Movies From The Last Few Years That I Wanted To Like But Didn’t – Part One of Three

Right off the bat, I don’t want the title of the article to be misleading.  In my eyes, it’s a given that you want to like every movie you see.  That’s the reason you pay money to go to the theater or take the time to rent and watch a movie.  Sure there are some movies that you have low expectations (or no expectations) for and end up being pleasantly surprised. But what I am concerned about here are movies that I was looking forward to seeing and came away disappointed.  These are, as the title states, movies that I wanted to like but ultimately didn’t (or I didn’t enjoy them nearly as much as I had hoped to).

This is an entirely subjective list.  I understand that.  I’ll say right off the top that these are not movies that I saw that were ruined by a particular experience taking place either – i.e., a bad movie-going experience where teens are talking all the time (one of the reasons I prefer to see films in an empty theater usually, and often by myself) or your dog just went to the vet and the bill was $1,000 and you tried to watch a movie to cheer up, unsuccessfully. These are simply movies that I wanted to be better.

I should also specify that these aren’t the worst movies I saw in a given year; these just didn’t live up to my expectations.  There is a reason I have learned to temper my expectations for movies throughout the years, and it is because of film viewing experiences such as these. Note: Movies are from 2006-now.

2006

Clerks II & The Fountain

Clerks II is kind of a given, considering the classic that Kevin Smith’s original Clerks is.  As far as I am concerned, his whole career has been a struggle to live up to the expectations he set with that film.  (That being said, while still a classic, even Clerks has its flaws upon repeated viewings).  Still, the sequel was ridiculous and over-the-top where the poor acting stood out more.  He should have went back to B&W film stock and shot that for $100,000 to force everyone to become more creative.  I know that’s a tall task, but still, adding Rosario Dawson didn’t help. This was one of the worst movies I saw that year.

This is the sort of garbage you saw in "Clerks 2." You can tell by pic alone it's feeble.

The Fountain suffers a similar fate for a different reason.  While not an awful movie, director Darren Aronofsky was coming off his incredible Requiem For A Dream (6 years earlier, but still), and you had two reasonably big stars (Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz) and a big budget.  I expected so much more from this bizarre fantasy film. It just didn’t do it for me (and I don’t think I am alone here). I actually started to rewatch this recently and just cut it off. It has a cool look, but its just weird and I don’t particularly care for Weisz so I just stopped it after about 45 minutes. Oh well. The Black Swan was at least a solid effort, if not a particular fit for my cup of tea.

2007

Death Proof, Transformers & The Darjeeling Limited

Noticing a theme here already? I am.  These are all movies from directors I like (or want to) and the movies failed to move me.  Quentin Tarantino made three of my favorite films in years past with the triumvirate of Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Then he wasted his (and my) time making this schlock.  I know its supposed to look cheesy, and aside from the purposely edited film stock that made the film look like a true B-level movie, the acting and story were just weak.

This was a pointless exercise to me.  I know that this is not the most popular opinion among film (nerds) fans and Tarantino backers, but I call people out when they deserve it. He redeemed himself with Inglourious Basterds – so, there.

More of this would have made "Transformers" better.

Transformers is just devastating for personal reasons. Making it a kid’s film (robots hiding behind the house from parents? Really?) was tantamount to heresy for me.  I need to see Megatron as a size defying Gun and not a plane.  All of the robots had the exact same voice save for Peter Heller’s Optimus Prime.  This made it hard to care about any of them much. Where was Starscreams’s high-pitched whine? I need it.

On the positive side, the effects were cool, but not enough to save the film for me.  I can live with the human element (though its not easy), with the love story and all, but while most of my friends enjoyed it (the last time I saw a movie in a rather large group), I was not down.  I have yet to see its sequel either. A robot crying? Are you fucking kidding me?!? Michael Bay should finally go darker with the last film (like Chris Nolan’s Batman/Dark Knight) and then we might have something to work with.

The Darjeeling Limited began to show Wes Anderson’s time in the spotlight was fading.  I still enjoyed his previous effort, 2004’s Life Aquatic, and Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums are great movies, but Darjeeling did little for me.  You have the Wilson brothers and add in Jason Schwarztman, I expect so much more.  One particular moment, a JSchwartz ad-libbed hand lick was the only redeeming thing in this movie.  I was highly disappointed with the art-house hero on this one.

I was a little worried that the jury was out on Anderson, but he semi-redeemed himself with Fantastic Mr. Fox, and his latest effort Moonrise Kingdom, has seen him regain some prominence. Anderson needs to push himself a little more though to become a more interesting auteur.  Wish I could say the same thing for M.Night Shyamalan, but the jury is no longer out on him. He just sucks now.

Part Two with the other movies will come soon enough. Stay tuned and share your comments on this so far. Thanks.

