Travis’ 2011 Movie Rankings! Part 3

We’re down to the 44 movies I really liked this year!

Movies I really Liked
44. The Thing (2011) – The makeup was better in the first, but this was a lot of fun
43. Fright Night – I really liked this 80s favorite. A fun scary, funny, interesting movie.
42. Harry Brown – This movie was badass. Like an old guy Taken. I love Taken.
41. Captain America (2011) – This movie wasn’t perfect, but I love it and there was some good action
40. Unknown (2011) – Also like Taken, but actually with Taken in it. Taken 2! I think thats really coming.
39. I Stand Alone – I love me some Noe. It’s a really great movie. Not his best, but I like it.
38. The Adjustment Bureau (2011) (In Theater) – This movie didn’t quite meet my extraordinarily high expectations, but I still really liked it in retrospect.
37. An Education – Such a sweet movie. I love Nick Hornby.
36. Jackie Brown – Oh yea! I love Tarantino. So sad I never watched it before.
35. Winters Bone – I love this movie. Totally hardass. I want more.
34. Rosemary’s Baby – I can’t believe it took me this long to watch this movie. So amazing.
33. Sleepaway Camp – Not a great movie overall, but MAN what a crazy ass ending
32. I Am Number Four – Another healthy case of me liking something few else like.
31. The Box – Richard Kelly might be wild, but I like his stuff and this one counts.
30. Insidious – Lots of crazy sh*t happened in this movie and I liked almost all of it.
29. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) (In-Theater) – Its a heck of a scary movie. Loved seeing it in the theater. Not my favorite of the trio, but I still look forward to #4.
28. The Wild Bunch – Classic Western. One of my faves now. Note to self: watch more westerns.
27. Source Code (2011) – I dig this movie. Not gods gift to time travel, but I enjoy it.

Movies I’d Recommend Without Concern
26. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – This is the OG Psychological Thriller. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like it since. No one even tries to copy it.
25. Interview with a Vampire – People seem to hate it, but I think this movie is completely badass. Pitt, Cruise, Dunst, Bandaras. Love it.
24. Trick R Treat – This movie is completely badass. I’m not sure how this movie evaded my grasp for so long, but I’m so happy that I have it now.
23. Contagion (2011) (In-Theater) – I’m still effected by this movie. It’s a very strong film with some really strong performances.

And that’s it for part 3. I’m going to go all out and get all of the rankings into part 4. Hope you enjoy!

Travis’ 2011 Movie Rankings! Part 2

Lets keep going here! It’s on to the top 83 movies… lets hope they all get in on this post:

Liked it, but not a Lot.
83. Eagle Eye – Action packed and I like some of the things involved. I’ll admit it.
82. The Queen – Good performances and an interesting story i guess.
81. Daybreakers – Love a good take on vampires and post-apocalypse.
80. Jane Eyre (2011) (In-Theater) – The cinematography was great, but I guess I don’t LOVE the story.
79. I Love You Phillip Morris – Cute, good performances, somewhat funny.
78. Special – Hilarious concept. Not perfect execution, but some really great moments.
77. Man Bites Dog – Good Found Footage movie. slow at parts, but overall worth it.
76. Halloween 2 – Slash for the sake of slash… which I like.
75. Battle: Los Angeles (2011) – Not great, but good special effects and action.
74. Green Lantern (2011) – This movie stunk, but I like Green Lantern so it goes in the “like” category.
73. The Book of Eli – Love dysotopian stories. This one not great, but ok.
72. The Wind That Shakes the Barley – I get why it did well, but it was boring at many times.
71. The Unforseen – Good Doc, but ultimately not great.
70. Peeping Tom – Good forgotten horror movie. Cool concept. Not perfect, but good.

