Sunday, October 19, 2008

2008 movies and quick recap reviews

Here are the 2008 movies I have seen with their release dates. I felt like I missed a lot of movies this year (I did, especially in comparison to 2007) but when I looked through all the releases, I don't think I missed too many worth seeing. Anyway - my ratings next to each based on how I feel today.

2008 certainly was not on par with the great 2007 year of movies (though there may still be some big ones to finish off the year)

Let me know what good ones I missed so I can try and see them.

Rambo 1/25/08 -- (6/10) for a Rambo type movie - 3/10 for an actual movie

Vantage Point 2/22/08 -- (3/10) Terrible movie. Do not waste one minute on this one.

The Other Boleyn Girl 2/29/09 -- 7/10 -- Maybe 7.5/10 - I really enjoyed the entire movie. Not sure why it got dismissed so quickly.

Semi-Pro 2/29/08 -- (3/10) -- terrible even for Will Farrell's recent stuff

Iron Man 5/2/08 -- (8.5/10) -- One of the best of the year, regardless of genre. If not for the rediculous ending sequence it would be a solid 9

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 5/22/08 -- (4/10) -- Terrible attempt at an ending for this already fine trilogy. Nothing original takes place and nothing exciting happens.

Kung Fu Panda 6/6/08 -- (6.5/10) -- Actually entertaining and good voices for the parts, but it did drag a bit in the middle for my taste in an animated film

You Don't Mess with the Zohan 6/6/08 -- (8/10) -- plot? Who cares. It was laugh out loud funny and for a Sandler film these days that is hard to come by

WALL-E 6/27/08 -- (8/10) -- a really wonderful film that, if it didn't drag for about 25 minutes mid way would have deserved a 9

Wanted 6/27/08 -- (3/10) -- absolutely terrible waste of time. Anything you see here has been done multiple times in multiple movies and always a lot better. Save yourself on this one.

The Dark Knight 7/18/08 -- (9/10) - probably at the top of the list so far, BUT, I'd like to see again to decide if it warrants this high a rating. I remember it being very good.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe 7/25/08 -- (5/10) -- ho hum they cashed a paycheck.

Tropic Thunder 8/13/08-- (4/10) -- If not for the first 25 minutes this movie would have been unwatchable... it gets so bad near the end I almost walked out

Vicky Cristina Barcelona 8/15/08-- (9/10)-- Another contender for me for best of the year. Not getting much buzz and no one I know seems to care, regardless of how many times I tell them to see it. Awesome movie with great performances and no dull parts at all.

Burn After Reading 9/12/08 -- (5/10) -- I don't get it? 'People' told me it was good. I don't generally like people, so, whatever... I didn't let out a single laugh for the first 50 minutes, and it is supposed to be a dark comedy of sorts. Brad Pitt's character sucks. That is all I will elaborate on...

Righteous Kill 9/12/08 -- (5/10) -- So standard. So average. So cashing in paychecks.

I don't know much about any upcoming movies... Any input on Oct/Nov/Dec to see?

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Righteous Kill (2008) - a review


Righteous Kill (2008)

101 minutes

Millennium Films

Release Date: 12 September 2008 (USA)

Director: Jon Avnet

Tagline: Most people respect the badge. Everybody respects the gun.

Robert De Niro; Turk

Al Pacino; Rooster

50 Cent; Spider

Carla Gugino; Karen Corelli


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Pop quiz: What do you get when you pair two of the most revered and honored actors of a generation for the first time opposite each other, sharing actual screen time, in a cop-drama film seemingly written with each in mind?

Answer: Not Heat

The best way for me to describe Righteous Kill is, simply put, bland and predictable. Everything in this movie is right down the middle average.

Acting: 5/10; Plot: 5/10; Intrigue: 5/10....and so on

Pacino and DeNiro (Rooster and Turk respectively) star as long-time NYPD partners who end up investigating a series of murders seemingly being carried out by one of their own, each with the connection to the last that makes it evident they are being carried out as "righteous", in that those being murdered are scum of the earth who either beat their rap or continually avoid capture.

Mixed in with the big stars is Carla Gugino as NYPD Karen Corelli, and sex buddy to Turk, with a passion for being treated rough by cops. She brings very little to the film, though when you put it all in perspective, she was needed just to keep things from beign stagnant. It almost feels like she was written in along the way to try very hard to give this movie something more than the actual plot.

Another seemingly shake-your-head role was given to 50 Cent, who plays Spider, the big-time drug dealer... or is he? This role is so undeveloped you never really get a good understanding of this character, and being played by 50 Cent in general makes this role weak.

Whether you untangle the inevitable twists of this snoozer before it is given to you is, I suppose, something to shoot for while watching, but if you don't, no worries - it will all be laid out for you nice and neat at the end, you know, just in case you weren't smart enough to understand what happened, which is what everyone in this movie seems to think of the audience.

5/10

Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Legend Of Bagger Vance

This is truly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I'd like to write more about it, but that would mean I'd have to spend more time thinking about it, and, to be honest, I just want to forget that I ever saw it.