVD without me ever knowing it even existed. Jay Baruchel’s star seems to be rising (as are most Judd Apatow affiliates), and he might even go blockbuster with this summer’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (it looks better than it sounds). That said, I’m not surprised to see him starring in a solid comedy. This movie isn’t hilarious by any means, but it certainly had its moments and was more enjoyable than I was expecting, considering a large lack of word-of-mouth.

“Oh fuck it, are you really not wearing any underwear….? Deb, we’re all thinking it.” This movie has some quotables in it for sure. The performances were decent for the most part. Something about Krysten Ritter (Jessie’s drug-addicted girlfriend on Breaking Bad) really does it for me. I think I love her. I’m not sure that Alice Eve is a “hard ten,” but I’ll give her a “strong eight.” Of course this movie has to have some sort of conflict, so Baruchel’s character has to go through the unbelievable arc of blowing it with his hot girlfriend. Let’s be real, if any of us sub-standard human beings landed a ten, nothing in our brain is going to convince us that we are not worthy of her. If anything, we’d have concerns about her cheating, but never would I consider myself unworthy.

I liked the movie. It’s good for what it is, but it’s not going to make a home in my DVD collection like some of the better comedies of the past few years. I’d recommend it… you probably won’t be disappointed, but if you decide to pass, it’s not the end of the world either.

Grade: C+

Viewings: 1

Replay Value: 1-2 viewings

Nudity Alert: None. How does an R-rated comedy featuring hot women not have any naked chicks? It’s a fair question, and with some nekkid ladies, this movie probably would jump to a B-

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2010 Movie Reviews

July 6, 2010

Alice In Wonderland – Tim Burton takes the Lewis Carrol tale and makes it his own by filming it in 3D with live actors. The combination of Tim Burton, the story, and Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter sounded promising at first, but the end result was disappointing. Perhaps animated characters don’t translate well to real life actors because most of the acting in this film was driving me nuts. I really had a hard time not turning it off and moving on to other things. I’ll note that I didn’t watch the movie in theaters or in 3D, which may have considerably increased my enjoyment, but alas, I’ll never know. D

Hot Tub Time Machine – Skipped this in theaters and heard it was pretty funny, so I was looking forward to its DVD release. It wasn’t quite as funny as I thought it would be, but it was still plenty enjoyable with a number of solid gags and laughs. The story was a little corny, but that was to be expected given the film’s title. Overall, I liked it and it’s quite possible this movie will be a grower like a lot of the better comedies of the past couple years. B-

Iron Man 2 – A solid follow up to one of the most surprising movies of 2008. Not as good as the original, but still a lot of fun. It seemed like Mickey Rourke’s character wasn’t given nearly enough screen time and never really felt like a major threat to Tony Stark. Downey was great once again and Don Cheadle was a fine replacement for Terrance Howard. Funny, with good action, and War Machine was a welcome addition. Not a great sequel, but certainly not bad either. B

Kick-Ass – I was really anticipating this one and the results were mixed. It had a fun feeling to it, but the main character really didn’t move me at all and almost all the other characters were pretty hollow as well. Kick-Ass never felt like a superhero of any sort to me… just a nerdy kid in a bad costume. Hit-Girl is what made this movie borderline awesome despite all its flaws. Not only is the character well written and an utter bad ass, but the young girl that plays her displays a ton of acting talent. The movie has some good action and is funny at times, but the story wasn’t executed spectacularly and the casting was questionable. C+

Nightmare On Elm Street – I’m a big old school horror franchise fanatic and Freddy Krueger has long been a fascination of mine. Unlike Jason Vorhees or Michael Meyers, a Freddy reboot was something I was looking forward to and thought could be well done. This remake is a fair attempt at updating an old classic. I liked the news of Jackey Earl Haley taking on the role of Krueger and although several critics disagree with me, I liked him a lot in the role. He was scary in a way that Robert Englund arguably hasn’t been in over two decades. The story leaves something to be desired, but so do the majority of slasher film scripts. If this isn’t a step in the right direction for the franchise, I don’t know what is. B-

Toy Story 3 – Review coming soon…

Youth In Revolt – Michael Cera stars in his normal role of a geeky and awkward adolescent trying to figure out how to succeed with women. Only this time there’s a twist! Cera’s character creates an alter-ego in order to become a bad ass. Needless to say, it comes off cheesy and doesn’t really provide any laughs. Cera’s star is starting to dim and this movie was a snoozer. F

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2009 Movie Reviews Updated

February 6, 2010

I updated my 2009 Movie Reviews with grades for all the movies I can remember seeing in 2009. I added brief thoughts for most of the movies and the movies with no added thoughts can be clicked on for full reviews.

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