Straight Up Good Movie (but not Great)
69. The Devil Came on Horseback – Good Doc with tragic moments. Caution to squeamish types.
68. Kung Fu Panda – I’ll admit, I liked it. Sue me.
67. Broken Flowers – Good movie, but a Jarmusch can only get so high on my list.
66. Priceless – This movie was cute. Love me some Audrey Tautou
65. District B-13 – This was a badass Freestyle Walking movie. recommended for action fans.
64. Eraserhead – WHAT THE FRICK HAPPENS IN THIS MOVIE?!?!?!?!
63. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – Whales and 80s earth. But still, I like it.
62. Unstoppable – This movie wasn’t perfect but i love the stars so much that its good for me.
61. The Green Hornet (2011) – I like many aspects of this movie. I think its worth a watch.
60. Out of Sight – More Clooney-Soderbergh, this one far cooler, sexier, stuff.
59. Troll Hunter (2011) (In-Theater) – I dig this movie very much; highly suggested for odd-movie fans.
58. The Lady Vanishes – Hitchcock stuff is so good. This one was good too
57. Stake Land (2011) (In-Theater) – A fun Vampire movie. Low Budget fun.
56. Millions – Love me some Danny Boyle, though less on this one than his others.
55. Eden Log – This is a weird underground movie, but good for sci-fi fans.

Here’s Where They Really Start Getting Good:
54. Red State (2011) – Surprising horror movie from Kevin Smith. True Surprises within.
53. Brokeback Mountain – Finally managed to see this. Long, but I really loved it.
52. Tron Legacy – I know I’m a nerd for liking this but I thought this was really fun.
51. Thor (2011) (In-Theater) – Again, most people might disagree, but I enjoyed it and would suggest it for superhero fans.
50. Monsters – I love this movie’s concept. It goes a little slowly, but I’d watch it again.
49. Jumper – This is a much hated movie, but I gotta say I like it, wish more would. Would love a sequel.
48. A Tale of Two Sisters – Great Korean horror. I love it. It is blissfully creepy.
47. REC 2 – This movie does a really good job for a horror sequel. Heard the 3rd one is coming out soon.
46. The Rape of Europa – One of my favorite docs I saw this year. Very interesting WWII story.
45. Sherlock Holmes – Another one people love to hate, but I thought it was good, tbh

Ok, thats it for this time… Lets move on to part 3!

Movie Review #97: Battle: Los Angeles

There was a time this year when I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. Let me see if I can find those posts… OH. Here’s one! #3 with a bang. I ended up seeing #2 in the theatre and i still dont know what the hell happened to Perfect Sense (Though I still want to).

Anyway, I thought this movie looked amazing, but most of that “amazing” was smoke and mirrors created from an amazing marketing campaign.

You see what they did was made this movie seem really indie and unique. They used this weird soundtrack in the trailer that made it seem so dark and horrifying. What we ended up with though was a fairly standard aliens v humans action movie. I’m not trying say there have been a ton of those, but this one doesn’t stand out from the pack in any way.

I think I get the jist of what they tried to do here though. I think the director/screenwriter were trying to create a sort of a “Black Hawk Down” of alien movies. They were saying to themselves “Lets make a super realistic war movie. It will just so happen that the army that the marines are fighting against are Aliens. Big Whoop.”

It doesn’t work though. Well, let me rephrase. They don’t follow through. The first half of the movie sets up to be hyper realistic, but then things truly slip as they try to add more and more exciting aspects, and lets not forget that the rag-tag bunch of marines has to win, right?

I mean, don’t leave it up to a scientist or a general or admiral to figure out a way to beat the baddies. Lets have that be an average Luitenant that figures everything out. Do you think that’s the way it happens in real movies? Generals dont really have anything to do with it. If anything, they usually cause trouble by making people withdraw, right?

This movie would have been best if they just tried to escape. If the movie was “Shit is going down. We might figure out how to beat them, we might not, but all you care about is if this set of marines can get in and out.” That would have been a great movie that didn’t cheat the viewer. Instead it fell violently short. Lets rank some Alien-Action movies…

10. Skyline
9. The Arrival
8. Dreamcatcher
7. War of the Worlds
6. Battle: LA
5. Predator
4. Signs
3. Independence Day
2. Aliens
1. District 9

Can you think of any I’ve forgotten? Agree with my rankings?

