Real Steel (2011)

Netflix DVD on 1/26/12
Welcome to Rockem Sockem Robots: The Movie! Anyone who tries to claim that this is anything different is lying. Though, if you go into it expecting Rockem Sockem Robots, this is a fantastically fun film. Hugh Jackman is the star, but he really isn't - the kid is. And the robot, Atom. This well deserves its nomination for Visual Effects - the robots seem absolutely like they are on set with the actors. And the fight scenes are pretty spectacular. I also really like the end - it's not quite fair, or what you expect. Sometimes it's nice to see a little deviation from formula.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

New Movies in Year Three: 129

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Brunswick Regal on 9/22/11
Even though I've never seen a Planet of the Apes film, I was excited to see this one because, honestly, I adore James Franco. And it's pretty fun! The CG apes look really unrealistic at times, but I enjoyed the facial expressions on Caesar (the grandfather of the intelligent apes) and the giant silverback gorilla was done well. Brian Cox is once again a slimy villain, as is Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy), but that's to be expected at this point. I would be shocked if I ever saw Brian Cox play a straight up good guy - and I still probably wouldn't trust him.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

New Movies in Year Three: 93

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Westbrook Cinemagic with Lauren on 9/14/11
This movie was awful. I had heard that people were saying that it was the first major flop of 2011 and all that, and I had assumed that maybe it wasn't great but that it was at least fun. Nope. It's awful. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are so far above this. Olivia Wilde's character secret? Really? And fighting the aliens magically bridges all of the characters' differences? And how the hell did that boat end up upside down anyway? Do yourself a big favor and skip this one.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars

New Movies in Year Three: 90

Them! (1954)

Movie Night with Adam, Lauren, Mike, Kat, Anna, and Sadie on 9/11/11
I have a huge soft spot for B horror movies from the 50s. This one in particular is awesome in how awful it is. Giant ants mutated by residual radiation from testing in the New Mexico desert demolish a small town then move on to eat Los Angeles. You all know that the B movie movement was in response to fear over nuclear war and the Cold War - this one is not as overt as Godzilla and not as ridiculous as Plan 9 From Outer Space. Totally a fun movie.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

New Movies in Year Three: 88

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

VHS on 7/30/11
Well, this is two and a half hours of my life that I will never get back. I absolutely refuse to call this a thriller, despite what Netflix and IMDB might say, because nothing. happens. At all. The words that sprang to mind halfway through this film were "long visual poem." That's not a good sign. I will say that the special effects are pretty awesome, given that it was 1968, and the music is iconic of course, but that is it. What was that acid trip daydream sequence at the end? Was HAL supposed to be menacing? I'm glad I watched it, because now I never have to watch it again.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars

New Movies in Year Three: 64

Paul (2011)

The Nick with Mike, Kat, Chris and Sadie on 3/22/11
After not loving Hot Fuzz as much as I wanted to, I was wary about this one. It's fantastic! I liked it as much as Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have written a very funny film that is self-aware enough to poke fun at itself alongside of some of the most beloved sci-fi films from the last 30 years. The cast is also great, with surprises popping up everywhere. Seth Rogen was the perfect voice for Paul. I was impressed that some of the alien effects were done with puppets instead of CGI. The blend is pretty good.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

New Movies in Year Three: 17

189. January 26, 2011 - Tron: Legacy (2010)

Giant. Waste. Of. Time. The visual style was not interesting in any way - if I wanted to watch an 80s video game for two hours, I'm sure I could find an arcade somewhere. Tones of black, gray, and blue are not visually exciting when that's all you see all the time. The bad guys were like the mutant love child of the Sith, the Cylons, and Cobra Commander and not in a good way. Cillian Murphy and Michael Sheen had great cameos, but that's all the good I can come up with.
My Netflix rating: 2 stars

163. December 12, 2010 - Splice (2010)

This is by far the most disturbing film I've seen in a while (though I'm going to see 127 Hours tonight, so we'll see how I feel after that). It was sort of under the radar when it first came out and didn't stick around very long, at least in New England. I think that it would have benefited from being released around Halloween - it seems an odd choice for early summer release. The girl who plays Dren (the genetically engineered thing that at various times looks like a wingless chicken, a velociraptor or a teenage girl with weird eyes and a tail) does a great job in communicating without speaking. The way she moves her head is downright creepy. The moral questions that come up in this film are endless and the level of guts that the filmmakers had to go some of those places is astounding.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

114. September 6, 2010 - Mars Attacks! (1996)

And the Tim Burton quest continues. This movie is awfully strange. I appreciate the all-star cast - everyone from Jack Nicholson to Jack Black is in this - and the design of the martians is pretty cool. (Also gross - brains made out of green goo? Ew.) It's at the same time an homage to and a parody of the B horror movies of old (and shades of Ed Wood films can be seen throughout). There's not much to the story, but it's amusing and it does what it sets out to do. After all, everyone has to give in to self-indulgence once and a while.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars

102. August 9, 2010 - Inception (2010)

I feel like maybe I shouldn't write this entry on the same day as seeing the movie, because I'm not sure that I've totally processed it yet. Strictly from a writing standpoint, I can't even imagine how it must have been to try to keep the multiple layers of story going (up to four levels of dreamstates at some points, each with their own timelines and plots going on simultaneously). I do think that the characters and the audience's ability to sympathize with them suffer a bit for the sake of the concept that the story is based on, but it's still an engaging film. I'm still not sure how I interpret the ending, or even how I want to interpret it. Both options contribute to the story, just taking it in very different directions. And oh, how Leo still looks like he's 12!
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

60. May 10/16, 2010 - Gattaca (1997)

First of all, I love the title of this film. I think that it's clever to find a string in the human genome that forms something close to a word and then name the company after it. Most of the plot is based on the idea that Ethan Hawke and Jude Law look enough alike to pass for the same person, which I don't totally buy, but the lengths at which they go to sell the deception are pretty cool to watch. Though it was made nearly 15 years ago, the slightly-futuristic feel is still intact - it doesn't feel dated. And is that the same beach that was made so famous 50 years ago by From Here to Eternity?
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

12. February 24, 2010 - Moon (2009)

This movie is creepy and totally fascinating. Sam Rockwell is an employee of an energy company that, in the near future, mines a new element from the surface of the moon. He's all alone on his moon base for three years, with no one but a Kevin Spacey-voiced robot for company. Needless to say, he starts going crazy. Or does he? It's not so much the answer that's fascinating - it's the way they go about showing you. They don't wait to pull the twist until the end - instead, it's in the middle and poor Sam Rockwell is left to figure out what the hell he's supposed to do now. I was afraid that it would be boring since it's just one actor and a robot, but it's definitely not.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars

January 31, 2010

Independence Day (1996)
#43 on my Top 100 List
Roland Emmerich started out so promising! There is some great destruction going on in this movie, though you all know how much it pains me to see LA destroyed, even if it isn't real. It's also odd and a little difficult to see shots of the Twin Towers in Manhattan just before the alien spaceship takes out the city. Bill Pullman's President Whitmore is one of the great fictional presidents, even if he's not quite as good as The West Wing's President Bartlett or Battlestar Galactica's President Roslin (who, coincidentally, here plays the First Lady). This also somehow doesn't come across as an unrealistic alien story. Seeing mankind banding together across the globe to take out the alien threat is moving, especially after President Whitmore's motivational speech. Judd Hirsch and Harry Connick, Jr. are notable in supporting roles and Jeff Goldblum gives a great homage to his Jurassic Park character by recycling one of Ian Malcolm's one-liners. And every time I see Adam Baldwin with a gun, I can't help but wonder if he calls it Vera.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars