Charade

Current IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
My Rating: 8.2/10

I love Audrey Hepburn. She did no wrong and was so elegant and amusing with everything. This movie only further proves that. Her back and forth dialogue with Cary Grant is amazing throughout the movie. I could watch this one many more times and still laugh.

Frenzy

Current IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
My Rating: 7.6/10

I have to say, even though this is a well made and interesting movie, I was a little disappointed. I guess this is representative of the place Hitchcock was in his career: everyone expected so much and yet gave him little to no recognition when his masterpieces would come out. This is another masterpiece, but not one of his greatest.

Wizard of Gore

Current IMDB Rating: 5.4/10
My Rating: 5.8/10

Under any normal circumstances this would have been an absolutely horrible movie that would not have deserved more than a 4 rating. I am, however, one to watch movies and see how they should have and could have turned out. It's one of the reasons why I love Showgirls. The terrible acting, editing, dialogue, and special effects make this movie nearly unbearable, but I still enjoyed myself. It's like watching something you'd make with your friends if your friends had some money. But it's fairly easy to see how this movie could have been made (with a little more money and professional actors) into a decent horror movie.

Terminator Salvation

Current IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
My Rating: 7.9/10

I have to say, if I had seen the first two Terminator movies (I've seen the third) this one may have made more sense. However, the movie did stand on its own in creating a story that needed no knowledge of the other movies, I just wish I knew how it fit in. The special effects were lacking at the beginning, but increased dramatically in quality as the movie went on. I was impressed and it was more than I had expected going in.

Star Trek

Current IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
My Rating: 8.5/10

I have to say I was very impressed by this movie. I thought it might turn out like the X-Files films where they took the TV show and made it into something very stupid, but they did a great job. I was impressed by the acting, the story, and the special effects. One of the best movies I've seen this year.

For Your Consideration

Current IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
My Rating: 7.8/10

I thought this movie was a very eye-opening satire of Hollywood. It was so much fun to watch Catherine O'Hara in the main role of an actress hoping to get nominated for an Oscar. I also liked how real life mirrored the movie where she was supposed to get nominated for this role and never did. Overall, a very well made and funny movie.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Current IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
My Rating: 9.2/10

As much as I want to hate this movie - I know it sticks to a formula, I know it has all the flashbacks, I know it's a near copy of Forrest Gump, but it's a wonderful copy of Forrest Gump! I never would have watched this movie if it hadn't been for the fact that Criterion picked it up and decided to release it. I thought, maybe it's worth a shot. And it was. The movie kept my attention and I really liked how they placed the present scenes during the hours leading up to Hurricane Katrina. Very good.

The Wrestler

Current IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
My Rating: 8.0/10

This was, overall, a very impressive effort. Nowhere near as amazing as Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, but very well done. I was not familiar with Mickey Rourke before this movie, but I can see why he was nominated for nearly everything this year. My question comes the the supporting role of the stripper by Marisa Tomei, I know she got nominated for an Oscar, but I don't know why. She was in the movie for a very short time and it wasn't all that memorable to me.

Slumdog Millionaire

Current IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
My Rating: 7.6/10

I have to say, after finishing this movie, I don't really understand what all of the fuss is about. Maybe nobody's seen a Bollywood movie before where everything in this movie seemed like something new and original. To me it was a repetitive story of boy meets girl, loses girl, gets girl, loses girl, etc. There was a little suspense to push the story forward, but it's really nothing more than an interesting movie to watch on a slow weekend afternoon.

Top 100 Movies of All Time

Seeing as it's nearly impossible to find the name of every movie I've ever seen, I'm using several different lists to help me decide on the 100. This includes a list of the 1000 greatest movies ever made, an old top 80 list I made a while back, a list of Disney movies, and some more recent movies I can remember off the top of my head... plus my own DVD collection.

As I watch more films and rate them on this site I will add them into my top 100 list.