Anticipation Rankings 8/10

Apollo 18

I really dont know what to think about this movie, but I think i’m pretty damn excited about it. The marketing has been excellent and I really like the idea of the found footage alien movie and such. I’m not entirely sure thats what we’re going to get but I’m still game for it. I give this 4 ET Phone Homes

Shark Night 3D

I can get behind a useless Horror flick as much as anyone, but to be honest, this one is surely going to wash out in the mix. There are a ton of scary movies coming out this fall and I don’t think this one is going to stack up. I saw piranha in the theatre last year and it was fun, i guess, but didn’t make me up and want to head out and do it all over. Final Destination and the like are going to outdo this one this year for me. I give it 5 shark bites that aren’t inspiring.

Contagion

THIS is going to be the big one. ALL THE STARS in this one for a horror movie it really has to be a great movie. I think this might be one of those non-teen movies that is going to be very successful. Soderbergh can really get the stars to come out and play and as long as he’s not getting them to do Oceans movies anymore, I’m cool with it. I give this 3 Solaris’.

32. Twilight: Breaking Dawn (11/18)
31. One Day (8/19)
30. The Help (8/10)
29. The Smurfs (Out Now!)
28. Friends with Benefits (Out Now)
27. Zookeeper (Out Now!)
26. Shark Night 3D (9/2)
25. The Change-Up (Out Now!)
24. Cars 2 (Out now!)
23. Crazy, Stupid, Love (Out Now!)
22. Final Destination 5 (8/12)
21. Bad Teacher (Out now!)
20. Midnight in Paris (Out Now!)
19. Columbiana (8/26)
18. The Skin I Live in (10/14)
17. The Hangover 2 (Out Now!)
16. The Trip (Out Now!)
15. Our Idiot Brother (8/26)
14. Apollo 18 (9/2)
13. Attack the Block (Out Today!)
12. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (8/26)
11. The Debt (8/31)
10. The Immortals (11/11)
9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Out Now!)
8. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Out Now!)
7. 30 Minutes or Less (8/12)
6. Cowboys & Aliens (OutToday!)
5. The Tree of Life (Out Now!)
4. Conan the Barbarian (8/19)
3. Contagion (9/9)
2. Fright Night (8/19)
1. Captain America: The First Avenger (Out Now!)

THE “GO SEE THIS” Rankings!

5. Bridesmaids
4. Horrible Bosses
3. Super 8
2. X-Men First Class
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Travis Top 100: Post #1

To start, I suppose I should remind you of the back story here. Check this post for the idea and concept. Then check this page to see Where these posts end up.

So, I suppose we should start at the top…

1. It’s A Wonderful Life

It should come as no surprise to my closest friends that this is my all-time favorite movie. This list will grow and movies will shift, but this movie will always live at the top. I’ve seen this movie more than any other movie and it still gets to me every time I watch it. I guarantee I WILL cry at least once, probably twice while watching it. I can quote every line; I use quotes from it daily in my life. I use the characters as reminders of what it is to be a good person, to give of oneself without regret. There is no movie that means more to me and I seriously doubt there ever will be.

2. Memento

Memento is probably the smartest movie I have ever seen. It is not only one of the most intriguing story lines in the history of film, but it is told in such an impressive manner. The idea of telling the story backwards and forwards at the same time, intertwined, one in color, the other black and white, the story heading toward the middle… There’s never been anything like it. But it is also made amazing by a tone that is rarely perfectly struck; its sad and depressing while being thrilling and mysterious. It’s both heavy and fast paced. I love every second of it still to this day.

This movie doesn’t get an above & below, just a below, because after all, it’s second. So why is it not as good as It’s A Wonderful Life? Well, it really all comes down to emotion. I care for the characters here, but not nearly as much as IaWL. That’s not a fair fight, but sometimes it simply can’t be. Some of these will be closer than this, but this isn’t one. I call this a “distant second”.