Timely as it might seem, this post is long overdue. The delay of putting together a complete list of 2010 films, in order of preference, is largely due to not being able to see all of the movies that were worthy of making this list (primarily a few award contenders) by the start of the year. As I have said in year’s past, these lists are difficult to put together in a true order due to various factors. Time, experience, viewing environment, viewing pleasure, mixture of genres, outside influences, all of these can start to play with someone’s mind while compiling such a list. Nevertheless, here is a list of the best movies of 2010, as well as the worst of the year, from top to bottom, that I have seen. I peppered some of the list with comments here and there, so thanks for reading and chime in with your thoughts if you feel so compelled. You can of course rehash our 3rd Annual Platinum Nest Awards for award winners if you so choose as well.

Inception

The only truly transcendent film of the year and the best film I have seen in half a decade. Holds up to multiple viewings. Complete ingenuity and creativity which pushed the boundaries of what a blockbuster can be. Hollywood should take note.

The Fighter

The Town

Shutter Island

The Social Network

Never Let Me Go

An underrated little gem that was beautiful and poetic. Tragic, but with heart.

True Grit

Black Swan

Green Zone

I’m Still Here

A classic roasting of the media. Hilarious in a lot of ways, regardless of the questions about its motivation and who was in on it. Joaquin Phoenix is a genius for pulling this off as far as I am concerned.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

Another great movie that asks some excellent questions about art, celebrity and the world’s denizens response to, and acting as, copycats.

The King’s Speech

Micmacs

The latest from Amelie director is a worthy follow up to that now classic French romantic comedy.

Jack Goes Boating

The Ghost Writer

Solitary Man

Get Low

Animal Kingdom

After The Last Round

Harry Brown

Drug dealer smokes crack from tip of a gun. One of the best acting scenes of the year.

Blue Valentine

Youth In Revolt

Knight and Day

Cyrus

The Company Men

Kind of only scratched the surface of what it could have been, but still displayed the dramatic realities for some who have been affected by this era’s depression/recession.

Buried

Experimental, but a little boring ultimately. A tough task to shoot a whole film in a coffin, so it gets marks for its creative attempt.

Takers

Get Him to the Greek

Kick-Ass

Dogtooth

A half brilliant movie that ends too soon. This tells (half) the tale of a sick, sordid life for tragically sheltered kids. Breaks off just when it could have gotten real, real interesting.

Rabbit Hole

Book of Eli

Iron Man 2

Greenberg

Brooklyn’s Finest

Stone

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

A music video turned into a film. Visually impressive.

Edge of Darkness

The American

127 Hours

Catfish

Lacked punch. More of a sad, pathetic tale than a thriller which it was billed as.

Nice Guy Johnny

Supposedly made for $25,000, Ed Burns is going independent all the way as a filmmaker here.

Chloe

The Other Guys

Salt

Unstoppable

The Next Three Days

The Bounty Hunter

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

The Losers

Love & Other Drugs

The A-Team

Alice In Wonderland

Hot Tub Time Machine

“Are you crying?” “Nah, baby. Some water just splashed in my eyes from all the f*ckin.” Only real worthy moment in the film.

Eat Pray Love

Surrogates

The Expendables

The Wolfman

A movie that sounded great when it was announced almost 3 years ago. Benicio delToro in the lead role? Nice. Oh, but what a tragically lame movie.

Cop Out

Hereafter

Easily the worst experience at the movies of the year and one of the worst I can remember seeing in a theater in recent years. Such a let down. Slow, plodding, highly uninteresting and with one of my favorite actors (Matt Damon) and respected directors (Clint Eastwood) to boot. What more can I say?

This is the third year that annual movie awards have been given out here at The Film Nest, and I think this year had the best overall top picture of any that we’ve had in that time period. You can see the 1^st Annual Platinum Nest Movie Awards here and the 2^nd Annual Awards here (from last year). For past lists of all the movies I’ve seen released since 2006 (give or take a few), you can visit the Film Rankings link in the sidebar. This year, the voting was left up to me, myself and I, so without further ado, here you go. Let me know what you think. (Note: I reserve the right to amend the list based on a few movies from 2010 that I have yet to see. Those would theoretically be seen within the next few weeks if they are to change any of my picks – perhaps unlikely, but maybe).

Best Picture

Inception

Best Director

Christopher Nolan – Inception

Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix – I’m Still Here / Leonardo DiCaprio – Shutter Island

Best Actress

Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale – The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress

Melissa Leo – The Fighter

Best Doc or Mockumentary

Exit Through The Gift Shop/I’m Still Here

Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)

Christopher Nolan – Inception

Best Foreign Film

Micmacs

Movie You Missed But Shouldn’t Have

Harry Brown

Most Underrated Movie

Never Let Me Go

Most Overrated Movie

Buried

Worst Movie

Hereafter

Top 5 Movies

Inception

The Fighter

The Town

Shutter Island

The Social Network

This is the latest update in my ongoing series of mini-reviews, quick thoughts on the latest movies I have seen from my Netflix queue.

