Catching up with 2010

Apologies for neglecting this for so long. I'm going to do a quick recap of the 2010 movies I've seen so far and then update this regularly!

From best to worst...

Shutter Island - Martin Scorsese doesn't ever disappoint. Shutter Island is full of fantastic performances (DiCaprio, Williams, Mortimer, Clarkson, Von Sydow, Kingsley, Haley, Ruffalo). It remains true to the wonderful book it comes from and manages to be a smart, trippy thriller that will leave you thinking for hours and days after you've seen it. It's mesmerizing and, like the critics say, demands to be watched again and again. Grade - A-

Kick Ass - Look, it's not the most brilliant movie ever or anything but it's a hell of a lot of fun. Chloe Moretz is nothing short of AMAZING as Hit Girl, a foul mouthed 11 year old who will kick your ass. Nicolas Cage is impressive too. It's pretty much the most fun I've had at the movies this year so far. Grade - B

Iron Man 2 - Honestly, it's a little bit of a let down. The first Iron Man was brilliant. This falls short. Not to say it's bad because it's not. It's still a pretty good movie. There is just way too much going on. The script isn't as sharp or funny as the first. Sam Rockwell totally steals the show. Still a good popcorn movie, but I'm not sure it's necessarily a good movie. Grade - C+

Alice in Wonderland - I'm one of the few who doesn't go crazy for all things Tim Burton. I really loved Helena Bonham Carter's take on the Red Queen and some of the imagery was good. Overall, I thought it was just kind of average. Grade - C

The Crazies - Again, just kind of average. It was ok as far as horror movies go. It was a nice throw back to old school horror movies. It kept my attention but I wasn't jumping out of my seat about it. Grade - C

Nightmare on Elm Street - I had this theory that Hollywood could only remake Wes Craven movies well (see also: The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes). Well, I was wrong. I don't necessarily think this was a bad movie. In fact, there were a couple changes they made that I really prefered. Still, some of the plot holes were substantial and out of the kids, Kyle Gallner was really the only one would could act. Also, I think Jackie Earle Haley was the perfect choice for Freddy but I don't think his role was written particularly well. Grade - C-

Valentine's Day - Just like 98% of other romantic comedies, this is cliche in every sense of the word. There is nothing unique or interesting about it. Except for that fricking cast. Half of the cast I didn't even care about, really, but Jennifer Garner, Eric Dane, Jessica Biel and Bradley Cooper helped me keep my interest. Grade - C-

The Back Up Plan - Thank goodness I got in for free because this was all kinds of awful! Grade - D+

The Book of Eli - Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals and Gary Oldman couldn't save this mess. Grade - D+

Edge of Darkness - Despite being gorier than I anticipated, the script was still awful and complicated and just plain dumb. I love Danny Huston though. Grade - D-

Daybreakers - My love for Ethan Hawke couldn't save this stupid, stupid movie. Stupid premise. Stupid script. Stupid delivery. Just stupid. Grade - F

Legion - I don't even really want to talk about this movie since I have tried to shut it out of my memory. All I will say is that it made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Grade - F

Top Ten List - Most Anticipated Films of 2009

Since I've been putting off writing reviews for the 2009 movies I've seen so far (because, well, they suck really bad), I decided I was going to do a list instead. I will write reviews very soon, promise. But, for now, here is my list of the top ten most antcipated movies of 2009...

10. Lymelife (April 8)
Directed by Derick Martini
Starring Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, Jill Hennessy, Emma Roberts
The darling of the Toronto Film Festival, Lymelife is about a life in the late 70s seen through the eyes of an innocent fifteen year old boy. It follows two families who crumble while dealing with family dynamics, divorce, etc. The plot may not sound all that great but look at that cast! I'm up for anything with one Culkin let alone two!

09. Drag Me To Hell (May 29)
Directed by Sam Raimi
Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long
Sam Raimi's return to the horror genre!! It follows a young loan officer (Lohman) who is ordered to evict an old woman from her home and finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse which turns her life into a living hell. She tries to save her soul while evil forces try to push her to her breaking point. Sounds like fun for the whole family! Bonus points for the great title.

08. Public Enemies (July 1)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing Tatum, Emile de Ravin, Leelee Sobieski, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Graham, Marion Cotillard, Rory Cochrane (!!), Shawn Hatosy
A movie where the cast is SO EFFING GREAT that it doesn't even matter what the movie is about. Honestly, it could be about printing phone books or quantum physics or flying kites and I would still see it. However, it is actually about the Feds trying to take down notorious gangsters John Dillinger (Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Tatum!!) during the 1930s.

07. Taking Woodstock (August 14)
Directed by Ang Lee
Starring Demetri Martin, Liev Schreiber, Emile Hirsch, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paul Dano, Kelli Garner, Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, Mamie Gummer
Ang Lee is back with another movie about the counterculture of the 60s with a gay protagnoist and no real big name stars. But it's hard to beat a supporting cast with Hirsch, Dano, Schreiber, Garner and Gummer. It apparently follows a man who inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in 1969. I'll be there for the cast. And Ang Lee, of course.

06. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (August 7)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (!!), Christopher Eccleston
We all know what this is about. I'm mostly excited for two reasons and only two reasons: 1) Channing Tatum who I love more than I probably should. 2) Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Cobra Commander a.k.a one of the main villains. There's got to be a reason he did a movie like this and I imagine his character is so effing cool since he's the only one we haven't even seen a glimpse of yet (in leaked photos or character posters or in the teaser trailer). I just can't wait!

05. Nine (November 25)
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Stacy Ferguson, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren
2009 may well go down as the year of the great ensemble pieces. Nine follows a famous film director (Day-Lewis) as he struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent and his mother. Plus, I'm hoping this is the movie that will win me back to Hudson. I've been rooting for her. Really, I have. She's disappointed me for nearly a decade. Will this be the big role that bounces her back?

04. 500 Days of Summer (July 24)
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel
First of all, greatest casting ever. Anyone who has ever seen Manic knows Joey and Zooey (as I like to call them because I wish they were really a couple) have amazing chemistry. So, to have them back together again is nothing short of fantastic. An early review out of Sundance that I read promises it's not a love story, but rather, a story about love. The trailer promises it will be an offbeat kinda film. The cast promises it will be something other than a cliched romantic comedy.

03. Whatever Works (TBA)
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Henry Cavill (!!!!!!), Patricia Clarkson, Kristen Johnston, Ed Begley Jr., Larry David
We all know how much I love Woody Allen. Then he goes and casts Henry Cavill in a lead role? Forget about it. My love for Woody knows no boundaries. I have no idea what this movie is about. I could care less. Woody is the master. Whether it's a comedy or a drama - doesn't matter. Everyone keeps saying, "Woody is back." Guess what? He never went anywhere.

02. The Road (TBA)
Directed by John Hillcoat
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall
Usually when a movie gets pushed back a year, it means trouble. I choose not to think that way about The Road. Based on the Cormac McCarthy book of the same name, The Road is a bleak, uber-depressing tale about survival in a post-apocalyptic world. I choose to believe what ever re-shoots or re-tooling they are doing is only going to make this movie even better. My anticipation hasn't wavered in the least.

01. Shutter Island (October 2)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas, Patricia Clarkson, Ted Levine
Again with the amazing cast. Again with the movie taken from a brilliant novel (Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane). The story is set in 1954 and follows a U.S. Marshall (DiCaprio) who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.


Some plot descriptions taken from IMDB.
Reviews of Bride Wars, My Bloody Valentine and more coming SOON!!!!