So, this is just a base. I’ll typically be adding 2 new movies per post, since it will usually take 100 words to say why i like it and 100 to say why it’s above and below the other movies. Since I do 400 words per post, ipso facto, 2 movies. Easy right? So hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll have my top 100 movies. Keep your fingers crossed.

Thriller Movie Fight #3: Seven vs. Memento

Seven: 8.7
Memento: 8.7

Finally, we’ve got ourselves a tough one.

Memento is one of my top 5 favorite movies all time, so it’s going to be impossible for me to vote against it, especially in this genre. Don’t get my wrong. Seven is probably in my top 50 movies of all time, but Memento is one of those special movies that completely breaks the mold. It goes after something that other movies rarely attempt. It forces you to use your entire brain to piece together what is happening, while still toying with your emotions and keeping you guessing. Its such an exciting ride and completely filled with emotions. Who killed his wife?! Who!?

I have to vote for Memento, but I can’t wait to hear the arguments for why Seven is better. BRING IT PEOPLE!

The Quest for Travis’ Top 100

So, I’ve decided to start another project on the movie fight here. We’ve got a good project going that is going to lead to us having the beginnings of a ranking for every genre. We’ve got the horror movie tournament moving into the sweet 16, which is great. I like doing the action movie league as well. And of course, I have the normal reviews.

But all in all, there’s something missing. There needs to be 1 more thing. There has to be a reason for it all. And so… I’ve decided to start writing my personal top 100 movies. It’s not going to be an easy process. There’s going to be a lot of hemming an hawing. There’s maybe going to be some shifting up and down of movies, but that’s ok. I think that a persons top movie list should be allowed to be fluid. Sometimes you’re in a mood for a certain type of movie. Sometimes something can be hot right now for you, but lose it’s luster over time. And vice versa, something can grow on you over time.

The key is this: I don’t know what my top 100 is. I don’t even know what my top 10 is. Therefore, sometimes movies are going to go into the list somewhere in the middle. I’m going to try to get them right, but I don’t know for sure. This must be a science, not guess work.

OK, so, how shall I begin? Well, Here’s what I know. I have a few movies that are for sure going to be in that top 100. It’s a Wonderful Life, Memento, Adaptation, Children of Men, Dark Knight, etc. What I’m going to do is write a 50-100 word paragraph about what I love about that movie. Then I’m going to write a 50-100 word paragraph about why i’ve put it above the movie below it and below the movie above it. I’ll do this until i fill the 400 word quota for the post.

Then, you can go over to the Travis’ Top 100 list and see all of the paragraphs for which I talk about that movie and where they all stack up. Over time, I’ll make it to 100 and past. When a movie falls out of the top 100, I’ll remove the paragraph and just have it posted in a “next 100” list or something. This might seem a little confusing right now, but I assure you, it will all make sense in time.

I think it’s going to be a fun project. Hopefully later this week or soon, I’ll find a way to get started here and you’ll see what I mean. The one caveat I should mention… this is a little atypical for TMF. THere will be no voting. These are my personal lists. You can help me, participate, comment, let your feelings be known, but it wont effect the rankings the way it would with every other rankings list.

OK, so we’re off and running. I can’t wait!

Thriller Movie Fight #1: The Dark Knight vs. Pulp Fiction

Lets discuss the thriller Genre:

No! Not that type of thriller.

THIS TYPE of thriller.
A thriller is a movie that “uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements.” Also: “Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer’s moods such as; a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, suspense, excitement, tension, terror.”

So… that being said, I think there is a clear winner here. While Pulp Fiction is one helluva movie, I’m not sure there was a lot of “what’s going to happen?!!?” It’s more like “OMG I can’t believe that just happened”. I’d dare say The Dark Knight has an absolute ton of “whoa, where did that come from?” as well, but it also has a great amount of “how is batman gonna get out of THIS one!”

I’m a sucker though. I could easily consider The Dark Knight to be one of the best MOVIES ever, let alone any genre you put it in (comedy included, dammit!). Another point is that not all Superhero movies are thrillers, but THIS ONE IS and it’s a damn good one. So I vote for Dark Knight.

How about you? Do you have my back here?

Anticipation Rankings: 7/21

Here are some movies from August or as I like to call it, the HOT ONE!

The Help

This one isn’t for me. I’m not a big fan of this type of drama overall. I much more of an action sci-fi or horror type of guy. Then, after that, maybe some comedy. Last, I guess I could go for some social drama. So… I’m guessing this one’s not going to make it very high on my list. I give it 2 driving miss daisies.

Fright Night

Ok, NOW we’re talking! Just rented and watched the original of this movie on purpose for the anticipation of this movie. You’ll be seeing that review soon, but the fact is that this movie is coming out is really exciting to me. I loved the first one, but I honestly hope this movie is nothing like it. Good thing is, it looks like it is completely different. I’m really looking forward to seeing Checkov in this role. I like that kid. I give this 2 Vampires next door.

Attack the Block

This movie is right up my alley as well. It’s like the ghetto, nowadays version of Super 8. I love seeing goonies kids fighting off something that should be left for adults/war machines. It’s a fun time every time. I hear tell that this is a big one and people that have seen it say it’s super excellent. You should check it out, like I will. I give this 4 Shawn or Shaun of the deads.

OK, heres the updated list….

27. Monte Carlo (Out Now!)
26. The Help (8/10)
25. The Smurfs (7/29)
24. Friends with Benefits (Out Tomorrow!)
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (out now!)
22. Zookeeper (Out Now!)
21. The Change-Up (8/5)
20. Cars 2 (Out now!)
19. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Out Now!)
18. Crazy, Stupid, Love (7/29)
17. Final Destination 5 (8/12)
16. Larry Crowne (Out Now!)
15. Bad Teacher (Out now!)
14. Midnight in Paris (Out Now!)
13. The Skin I Live in (11/??)
12. The Hangover 2 (Out Now!)
11. The Trip (Out Now!)
10. Attack the Block (7/29)
9. The Immortals (11/11)
8. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (8/5)
7. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Out Now!)
6. 30 Minutes or Less (8/12)
5. Cowboys & Aliens (7/29) (Movin’ Up the List!)
4. The Tree of Life (Out Now!)
3. Conan the Barbarian (8/19)
2. Fright Night (8/19)
1. Captain America: The First Avenger (Out Tomorrow!) (New #1!)

THE “GO SEE THIS” Rankings!

6. Green Lantern
5. Bridesmaids
4. Horrible Bosses
3. Super 8
2. X-Men First Class
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Rankings Update Sunday #1

Hey there folks. Just a quick reminder of the movie lists that I’ve made updates to this week as a result of our various fights…

The Comedy movie rankings has had a few updates from a few weeks ago.

We’ve got 2 updates to the Family Movie Rankings, which has had few before this, so thats exciting.

We’ve got 2 Adventure movie Updates to make too.

In addition, fights that have taken place in the Horror Tournament have lead to me adjusting those rankings accordingly. Have a looksie at the Horror Movie Rankings. They’re not finished, but its a work in progress.

Movie Review #68: Millions

I can’t remember precisely what happened; sometime ago I went on a fit of wanting to watch every and all Danny Boyle movies, even though I had already seen them all. I got Netflix to send me all of them that I didnt have and watched those that I did in quick time. 28 Days Later, followed by Sunshine, followed by Trainspotting, followed by Slumdog Millionaire. Hell, I even think The Beach made it in there somewhere.

But somehow or another in this mix, Millions got pushed back and never arrived in the comfy confines of my home. And I really like Millions (or at least I thought I did). What happened? Was I disrespecting this movie? Was it that this little cutesy british family film did not quite stack up against the other movies in the Boyle Filmography?