Spread

The epitome of a bored night for me – just trying to watch something, I took a chance on this Ashton Kutcher led film about a playboy/con-man with few friends trying to make it in Los Angeles. He hooks up an affair with older woman played by Anne Heche and subsequently moves around from lover to lover until he finds love in another con-woman/playgirl. This was incredibly stupid, and very poorly done, despite access to some great locations. Kutcher just doesn’t move me on the big screen, despite from all indications, being a good guy off of it. There is a morality tale in there somewhere, but I’ll leave it to you to find it should you decide to waste your time with this. 1 out of 5 stars

Runaway

Granted, this was not from my rental queue, but rather a short 30 minute film by Kanye West that I saw online. Kanye directs a story by acclaimed video director Hype Williams. Shot in Prague, Kanye and model Selita Ebanks star as a couple, one man, one phoenix (a bird). Interesting visuals, great music, but an incoherent “story.” This was an art-house short if I’ve ever seen one. Kanye shows a flair for color and subtlety for directing with strong camera angles. Worth watching if you are a fan of his music, or the truly avant-garde art house films. (no rating given)

The Square

An Australian film in the vain of “noir” that would make the Coen brothers jealous. This tense, taut thriller about a married man who wants to steal away with his young, trophy lover (also married) and gets caught up in having two schemes going on at once. Expertly handled direction with a great story to boot. All sorts of subplots abound and it does get difficult deciphering what will happen next, in part due to some occasionally tricky Aussie accents. A killer ending, to say the least. This one will stick with me for a while. 5 out of 5 stars.

Solitary Man

Michael Douglas stars as a man who burns every bridge in his life, completing a near epic collapse of fallen successful businessman to down on his luck, womanizing loner. This is a coming of age tale of sorts for the 50′s to 60′s set. A lot can be gleaned from this type of film, especially for men of a certain age. The grass is not always greener would be applicable here. Susan Sarandon, Jenna Fischer, and Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) co-star. The movie hit home (perhaps a little too closely) for me, so it earned a few extra points there, although nothing out of the ordinary really happens. 3 out of 5 stars

Alice In Wonderland

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp combos don’t often do much for me and this was really low on my radar but a woman in my life wanted to see it, so I sacked up. Visually interesting but little else, even Depp’s performance failed to captivate and he usually wins raves for this type of thing. (I saw the original Pirates of the Caribbean years ago and his Jack Sparrow was far and away the best thing in it). There is really nothing noteworthy to report about this movie. I was surprised that I didn’t bash this movie harder and was actually able to make it through. 2 out of 5 stars

The Groomsmen

Director, writer and actor Edward Burns put together this largely overlooked movie and his experience with it has since spurred him to go the super-indie route with his latest Nice Guy Johnny. This one is about five friends struggling with their lives and relationships as they come together for the marriage of Burns’ lead character. Equal time is given to all five men and some work better than others. There are some heavier themes that I was happy to see explored, especially amongst men, but not enough to recommend it. This movie was marred by the difficult to stomach Jay Mohr, who’s over the top antics made him so unlikable it affected my opinion of the film. 2 out of 5 stars

The Losers

A smash ‘em up mess that features Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba and Zoe Saldana among a crew of bandits in an action-thriller where Jason Patric wants to destroy the world. This was a preposterous movie that was more fascinating to see because of how far Patric’s career has fallen than any other reason. He was once a star to be but is now doing these hack roles, and not particularly well I might add. The cast had enough names, and my Netflix queue was depleted enough, to give this a go, but it wasn’t worth it. The explosions meant nothing – despite Evans, Elba, and Morgan’s best efforts to give it something more – it didn’t work. I might have been generous with this one. 2 out of 5 stars

Breathless

Jean Luc Godard’s 60′s revered French new wave film was shot in all black and white as you would expect. The tale of a con man who can’t connect himself to anyone and his lover who for some reason wants to be with him desperately (though it never really comes across in the film at all). I was hoping for a more involving movie than this. I appreciate the simplicity of some of the scenes and the lead had a few semi-amusing moments, but again, there is not enough here for me to recommend. It really was like what is referred to nowadays as a mockumentary. The movie reminded me a bit of watching the Man Bites Dog mockumentary but not quite as fun. 2 out of 5 stars

Get Him To The Greek

The early year comedy was billed as a sequel to the forgettable Forgetting Sarah Marshall, with only a few of the characters in tact. Russell Brand plays the enigmatic musician Aldous Snow with Jonah Hill a fledgling music exec charged with picking him up in England and bringing him back to LA where he was to play a concert that might resurrect Snow’s career and launch Hill’s. Sean P. Diddy aka Puffy (that’s what I will always call him) Combs plays Hill’s boss, a music mogul searching for much needed talent. Combs’ is by and large the scene stealer of the film and largely what makes it worth watching. I didn’t expect that this would be quite as entertaining as it turned out to be. But it beats the original film on Combs’ performance alone. 3 out of 5 stars