100. Toy Story 2 (8.1)
099. Hairspray (8.1)
098. Kill Bill Volume 1 (8.1)
097. Airplane! (8.1)
096. Charade (8.2)
095. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (8.2)
094. The Evil Dead (8.2)
093. Mars Attacks! (8.2)
092. The Descent (8.2)
091. Groundhog Day (8.2)
090. Juno (8.3)
089. The Thing (8.3)
088. The Mist (8.3)
087. Rent (8.3)

086. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (8.3)
085. Finding Nemo (8.3)
084. High Tension (8.3)
083. The Rules of Attraction (8.3)
082. To Kill a Mockingbird (8.4)
081. Breakfast At Tiffany's (8.4)
080. Toy Story (8.4)
079. Showgirls (8.4)
078. Little Miss Sunshine (8.5)
077. Shock Corridor (8.5)
076. Star Trek (8.5)
075. Mommie Dearest (8.5)
074. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (8.5)
073. Labyrinth (8.5)
072. M (8.6)
071. Moulin Rouge! (8.6)
070. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (8.6)
069. United 93 (8.6)
068. Citizen Kane (8.7)
067. Full Metal Jacket (8.7)
066. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (8.7)
065. Poltergeist (8.7)
064. The Dreamers (8.7)
063. The Hours (8.7)
062. Network (8.7)
061. Young Frankenstein (8.8)
060. Fargo (8.8)
059. The Night of the Hunter (8.8)

058. Frozen River (8.9)
057. The Last House on the Left (8.9)
056. 12 Angry Men (8.9)
055. The Green Mile (8.9)
054. The Lives of Others (8.9)
053. Choke (8.9)
052. Erin Brockovitch (8.9)
051. 1984 (9.0)
050. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (9.0)
049. The Dark Knight (9.0)
048. The Nightmare Before Christmas (9.0)
047. Mean Girls (9.0)
046. The Devil Wears Prada (9.1)
045. Crash (9.1)
044. Capote (9.1)
043. Wait Until Dark (9.1)
042. Pulp Fiction (9.2)
041. Lost In Translation (9.2)
040. The Departed (9.2)
039. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (9.2)
038. Titanic (9.2)
037. Mrs. Doubtfire (9.2)
036. Philadelphia (9.2)
035. The Usual Suspects (9.3)
034. Misery (9.3)
033. Dancer in the Dark (9.3)
032. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (9.4)
031. Alien (9.4)
030. Brazil (9.4)
029. Milk (9.4)
028. Rosemary's Baby (9.4)
027. Metropolis (9.5)
026. Edward Scissorhands (9.5)
025. Carrie (9.5)
024. Eyes Wide Shut (9.5)
023. Videodrome (9.5)
022. Pan's Labyrinth (9.5)
021. A Clockwork Orange (9.5)
020. Threads (9.5)
019. Halloween (9.5)
018. Donnie Darko (9.6)
017. The Notebook (9.6)
016. Beauty and the Beast (9.6)
015. Ever After: A Cinderella Story (9.6)
014. V for Vendetta (9.6)
013. American Beauty (9.6)
012. There Will Be Blood (9.7)
011. Doubt (9.7)
010. Schindler's List (9.7)
009. Gone With The Wind (9.7)
008. WALL-E (9.7)
007. Pink Floyd: The Wall (9.7)
006. 2001: A Space Odyssey (9.7)
005. Requiem For A Dream (9.8)
004. Psycho (9.8)
003. The Exorcist (9.8)
002. The Shining (9.8)
001. The Silence of the Lambs (9.8)

Wait Until Dark

Current IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
My Rating: 9.1/10

There is absolutely nothing like the classic thrillers. I would put this one right up with Psycho. There is amazing acting, and a story that is purposely set up to keep you on the edge of your seat... and it does! The ending of the movie has gone down in film history as one of the most suspenseful endings ever and I completely agree.