Millions v 28 Days Later: I think Millions has a lot of things that 28 Days doesnt. It has a moral, a reason for the story to be told. Millions has a moving story for that matter. EMOTIONS people! Plus, isn’t it a little easy to impress with a badass zombie movie? Well, I mean… thats a clever argument, but I still like 28 Days Later better.

Millions v Trainspotting: Should a movie really be allowed to stand on camera tricks and heavy stylization? Millions doesnt need all that. Its still got the Boyle “touch” but it’s easy to have an interesting story when you are working from such great source material. Furthermore, where is the morality in a bunch of grifting drugsters wandering the streets? …that being said… I still love Trainspotting more.

Millions v Slumdog Millionaire: Hmmm, interesting trend here. Movies about millions. Thats an interesting aspect of Boyle’s films. The underlying struggle of the classes in a world that is obsessed with money. I’d say that it was a bit of a cheap shot to go with the indian movie phenomenon and try to win a whole culture. Millions has a kid that loves saints. Thats not going to appeal to anyone and yet its still a good movie. However… I still love Slumdog more.

Millions v 127 Hours Ok, maybe this is a little bit better of a fight. Morality tales. Tales of growth and learning. Millions could claim to be a better movie by having the same stuggles, growth and change without having to resort to me seeing a guy cut his own arm off (spoiler!). But nah… 127 Hours is better.

Dang. This really is my least favorite Boyle movie.

Oh… except I forgot A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach… Maybe another time.

Anticipation Rankings: 5/15/11

Don’t tell anyone, but I’m fixin to go see the #1 movie on this list tonight. So… that leaves space for a potential NEW #1. Could it be one of these three???

X-Men: First Class

Holy Lord do i want to see this movie. I’m gonna watch the shit out of it. I’m going on Thursday midnight. I am going to lose my mind waiting for this movie. I love it. I can’t wait to see what they do. Its going to be wild. I don’t have the highest of hopes in the world, but I want to see it so bad! It’s going to #1. I give it 1000 X-Men 3’s which i only give .1, so thats 100 overall.

Super 8

Uh… just kidding with what I said above. This, in fact, is going to be my most anticipated movie. JJ Abrams last movie was Star Trek. I love Star Trek and not just for the nerd reasons… It’s… mostly because of the nerd reasons, but it’s also because of the moviemaking reasons. I love that movie and I’m almost 100% sure i’m gonna love this one too. Speilberg is a part of it too. SOLD! I give this 3 cloverfields, a Lost and a some Alias sprinkled on top.

Green Lantern

Why are all of these awesome movies coming out at once! Argh! I’m gonna watch em all SOOOOOO Much! This movie has the potential to be gawd awful, but it also has the potential to be pretty darn good. Green Lantern is such an awesome character, though little known by the general public. I probably have about 50 GL comics. Probably shouldn’t mention that and hope to get a lady, should I? Ok, i give this 4 push-ups and some abs.

19. Fast Five (Out Now!)
18. Kung Fu Panda (5/27) Ok I lied. I REALLY dont want to see Fast Five!
17. Prom (Out Now!)
16. Rio (Out Now!)
15. Something Borrowed (Out Now!)
14. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (5/20)
13. Water for Elephants (Out Now!)
12. Scream 4 (Out Now!)
11. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (Out Now!)
10. Insidious (Out Now!)
9. Hanna (Out Now!)
8. The Tree of Life (5/27)
7. The Hangover 2 (5/26)
6. Priest (Out Now!)
5. Everything Must Go (Out Now!)
4. Bridesmaids (Out Now, but not on this list for long…)
3. Green Lantern (6/17)
2. X-Men: First Class (6/3)
1. Super 8 (6/10)

How about any of you? Have something you’re looking forward to? Want to go see any of these with me?

Movie Review #50: Jane Eyre

I’ve been holding off making this post. Been very busy for one, but also, I don’t know if you know this, but this is The Movie Fight’s 300th post! OMG! Can you believe it? It’s been a long strange journey and we finally made it. So, besides just being busy, I really want to have a really great post for the 300th post.