Irreversible

This was a very controversial film upon its Cannes premiere screening which saw more than 200 people walk out on it. The movie is Gaspar Noe’s hammering look at a rape, choices, irony and consequences, told in reverse order. I had a difficult time watching this movie, but respect its audacity and ambition quite a bit. There is a grotesque murder where a gay man is beaten to death with a fire extinguisher (and the camera lingers plenty for you to witness his head separating). Worse still is the absolutely beautiful Monica Bellucci, being raped in a horrific scene that has to be seen to be believed. (At the same time, it was easily among the most painful scenes I have EVER witnessed on film. Makes Pulp Fiction‘s gimp scene look tame). I rated it lower because Netflix asked whether I “like” the film or not. I answered no, I “didn’t like it,” but I am still somewhat fascinated by it, I respect it, and this may be one to own at some point. The ending makes the beginning all the more tragic, believe me. I was in near tears describing a scene in the film a day later. Brutal. 2 out of 5 stars

Here is the latest in a series of posts I have been doing on movie rentals or video rentals from my Netflix queue.  You can read the first in the series right here, and the follow up post here.  These write-ups cover the most recent movies I have seen from the DVD rental service, in order of which I saw them.  They cover a spectrum of films, both in my instant watch activity as well as straight random and new movie rentals to my home.  You will indeed find spoilers in these write ups, so be forewarned.  These are mini-reviews of sorts, that include the star rating I submitted to Netflix, based on their somewhat flawed, IMO, 5-star rating system.  Enjoy.

Youth In Revolt (2010)

This Michael Cera led film had an intriguing trailer, though I have not traditionally been a fan of his, I took the plunge.  I can’t say that I was particularly rewarded for doing so, but the movie where Cera’s Nick creates an alternative law-breaking, risk-taking persona, Francois, in order to impress a girl had its moments.  The small town Nick is a desperate loner so Francois easily becomes the real star.  He eggs on Nick to do malicious things, which eventually catch up to him, all in the name of love.  Miguel Arteta’s direction hinted at Wes Anderson’s style with a welcome whimsical, is it real or not, presentation of situations on screen.  This was mildly entertaining, but nothing worth writing home about, so instead I write for you.  3 out of 5 stars.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Medusa was having a bad hair day for several years now.

Its been years since I saw the Harry Hamlin original as a youngster, but cheesily fond memories made me show interest in this remake.  Sam Worthington stars as an otherwise forgettable hero, who is caught in a war with the Gods in order to save civilization (or something along those lines).  The storyline was irrelevant, as the special effects were the show.  Impressive as they were, this obviously lacked depth and was predictable.  Louis Letterier handled the direction capably for the most part, which was a a bit of a surprise considering the bashing I have seen him take.  Liam Neeson’s “release the Kraken” was the most memorable line (although it seemed better in the trailer).  I was able to accept this as mindless entertainment at home, but it wasn’t worthy of my hard-earned dollar in the theater.  Perhaps its sequel, which is to be shot in 3D from start to finish (unlike this versions add-on in post), might improve on this film.  Who knows? 3 out of 5 stars.

What Doesn’t Kill You (2009)

Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke star as friends who grew up together in a life of crime.  When they get busted, one of them wants to go straight and the other, not so much.  Based on a true story and directed by Brian Goodman, who has a role in the film as well.  Ruffalo plays Brian. A little unevenly paced and shot, but still a reasonably touching film with decent performances from the leads as well as Amanda Peet as Brian’s wife.  The film is about the power of overcoming self-created obstacles and making “the right” decisions.  The film is a little above average and the tale is something that most all can relate to. 3 out of 5 stars.

Chloe (2009)

This thriller starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore in a troubled marriage was a bit out there. Cue young, temptress Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to stir the pot. I thought Seyfried did a good job; I’d never seen the rising star act before. Additionally, I’d eard of Atom Egoyan, but never seen a film he’d directed.  This one was very much a Fatal Attraction wannabe. The film had a strange tone, one in which once you got the gist of what was happening, you could see the outcome from a mile away.  If you like sex, Seyfried, and/or twisted thrillers, this might be up your alley. I wanted to like this more than I did. Egoyan’s direction was very reserved and a little unsettling at times, to ratchet up the drama, but there wasn’t enough originality or “meat on the bones” so to speak, for me to recommend this. 2 out of 5 stars.

9 (2009)

Those that know me know that my Netflix queue is getting stretched when I end up reaching for an animated film.  Still, I had some interest in this off-beat animated film about some weird dudes in a post-apocalyptic world. Though I had seen the original, award-winning short film, there wasn’t much additional to see here overall.  I just can’t seem to get emotionally invested in animated creatures and this standard tale of fighting for their lives and fighting to be alive was no different. Decent animation I suppose, but nothing I would go back to again. Watch it “high” and you might enjoy it more. 2 out of 5 stars

Body Of Lies (2008)

Crowe scoffed at lending his razor to Leo for this scene.

