Movies - 2009
So I still like this whole movie list idea, even though I was seriously slacking by September. I'll try it again this year, see how it goes...
What I've Seen (first-time viewings only):
1. American Teen - This was certainly as good as the reviews for it. Normally, I wouldn't go for a documentary, but since it was about senior year of high school, I definitely thought it was worth a try. It had sort of an MTV feel, but also felt very real. You could not only identify each of the characters as someone you went to high school with, but could also really sympathize with their situations, too. The thing about the documentary is that it doesn't have that fairy-tale ending, giving it that realistic feeling that I could connect with. Definitely recommend it.
2. Death at a Funeral - I watched this alone in my dorm room, so anyone walking by must have thought I was crazy, sitting in the dark laughing hysterically. I'd heard this was funny, but then wasn't so sure when it started that I would like it. After a half hour, though, I was thoroughly entertained. It's one of those everything that could go wrong does type of movies, and I can't wait to share it with friends.
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - This movie is very long at 2h45, but COMPLETELY worth it. Wow, I was absolutely blown away by everything about it. It's definitely a must-see, but I might also consider it a movie that I'll only see once, if that makes any sense. Regardless, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous (the sunrises over the water on that dock?), and the effects are brilliant - I am still dumbfounded that they were able to make Brad Pitt look believably both 80 years old and 15. Wow.
4. L'Auberge Espagnole - Ehhh. I was kind of disappointed by this, even though my expectations weren't very high to begin with. It was relatively boring, not something I'd recommend.
5. The Grocer's Son - Continuing on with my French movies kick, I watched this on a whim on Netflix. It was alright, but nothing spectacular.
6. Outsourced - This was really cute and different than what I normally watch. Good rainy day movie.
7. Charlie Bartlett - From what I was able to see if it in a crowded room full of people half-watching it, this was pretty good. I'd have probably liked it better if I could have given it my full attention. Then again, maybe not?
8. The Duchess - I was really disappointed by this movie. It has a very dissatisfying ending, and I thought it was going to be much different than it was. Ugh.
9. Hot Fuzz - Everybody told me that this movie was hilarious, but I didn't find it all that funny. Honestly, I thought it was mostly really lame and I wouldn't have even finished it if I'd had something better to do.
10. The Jane Austen Book Club - I was too distracted by Hugh Dancy to actually pay attention to/care about this movie on more than a surface level, hee hee :-)
11. Definitely, Maybe - This was pretty lackluster, I wouldn't recommend it.
12. Slumdog Millionaire - I have not been so completely overwhelmed by the greatness of a movie since Once. This was mindblowingly fantastic, an absolute must-see.
13. Confessions of a Shopaholic - This was your typical average rom-com... nothing too special. Except for Hugh Dancy.
14. 2 Days in Paris - Kind of funny, not spectacular.
15. The Rocker - Not all that funny, even with Rainn Wilson being in it. Was slightly a disappointment, even though my expectations were low.
16. Say Anything - Basically your typical 80's rom-com fare. I'm surprised I'd never seen it until now.
17. The Count of Monte Cristo - My roommate made me watch this, but it's not really my type of movie at all.
18. Burn After Reading - This was okay. It had its funny moments, but overall it was sort of lackluster.
19. Dirty Dancing - To add to my list of 80's movies that I'd never seen until now, I thought this was good. Not great, but I have yet to see a movie made in the 80's that I would consider great :-/
20. Trainspotting
21. Blow
22. 17 Again - I was way too distracted by Zac Efron's good looks to pay any attention to the plot of this movie. Oh well. Totally worth it.
23. When Harry Met Sally
24. Rachel Getting Married - Wow, this was a disappointment.
25. I Am Sam - This movie was completely heartbreaking! I think I literally cried through like half of it. So good.
26. He's Just Not That Into You - This was sort of long, but very cute! I'd watch it again.
27. Taken - So this is basically a stream of Liam Neeson kicking ass. It's alright, but not all that spectacular.
28. The Hangover - Basically your typical raunchy comedy. This was hilarious, and it had that hot guy from He's Just Not That Into You in it, so bonus points there. Actually, bonus points on the casting in general. It also had Jeffrey Tambor and Ed Helms. So yeah.