Doubt

Current IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
My Rating: 9.8/10

I honestly, honestly have not felt this way about the acting in a movie since I first saw The Silence of the Lambs or watched Ellen Burstyn's performance in Requiem for a Dream. I absolutely love this movie. It's beautiful and heartbreaking to watch at the same time. Some of the greatest living actors play off each other in ways that completely blow my mind.
I also love how the movie is unresolved. Normally this would be a big problem, but in this film you are left unsure of who the good guy was and who is the bad guy. It's an amazing twist that is left up to you to figure out.
I've watched this movie twice today and if I weren't so tired I would watch it again!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Current IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
My Rating: 7.6/10

So this year I've decided to give Woody Allen another chance. After having to sit through absolute crap like Annie Hall before, I wasn't too big on giving him another shot, but after liking Shadows and Fog earlier this year I thought I'd give his newest movie a chance.
I actually really liked this film. I thought the story could have moved a little faster, but the acting was amazing. The story really kept me interested overall and was a nice distraction from all of the homework I've had piled on me.
My only real gripe is the annoying narrator. He will pop in every so often to give you extra totally unimportant information. I think this movie would have been a lot better if the audience got to know Vicky and Cristina through their actions instead of being told what to think of them and who they are.

Obsessed

Current IMDB Rating: 3.8/10
My Rating: 6.5/10

Despite my rating for this movie, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I laughed throughout the entire movie, not as much because the movie was laughable (though there were parts that were), but because it was a fun movie. Overall, I was right by saying, before the movie, that this would be the Showgirls of this decade. Showgirls meaning totally campy, but a lot of fun to watch.

Observe and Report

(I won't be including as many pictures with my posts because they seem to keep disappearing.)

Current IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
My Rating: 6.8/10

I like my comedy quick and witty and unexpected. This isn't that. Although most of the comedy is extremely unexpected... EXTREMELY unexpected... it isn't really quick or witty. A lot of gross out humor that pushes envelopes that haven't been touched since John Waters made his last movie. There are about two full minutes at the end of the movie where a fat man runs around a mall in the nude and ends with him being shot and blood flying everywhere. By that point in the movie my mind had been so warped (as far as not knowing how to react to certain scenes) that I ended up cracking up at the man being shot. It was not pretty. So, I do think this movie was put together well, and I don't think anyone other than Rogen could have played the main role, but it is very awkward and not what I was expecting at all from the previews. Go into it with a very open mind.

The Haunting in Connecticut

Current IMDB Rating: Not Yet Rated
My Rating: 7.8/10

As I felt upon watching The Last House on the Left recently, I feel with this movie. A dramatic film with scary or horrifying moments is always better than a horror film that tries to be dramatic. This is the case with The Haunting in Connecticut. It reminded me a little of The Exorcism of Emily Rose where the story began being about something else and then turned into a scary movie. Overall, I liked it. I thought some of the logic in some parts was a little off, but the way everything was revealed toward the ending was good and not at all like a Saw movie where it keeps you in the dark the whole time and explains the entire hour and a half in about 30 seconds.

Dream Boy

Current IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
My Rating: 6.8/10

This was an okay movie with an okay cast acting out an okay story. It was enough to hold my attention and there were some interesting moments. I wish some parts had been staged differently and some parts had been re-cast, but I guess if it hadn't been done this way the movie wouldn't have been made at all. A nice movie for a night when there's not much else to do.

Change in the Blog Format

I'm changing my blog to include music I listen to and books I read. Anytime I hear a good song or album or read a good book, I'll include it on the blog. Thanks for reading!

Last House on the Left

Current IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
My Rating: 8.9/10

I couldn't believe how amazing this movie was. It sets everything up perfectly to make the viewer feel the strongest emotions possible in film. By the end of the movie you are completely at the mercy of the story. Even though it tears through you in ways you wish it wouldn't, I loved it from beginning to end.

MirrorMask

Current IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
My Rating: 7.0/10

I hesitate rating this so high, but the longer I think about the film, the more I like it, so I thought I'd nudge it up a few points. First off, I hated the music. I thought it ruined much of the drama the film could have had. Beyond that, the movie seemed to be a near-direct rip off of one of my favorite films Labyrinth. That said, it was a good rip off. I did not enjoy it as much as its source material, but it was imaginative and well done.