Russell Crowe is a dweeby, political CIA man stationed in the US, with Leonardo DiCaprio his rogue CIA agent stationed internationally doing all the dirty work.  You know, putting his life on the line, getting involved emotionally with the locals, etc., while Crowe chats him up in deep-seeded discussions as he tends to his domestic family life as if nothing serious is going on. An interesting juxtaposition between the two characters, but the film never really takes off. Leo does his best to captivate and Crowe makes his straight man as smarmy as can be, but I can understand why it wasn’t much of a crowd-pleaser. It was just sort of flat and uninventive overall.  Ridley Scott is failing to move me as a director much anymore. I wonder if he has lost his touch (and I think he might have).  He needs to call up Boogie Nights-era Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly to get that touch back. This was an average affair, I’d give it 2.5 if I could. It ended rather blandly and was quite talky for a supposed action director. 3 out of 5 stars

Facing Ali (2009)

Documentary, as the title states, of boxers recounting their stories of when they fought Muhammad Ali. Ten men, including Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Ernie Shavers, and George Foreman chime in on the champ.  Boxing fans will love it, as it is a bit of history wrapped into a strong package. I am a fight fan and learned a lot about the history of some of these fights, the stories of the challengers and their feelings for what Ali meant to them and their careers.  Good info, surprisingly touching, without a hint of bitterness from any of the fighters.  Not tons of actual fight footage, similar to Tyson in that regard, but just the boxers describing Ali in their own words.  A portrayal of the brutality of the sport (very different though from the likes of After The Last Round) as evidenced by where some of these men are now, but also the gratitude that the sport owes and shows Ali. A worthy companion piece to any number of Ali-related films that are out there in the pantheon such as Michael Mann’s Ali, the also very good When We Were Kings and Thrilla In Manila. 4 out of 5 stars.

Me and Orson Welles (2008)

A somewhat entertaining period piece about Orson Welles (a strong Christian McKay) directing a play that stars Zac Efron. This moved about fine, was paced okay, mixed in a coming of age tale for Efron’s Richard, and essentially broke no new ground.  Richard Linklater directs in a straight-forward manner and Claire Danes co-stars to add a little “star-power” to this tale.  No laughing, no crying, no real emotion. I thought it might be a little better than it was, but my watching this shows that my queue is nearing the end of the line, as there were several other films I would have seen but they were all rented out.  2 out of 5 stars.

Robin Hood (2010)

Have you seen Gladiator? Have you seen Braveheart? What about Kingdom of Heaven? Rob Roy? If you have seen any of these, then you have essentially seen Robin Hood, Ridley Scott’s latest period action epic. There is very little action to be had in this Russell Crowe/Cate Blanchett vehicle though. It is really just a tale where we follow around the main character as he acts out his destiny, falls in love, and fights for his new freinds/family/town. I would have rated it higher if I cared at all, or at least if I could understand the characters through their usual 12th century Hollywood talk. I think it would have been better off if if stuck with its original movie title of Nottingham. It was all so…bland. It’s no wonder it didn’t do well in theaters; its long and it offers nothing new. 2 out of 5 stars.

Here is another in a series of posts I have been doing where I briefly discuss the latest movie rentals I have seen from my Netflix queue.  Did the title already say that?  I will shut up then now.  Previously, there were several films I mentioned in this prior post, so I will pick up where that one left off.  Do you see the natural progression here?  The dvd rental, or blu-rays in some cases, in the post are in chronological order of video rentals or simply, the films I have seen – so here is the most recent batch of films for your perusal. Yes, there are likely spoilers all over these write-ups, so be warned if you haven’t seen the films.  As usual I will give you my Netflix star rating, based on their somewhat flawed IMO, five-star system.

Greenberg

Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans and Greta Gerwig in Greenberg.

I was looking forward to this quirky indie starring Ben Stiller as a 40-ish single man returning to California coming off of a stint in rehab/mental institution.  While that aspect of it is not explored, the film finds Ben’s Greenberg struggling to connect with those around him, including former close friend and ex-bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans) and a potential love interest in Greta Gerwig’s Florence.  Greenberg floats unevenly through various situations from bizarre sexual mishaps to drug induced partying to quiet restaurant moments that turn ugly.  Director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) lets the action unfold naturally, but the pacing is almost too slow with the events too disconnected at times to be engrossing.  Greenberg is a movie worth watching for indie fans, but a pass for people who think they are getting the Meet the Parents type of Stiller. His performance is far more nuanced and reserved here.  3 out of 5

Cloverfield

The Godzilla-esque Cloverfield made waves at the box office, opening big and getting some of the stars steady work in films after its release.  The movie is set in New York and while it can be a bit lazy with its entirely hand-held camera (yes, I said the ENTIRE movie is hand-held(!)).  It kept my interest, which is more than I thought it might.  I thought some of director Matt Reeves visuals were pretty imprressive (the characters crossing between two high-rise building touching hundreds of feet above ground was particularly cool).  The acting is fair; tolerable given that nobody has ever been in a situation quite like the fantastical one presented.  This is not a repeat viewer, but I thought it was serviceable.  Another 3 out of 5.