29. The Proposal - I went into this movie with really high expectations mainly based on Ryan Reynolds' hysterical performance in Just Friends. The movie was funny and enjoyable, but nothing particularly special.
30. Transformers 2 - For an action movie this was definitely of high quality. I enjoyed it, but hadn't seen the first one so I was slightly confused at first. If you like a constant stream of explosions, this is the movie for you.
31. My Sister's Keeper - This was just... so, so bad! So bad! I was bored out of my mind to be honest, and I wasn't moved to tears in the slightest. Really dumb.
32. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - I haven't read the sixth or seventh Harry Potter books, so it was the first time I'd seen one of the movies without actually knowing what would happen. It was alright, but it seemed like it was one big buildup for the two-part seventh film. Nothing much happened, but I'm sure that it's important to see before seeing the seventh ones. Plus, Daniel Radcliffe is my one true celebrity love, so seeing him was worth it on it's own ;-)
33. G-Force - I took my eight-year-old cousin to see this. Typical kiddie fare.
34. (500) Days of Summer - This was such a unique movie! It was wonderful, even though it had a very frustrating Once-like ending. Also, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is absolutely adorable. This was seriously one of my favorite movies of the year, and lived up to all my expectations. Plus, it has a great soundtrack.
35. The Terminal - I picked this up at Newbury Comics after seeing parts of it a long time ago and remembering it was good. It was, in fact, as good as I thought it would be. Very much a feel-good movie with a fun plot.
36. Adventureland - This movie legitimately captured the essence of summer in a way that I can't even fully grasp. It was refreshing to see characters who weren't in high school in a movie like this, too. And the soundtrack? Excellent.
37. Sunshine Cleaning - Ew, this was pretty lame. I was expecting more Little Miss Sunshine and less morose drama.
38. Away We Go - I was sort of disappointed by this. I thought it would be better, especially because of how much I love John Krasinski. It was really nothing special.
39. New York, I Love You - I liked this one much better than Paris, Je T'aime! Some of the shorts were far better than others, but I loved the casting choices. And the last short with Eli Wallach was the most adorable thing in the entire world.
40. Un Secret - I had to watch this for French class. It was interesting, not really my cup of tea, but not awful either.
41. Empire Records - Oh man, I kind of loved this. It was so 90s and cliche and fantastic!
42. Entr'acte - For French Film class, not a fan.
43. Un Chien andalou - For class again, this was so strange.
44. La Noire de - For class, didn't like this at all.
45. Zero de conduite - As far as class films go, this one wasn't awful, but it wasn't particularly amazing either.
46. La Rue cases-negres - Watched for class, hated this.
47. La Promesse - For class, wasn't bad at all.
48. Les Enfants du paradis - For class, this one was so long! Very Gone With The Wind-esque, so I didn't really love it.
49. Nuit et brouillard - For class, super gory and disturbing.
50. Afrique, je te plumerai - For class, documentary on Cameroon, next please.
51. La Regle du jeu - For class, this one was actually very good! Definitely an early example of a romantic comedy done right.
52. New Moon - Meh, this was Twilight. My expectations were low. Better than the first, cinematically speaking, but I probably wouldn't see it again.
53. Brothers - This was a disappointment. Literally all of the best parts of the film were in the trailer, and this was essentially just a whole lot of dialogue and not much else.
54. Up In The Air - Saw this in an advance screening, it was good. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but wouldn't watch it again.
55. Paper Heart - Not as good as I thought it would be! *sigh*
What I'd Like to See/Upcoming Releases:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. New Moon
4. Rachel Getting Married
5. The Duchess
6. 500 Days of Summer
7. Sunshine Cleaning
8. Last Night
9. Revolutionary Road
10. New York, I Love You
11. Adventureland
12. He's Just Not That Into You
13. Taken
14. Away We Go
15. Rudo Y Cursi
16. My Sister's Keeper
17. The Proposal
18. Pirate Radio
19. Paper Heart
20. Adam
21. The Time Traveler's Wife
22. All About Steve
23. Extract
24. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
25. Fame
26. The Invention of Lying
27. Bright Star
28. Paris
29. I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell
30. An Education
31. Nine
32. Did You Hear About The Morgans?
33. Brothers
34. Dare
35. Up In The Air
36. Uncertainty
37. When In Rome
38. Valentine's Day*****
39. Dear John
What I've Seen (first-time viewings only):
1. American Teen - This was certainly as good as the reviews for it. Normally, I wouldn't go for a documentary, but since it was about senior year of high school, I definitely thought it was worth a try. It had sort of an MTV feel, but also felt very real. You could not only identify each of the characters as someone you went to high school with, but could also really sympathize with their situations, too. The thing about the documentary is that it doesn't have that fairy-tale ending, giving it that realistic feeling that I could connect with. Definitely recommend it.