My initial plan was to do something grandiose. I was thinking I would go through the 300 posts and rank them from 300 to 1. That is an insanely huge task, one that I would have had to undertake quite a while ago in order to have it done anytime near on time. Furthermore, where would I rank this post. It would be very meta to put it in it’s own list. Anyway, instead, I went to the movies with Jessica and saw Jane Eyre.

My friend John said it was amazing and though I’m not sure I 100% agree, I’d say I at least 90% agree. It was a beautiful film, wonderfully shot. I enjoyed the story quite a bit and the performances were really good. But there was something that bothered me…

Did you see the trailer for this movie?

Now… have you read this book or seen this movie? Put the two together in your mind. Are you as blown away as I am that that trailer was allowed to go out? There is NOTHING in that trailer that has anything to do with the real story. WHO allowed that marketing department to make this trailer without having seen the film? They turned what is essentially a period piece, independent woman, smart film (which mind you, this movie actually pulls that off really well) and tries to make it into a mystery, ghost, vampire movie.

It’s acceptable that there is something creepy and mysterious going on in this movie, but in no way is the intention of this film to be a mystery. It’s a character examination. It’s a romance, a tragedy. There’s mystery, but it hardly drives the purpose of this film.

After the film, we had a long conversation about the character of Jane Eyre and how interesting it is that the most well known female characters from the time are intelligent snarky women. I’m thinking of Jane and the other that comes immediately to mind is Elisabeth Bennett. These characters are both smart, but completely independent willed, and if they weren’t that way, they would mean so much less to us as readers and would not be believable as someone to be desired. I really like this. I like that the snarky girl is the one that gets the guy, because for her, it’s about her wits, not about her beauty. It’s like the nerd getting the girl at the end of the movie, only in these cases its the pretty girl getting the guy instead of… the other pretty girl. Oh, and Jane basically had no competition, so I think she was golden.

So, I highly recommend this movie. It’s not a NEED to see in the theatre, but I doubt you’ll leave feeling disappointed. It’s got strong performances, great cinematography and direction. So, I recommend it, but you’ll probably survive if you dont see it in the theater.

Here’s where I put it in the 2011 Heirarchy…

5. The Rite
4. Jane Eyre
3. The Adjustment Bureau
2. Happythankyoumoreplease
1. I Saw the Devil

Anticipation Rankings: 3/17 – St Patty’s Edition

Well…. I mean, it’s not really a St Patrick’s day edition other than I’m delivering it to you on 3/17. I’ll try to give out rankings based on something green, I guess…

Peep World

This movie looks hilarious. It’s got an amazing cast. This movie truly has great potential. Sometimes I think that movies like this are destined for failure though. If you have a cast like this, why are you an indie movie? Why aren’t you the biggest thing to happen? Makes me nervous, you see. But, that being said, I’m pretty excited about this movie as a whole. I’ll see anything with Michael C Hall and anything with Sarah Silverman. It’s gotta be good, right? I give this movie ?? out of ?? Leprechauns.

Super

Now THIS movie looks badass and I CAN comprehend why it’s not a top seller, upfront. Scott Pilgrim, in my opinion was one of the greatest successes of 2011, but Hollywood would beg to differ. $$ is the key to all things. This movie might be completely badass and might be everything every nerd in the history of nerds wanted to see, but mom and pop middle america? They’re probably not going to spend 16$ on this. I, however, am going to love it. I give this 6 pints of Guinness and a shot of Jameson.

Hop

What the fuck is this? I thought I was ignoring kids movies? Well… ok, I guess it’s got a ton of big stars at the helm. I guess I’ll give it a shot. Ok, so what’s going on here? A bunny likes rock and roll? Got it. Ok. I hate it. Oh good, it’s coming out at Easter. Wonderful. Great. Ok. Lets move on. I give this .1 Loch Ness.