Surrogates

Bruce Willis’ career has to be on a steady decline.  Surrogates‘ sci-fi, futuristic premise where we live in a world where our clones interact and humans never leave the house is an interesting one.  But the CGI is pretty lame, the story lacks substance and in the end, it was a forgettable experience.  This felt like a B-level movie with a (former(?)) A-list star in it.  The ending is semi-predictable and there is not enough there to warrant much else.  I am surprised that the teaming of Willis and Ving Rhames (two Pulp Fiction stars) have fallen off as bad as to end up in this.  Disappointing. 2 out of 5.

Cop Out

Bruce Willis sleepwalks his way through the horrible Cop Out.

Did I just say I was disappointed in Bruce?  Oh my.  Kevin Smith’s wholly generic Cop Out with Willis and Tracy Morgan playing partners who end up on the outside of their jobs trying to solve a case that involves murder, drugs, a baseball card, a potentially cheating wife, corrupt cops and a bunch more.  This film attempts to have laughs, yet instead repeats generic one-liners like Morgan’s “I love you like a fat kid loves cake.”  Are you f*cking serious?!?  This film is an outright travesty. The “stars” are completely mismatched.  The acting is horrible and Bruce looks entirely disinterested.

I suspect that Smith (Zack & Miri Make A Porno) will pass it off that it was supposed to be this way.  I call that BS.  You wasted your time, the stars time, the audiences time and the studio’s money.  Smith is bordering on a thin-line that should find him on the outside of Hollywood for good if his next film doesn’t succeed.  Its too bad, because I like the man, but he really shows little talent for directing (a basic point and shoot-style), a marginal talent for writing (but at least he is a unique voice to be sure), and I’m just entirely disappointed in the man that once made the respected Clerks. That was so long ago.  1 out of 5 stars.

Green Zone

This was a somewhat surprising revelation.  I found the film to be totally acceptable and am in many ways sorry that it did so poorly at the box office.  I understand why, but I feel sorry for the film, as it is quality through and through.  Director Paul Greengrass leads Matt Damon’s Roy Miller into Iraq on a (likely fantastical) story of a man and country of troops searching for WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction).  While Miller and his Marine brethren continually invade and investigate supposed locales for WMD, he begins to question the intel which leads to government conspiracies and cover-ups which will potentially be largely eye-opening for any American (and even Iraqis).  This is a sad tale but tautly and smartly told with little wasted effort.  It is not a Jason Bourne clone which it seemingly was marketed to be.  It is a thrilling film about politics and war, that should have more Americans (and viewers in general), questioning the validity of the way their government conducts their democracy.  4 out of 5 stars.

W.

Oliver Stone’s biopic of George W. Bush was a perfect film to follow seeing Green Zone, though unintended.  I felt Stone presented a fair and compelling look into Bush and his presidency, with the looming presence of George Sr. a constant driving force for his son.  I didn’t expect to be as interested in this as I was.  There were strong acting performances in several roles, most notably Thandie Newton’s Condi Rice imitation and of course, Josh Brolin’s brilliant W.  Highly surprised he didn’t get more props for his acting here.  Scott Glenn’s incredibly moronic Rumsfeld, Richard Dreyfuss’ Dick Cheney and the always strong Jeffrey Wright (does he ever misstep?) as Colin Powell also rated well.  This was an interesting film, well shot, and a nice look (potentially) into areas of his personality and presidency that the laymen would never know.  Good stuff. 3 out of 5 stars.

Remains of the Day

A rare light moment for Stevens in Remains of the Day.

After seeing Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, I decided to look up the author and discovered that his most revered novel Remains of the Day was made into a movie which garnered 8 Oscar nominations in 1994 (for the ’93 film).  Hence, I watched the film, which stars Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson as servants to a rich man with Nazi ties.  While Hopkins’ Stevens is loyal to a fault, his inner struggle was difficult for me to fully see on film.  I wanted it to be harder for him to maintain his staunch demeanor than it was seemingly revealed. Still, I can’t deny it was fine acting.

If he is belittled, he takes it every time, just going about his work and never encroaching with his opinion.  Whether losing his father or living his life without a chance at love, Stevens stayed strong.  Still, this was an interesting depiction of a man who seemed to have misplaced his loyalty and hurt the possibility for a greater life as a result.  That is something that many of us can relate to.  This was an interesting film, but it never really took off for me and I didn’t see a payoff I was expecting.  3 out of 5 stars (though I’d give it 2.5 if I could – it deserves the rounding up).