2. Death at a Funeral - I watched this alone in my dorm room, so anyone walking by must have thought I was crazy, sitting in the dark laughing hysterically. I'd heard this was funny, but then wasn't so sure when it started that I would like it. After a half hour, though, I was thoroughly entertained. It's one of those everything that could go wrong does type of movies, and I can't wait to share it with friends.
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - This movie is very long at 2h45, but COMPLETELY worth it. Wow, I was absolutely blown away by everything about it. It's definitely a must-see, but I might also consider it a movie that I'll only see once, if that makes any sense. Regardless, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous (the sunrises over the water on that dock?), and the effects are brilliant - I am still dumbfounded that they were able to make Brad Pitt look believably both 80 years old and 15. Wow.
4. L'Auberge Espagnole - Ehhh. I was kind of disappointed by this, even though my expectations weren't very high to begin with. It was relatively boring, not something I'd recommend.
5. The Grocer's Son - Continuing on with my French movies kick, I watched this on a whim on Netflix. It was alright, but nothing spectacular.
6. Outsourced - This was really cute and different than what I normally watch. Good rainy day movie.
7. Charlie Bartlett - From what I was able to see if it in a crowded room full of people half-watching it, this was pretty good. I'd have probably liked it better if I could have given it my full attention. Then again, maybe not?
8. The Duchess - I was really disappointed by this movie. It has a very dissatisfying ending, and I thought it was going to be much different than it was. Ugh.
9. Hot Fuzz - Everybody told me that this movie was hilarious, but I didn't find it all that funny. Honestly, I thought it was mostly really lame and I wouldn't have even finished it if I'd had something better to do.
10. The Jane Austen Book Club - I was too distracted by Hugh Dancy to actually pay attention to/care about this movie on more than a surface level, hee hee :-)
11. Definitely, Maybe - This was pretty lackluster, I wouldn't recommend it.
12. Slumdog Millionaire - I have not been so completely overwhelmed by the greatness of a movie since Once. This was mindblowingly fantastic, an absolute must-see.
13. Confessions of a Shopaholic - This was your typical average rom-com... nothing too special. Except for Hugh Dancy.
14. 2 Days in Paris - Kind of funny, not spectacular.
15. The Rocker - Not all that funny, even with Rainn Wilson being in it. Was slightly a disappointment, even though my expectations were low.
16. Say Anything - Basically your typical 80's rom-com fare. I'm surprised I'd never seen it until now.
17. The Count of Monte Cristo - My roommate made me watch this, but it's not really my type of movie at all.
18. Burn After Reading - This was okay. It had its funny moments, but overall it was sort of lackluster.
19. Dirty Dancing - To add to my list of 80's movies that I'd never seen until now, I thought this was good. Not great, but I have yet to see a movie made in the 80's that I would consider great :-/
20. Trainspotting
21. Blow
22. 17 Again - I was way too distracted by Zac Efron's good looks to pay any attention to the plot of this movie. Oh well. Totally worth it.
23. When Harry Met Sally
24. Rachel Getting Married - Wow, this was a disappointment.
25. I Am Sam - This movie was completely heartbreaking! I think I literally cried through like half of it. So good.
26. He's Just Not That Into You - This was sort of long, but very cute! I'd watch it again.
27. Taken - So this is basically a stream of Liam Neeson kicking ass. It's alright, but not all that spectacular.
28. The Hangover - Basically your typical raunchy comedy. This was hilarious, and it had that hot guy from He's Just Not That Into You in it, so bonus points there. Actually, bonus points on the casting in general. It also had Jeffrey Tambor and Ed Helms. So yeah.
29. The Proposal - I went into this movie with really high expectations mainly based on Ryan Reynolds' hysterical performance in Just Friends. The movie was funny and enjoyable, but nothing particularly special.