Your Highness

I think this is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, I’m totally sold by the idea of Danny McBride and James Franco. I’m also totally sold by Natalie Portman and the half-nudity she gave in the trailer. Yea. Sold. Oh yea, i’m into the dude from Pineapple Express too, I guess. That being said… isn’t there something a little off here? I mean, I get what they’re trying to do, but the jokes, doesn’t it seem like they’re not quite landing? I watched and watched, but I can’t see the good comedy. I dont know… I’m worried. I want to give it a shot, but I’m not looking too keenly. I give it 5 green beers.

32. The Way Back (Out Now!)
31. The Roommate (Out Now!)
30. Hop (4/1)
29. No Strings Attached (Out Now!)
28. Limitless (3/18)
27. Sanctum (Out Now!)
26. The Eagle (Out Now!)
25. The Mechanic (Out Now!)
24. Just Go With It (Out Now!)
23. I Am Number Four (Out Now!)
22. Jane Eyre (Out Now!)
21. Cedar Rapids (Out Now!)
20. The Green Hornet (Out Now!)
19. Beastly (Out Now!)
18. Drive Angry (Out Now!)
17. Hall Pass (Out Now!)
16. Rubber (4/1)
15. Your Highness (4/8)
14. Source Code (4/1)
13. Insidious (4/1)
12. Peep World (3/25)
11. Shelter (Out Now???)
10. Super (4/1)
9. Rango (Out Now!)
8. Take Me Home Tonight (Out Now!)
7. Unknown (Out Now!)
6. Vanishing on 7th Street (Out Now!)
5. Happythankyoumoreplease (Out Now!)
4. Battle: Los Angeles (Out Now!)
3. Perfect Sense (Unset, Released at Sundance)
2. I Saw The Devil (Out Now!)
1. Sucker Punch (3/25)

The Anticipation Rankings: 1/8/11

OK, so Season of the Witch is out now. I’m going to leave the it on the anticipation rankings because, well, heck, I’m not going to see it today. So, it stays until I see it (then it goes into the reviews pile), or until it leaves the theatre (which could be soon).

In order to get this going and have this be an interesting post, I gotta get a ton of movies on this list. And lets be frank… I’m enthusiastic about a TON of upcoming movies… so lets get em on the list!

The Way Back

Ok, so I don’t think i give a crap about this movie. Saw the trailer a while back, forgot about it, saw it was coming out on the 21st and then I was like, “oh yea…. eh” I liked Enemy at the Gates. Is it going to be like that? If so, I’m in. As far as I can tell though, this is a movie about some guys walking all the way across Russia. Could you pick a farther place to walk across?! I give this “1/10 Siberian Tigers” of excitement.

No Strings Attached

I’ve recently become convinced that somewhere in Hollywood, theres a group of drinking buddy screenwriters that have this ongoing joke-bet with one another. They go out drinking, going shot for shot with one another, and the game is that whoever barfs first has to write a romantic comedy about a shiftless layabout guy with two quirky best friends who falls in love with a girl who is so completely non-existent in the real world that comedy is inevitable. He then sells that movie for a bazillion dollars, he calls his screenwriter buddies and takes them out to the bar to celebrate and the game starts all over again. Drink, puke, laugh and point at friend, romantic comedy staring Rachel Bilson and Chris Evans. Then again… Natalie Portman is super cute… I give this “-1 Going-The-Distance”.

The Adjustment Bureau

Now THIS I’m excited about. First time i saw this trailer, I cant remember what movie i was going to see, but i wanted it to be over and March to be here so I could see this movie. I love this type of junk. Dark City, The Matrix movies like that. Mindbenders, you might call them. Movies that are as existentially philosophical as they exciting and taut. That being said, I haven’t seen the movie yet. But I do love Matt Damon (in a purely platonic way) and John Slattery is always badass. Emily Blunt is… ok. I suppose she’s ok in my book. We shall see though, shant we? I’m gonna give this “5 guys-in-suits-with-fedoras”.

So, the new rankings are:

6. The Way Back
5. The Dilemma
4. No Strings Attached
3. Season of the Witch
2.The Green Hornet
1. The Adjustment Bureau