I left one movie off my previous post from 2007, which was my Part One list of Twelve Movies From The Last Five Years That I Wanted To Like But Didn’t.  Remaining are the movies from 2008 and 2009 that made (or didn’t make, if you look at it that way) the cut.

2007 continued

American Gangster

Common = Gangster in RIdley Scott's American Gangster.

This movie was built up to be pretty big in the minds of those that love a gangster film.  You have Denzel, Russell Crowe, Ridley Scott directing, a Jay-Z-laden soundtrack, and comparisons to the classic film Scarface, then…ehhh.  The movie was just okay. It wasn’t along the same lines of the Pacino/DePalma classic, it didn’t really move me, nothing about it was very memorable, even though it was a solid film.  It was just another movie and that was disappointing. I still haven’t seen it since.

2008 – Be Kind, Rewind & Blindness

Be Kind, Rewind

Be Kind featured Mos Def and Jack Black, an odd and intriguing pairing, mixed with the directing talents of Michel Gondry, and the result was one of the weakest movies of the year.  Mos was almost impossible to watch (to listen to him), the lo-fi film recreation storyline should have been a lot more fun, and it really amounted to a schlocky, underwhelming piece, that made me further question the talents of those involved, and have highly soured me on Gondry as a director. He has to earn back the good will that he built with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I don’t know that he is up to the task.

Blindness

This turned out to be the biggest rip-off ending in a film that I have seen in years.  With Fernando Meirelles helming one of my favorite films of the past decade and a high-ranking personal favorite of all-time in the amazing City of God, this was an opportunity to see him take the next huge step as a director and reap the rewards that fans of City of God wanted for him. (Fernando, feel free to mix in a Lil’ Dice cameo).  Instead, he didn’t take advantage.  The movie kept your attention (though not easily) for the duration and then yanked the rug out from beneath your feet in a horrendous ending.  I don’t know that I will ever forgive him.  BTW, Fernando, call me – because in truth I don’t remember the ending, I just know I absolutely hated it.

2009 – Bronson, Watchmen, The Hangover & Public Enemies

Bronson

Tom Hardy was Bronson, pre-Inception.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s film built up as A Clockwork Orange type of film, but was nothing more than a weird, sordid tale about a guy, told in an odd, and rather uninspiring way.  I was very high for the film before I saw it only to be incredibly let down. It was actually hard to make it through. I know it was based on a true story, but it didn’t redeem it at all for me. I hoped for a lot more.

Watchmen

This was a film that had a great trailer. Normally I wouldn’t have had much interest in a film like this, but it was built up to be perhaps one of the biggest movies ever, and landed with a rather resounding thud.  This wasn’t a horrible work, but if you counter it with a movie like The Dark Knight which more than matched the hype, it only exaggerated the difference of what this film might have been.  I think Zack Snyder may be able to become an interesting director, but he also might be the next Michael Bay. At this point, the meter is swinging in the “Bay” direction. Not good.

The Hangover

I don’t like comedies. Rarely, do they ever live up to my expectations, which are, I don’t know, how do I say this, to….laugh during the movie.  Is that too much to ask?  Absolutely. I chuckled two to three times during the film.  That does not a good movie make, nor is it worthy of being the biggest comedy of all-time.  This movie exemplifies how different the tastes of mainstream America and mine are.  I envy you, mainstream audiences.  To derive enjoyment from such average work must be nice. I wish I was as easily entertained, but alas, I am not. I’d rather be hung over, than watch The Hangover.  It was not believable, nor very fun.

Public Enemies

I have to include this movie on the list, because we did a dedication week to Michael Mann here on The Film Nest, and I (essentially) had breakfast with the man a few months ago. I was hoping for another movie along the lines of his previous actioners such as Heat and Collateral.  This did not match that.  I don’t think that this is a bad movie by any means, it just wasn’t great, and I thought it had the potential to be that.

Casting Johnny Depp (a feminine man in a masculine role) was the starting point of this heading down the wrong path.  The action was ordinary and you didn’t care enough about the characters to engage in the story.  It was a movie you simply watched but didn’t interact with. For that, it makes the disappointing list.  And Michael, next time we are at breakfast, easy with the staring at me brother, I’m just trying to eat and mind my own business.  Don’t use me for your script inspiration – unless of course, you really, really needed it.

I hope all movies I see are entertaining, but the odds are stacked wildly against me.  In the next five years, if I lower my expectations, perhaps there won’t be a need to compile such a list. I’m counting on you Hollywood, to bail me out.  If not, my pen (or keyboard in this case) is ready. Good luck.

Twelve Movies From The Last Five Years That I Wanted To Like But Didn’t – Part One of Two

Right off the bat, I don’t want the title of the article to be misleading.  In my eyes, it’s a given that you want to like every movie you see.  That’s the reason you pay money to go to the theater or take the time to rent and watch a movie.  Sure there are some movies that you have low expectations (or no expectations) for and end up being pleasantly surprised. But what I am concerned about here are movies that I was looking forward to seeing and came away disappointed.  These are, as the title states, movies that I wanted to like but ultimately didn’t (or I didn’t enjoy them nearly as much as I had hoped to).