30. Transformers 2 - For an action movie this was definitely of high quality. I enjoyed it, but hadn't seen the first one so I was slightly confused at first. If you like a constant stream of explosions, this is the movie for you.
31. My Sister's Keeper - This was just... so, so bad! So bad! I was bored out of my mind to be honest, and I wasn't moved to tears in the slightest. Really dumb.
32. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - I haven't read the sixth or seventh Harry Potter books, so it was the first time I'd seen one of the movies without actually knowing what would happen. It was alright, but it seemed like it was one big buildup for the two-part seventh film. Nothing much happened, but I'm sure that it's important to see before seeing the seventh ones. Plus, Daniel Radcliffe is my one true celebrity love, so seeing him was worth it on it's own ;-)
33. G-Force - I took my eight-year-old cousin to see this. Typical kiddie fare.
34. (500) Days of Summer - This was such a unique movie! It was wonderful, even though it had a very frustrating Once-like ending. Also, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is absolutely adorable. This was seriously one of my favorite movies of the year, and lived up to all my expectations. Plus, it has a great soundtrack.
35. The Terminal - I picked this up at Newbury Comics after seeing parts of it a long time ago and remembering it was good. It was, in fact, as good as I thought it would be. Very much a feel-good movie with a fun plot.
36. Adventureland - This movie legitimately captured the essence of summer in a way that I can't even fully grasp. It was refreshing to see characters who weren't in high school in a movie like this, too. And the soundtrack? Excellent.
37. Sunshine Cleaning - Ew, this was pretty lame. I was expecting more Little Miss Sunshine and less morose drama.
38. Away We Go - I was sort of disappointed by this. I thought it would be better, especially because of how much I love John Krasinski. It was really nothing special.
39. New York, I Love You - I liked this one much better than Paris, Je T'aime! Some of the shorts were far better than others, but I loved the casting choices. And the last short with Eli Wallach was the most adorable thing in the entire world.
40. Un Secret - I had to watch this for French class. It was interesting, not really my cup of tea, but not awful either.
41. Empire Records - Oh man, I kind of loved this. It was so 90s and cliche and fantastic!
42. Entr'acte - For French Film class, not a fan.
43. Un Chien andalou - For class again, this was so strange.
44. La Noire de - For class, didn't like this at all.
45. Zero de conduite - As far as class films go, this one wasn't awful, but it wasn't particularly amazing either.
46. La Rue cases-negres - Watched for class, hated this.
47. La Promesse - For class, wasn't bad at all.
48. Les Enfants du paradis - For class, this one was so long! Very Gone With The Wind-esque, so I didn't really love it.
49. Nuit et brouillard - For class, super gory and disturbing.
50. Afrique, je te plumerai - For class, documentary on Cameroon, next please.
51. La Regle du jeu - For class, this one was actually very good! Definitely an early example of a romantic comedy done right.
52. New Moon - Meh, this was Twilight. My expectations were low. Better than the first, cinematically speaking, but I probably wouldn't see it again.
53. Brothers - This was a disappointment. Literally all of the best parts of the film were in the trailer, and this was essentially just a whole lot of dialogue and not much else.
54. Up In The Air - Saw this in an advance screening, it was good. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but wouldn't watch it again.
55. Paper Heart - Not as good as I thought it would be! *sigh*
What I'd Like to See/Upcoming Releases:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. New Moon
4. Rachel Getting Married
5. The Duchess
6. 500 Days of Summer
7. Sunshine Cleaning
8. Last Night
9. Revolutionary Road
10. New York, I Love You
11. Adventureland
12. He's Just Not That Into You
13. Taken
14. Away We Go
15. Rudo Y Cursi
16. My Sister's Keeper
17. The Proposal
18. Pirate Radio
19. Paper Heart
20. Adam
21. The Time Traveler's Wife
22. All About Steve
23. Extract
24. Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
25. Fame
26. The Invention of Lying
27. Bright Star
28. Paris
29. I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell
30. An Education
31. Nine
32. Did You Hear About The Morgans?
33. Brothers
34. Dare
35. Up In The Air
36. Uncertainty
37. When In Rome
38. Valentine's Day*****
39. Dear John