This is an entirely subjective list.  I understand that.  I’ll say right off the top that these are not movies that I saw that were ruined by a particular experience taking place either – i.e., a bad movie-going experience where teens are talking all the time (one of the reasons I prefer to see films in an empty theater usually, and often by myself) or your dog just went to the vet and the bill was $1,000 and you tried to watch a movie to cheer up, unsuccessfully. These are simply movies that I wanted to be better.

I should also specify that these aren’t the worst movies I saw in a given year; these just didn’t live up to my expectations.  There is a reason I have learned to temper my expectations for movies throughout the years, and it is because of film viewing experiences such as these. Note: Movies are from 2006-2010, hence, the 5-year window.

2006

Clerks II & The Fountain

Clerks II is kind of a given, considering the classic that Kevin Smith’s original Clerks is.  As far as I am concerned, his whole career has been a struggle to live up to the expectations he set with that film.  (That being said, while still a classic, even Clerks is incredibly flawed upon repeated viewings).  Still, the sequel was ridiculous and over-the-top where the poor acting stood out more.  He should have went back to B&W film stock and shot that for $100,000 to force everyone to become more creative.  I know that’s a tall task, but still, adding Rosario Dawson didn’t help. This was one of the worst movies I saw that year.

The Fountain suffers a similar fate for a different reason.  While not an awful movie, director Darren Aronofsky was coming off his incredible Requiem For A Dream (6 years earlier, but still), and you had two reasonably big stars (Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz) and a big budget.  I expected so much more from this bizarre fantasy film. It just didn’t do it for me (and I don’t think I am alone here).

2007

Death Proof, The Darjeeling Limited & Transformers

Noticing a theme here already? I am.  These are all movies from directors I like (or want to) and the movies failed to move me.  Quentin Tarantino made three of my favorite films in years past with the triumvirate of Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction (particularly P.F.) and Reservoir Dogs. Then he wasted his (and my) time making this schlock.  I know its supposed to look cheesy, and aside from the purposely edited film stock that made the film look like a true B-level movie, the acting and story were just weak.

This was a pointless exercise to me.  I know that this is not the most popular opinion among film (nerds) fans and Tarantino backers, but I call people out when they deserve it. He redeemed himself with Inglorious Basterds, so there.

Transformers is just devastating for personal reasons. Making it a kid’s film (robots hiding behind the house from parents? Really?) was tantamount to heresy for me.  I need to see Megatron as a size defying Gun and not a plane.  All of the robots had virtually the exact same voice save for Peter Cullen’s distinctive Optimus Prime.  This made it hard to care about any of them much. Where was Starscream’s high-pitched whine? I needed it.

On the positive side, the effects were cool, but not enough to save the film for me.  I can live with the human element (though its not easy), with the love story and all, but while most of my friends enjoyed it (the last time I saw a movie in a rather large group), I was not down.  I have yet to see it’s sequel either. Michael Bay should finally go darker with the next film (like Christopher Nolan’s Batman/Dark Knight) and then we might have something to work with.

The Darjeeling Limited began to show Wes Anderson’s time in the spotlight was fading.  I still enjoyed his previous effort, 2004’s Life Aquatic, and Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums are great movies, but Darjeeling did little for me.  You have the Wilson brothers and add in Jason Schwarztman, I expect so much more.  One particular moment, a J.Schwartz ad-libbed hand lick was the only redeeming thing in this movie.  I was highly disappointed with the art-house hero on this one.

Semi-redeemed himself with Fantastic Mr. Fox, but the jury is now out on Anderson.  Wish I could say the same thing for M.Night Shyamalan, but its no longer out on him. He just sucks now.

Part Two with the other movies will come soon enough. Stay tuned and share your comments on this so far. Thanks.

Since there are as many slow days from a quality news standpoint in this industry as there are, I figured I would go ahead and do a recap of some of the movies I have recently seen from my Netflix queue.  These will just be quick shots, mini-reviews of these dvd rentals; just my feelings on the films I have seen.  I’ll try to update a post like this every so often, once I have enough to report on.  Maybe every month or two, something along those lines. Just work with me on this, cool?  I’ll even throw in my Netflix rating, based on their 5-star system.  Not the same system I use here, so my official The Film Nest ratings might be different.  Anyway, here are the latest movie rentals I have seen from my Netflix queue.

Brooklyn’s Finest

Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes in Brooklyn's Finest.

This is a movie I was really excited about upon first hearing about it, but then mediocre reviews led me to skip it in theaters.  (This is a common theme with many of my Netflix movies BTW.)  Nevertheless, the movie didn’t do it for me.  I was hoping for a mini-New Jack City or Training Day, but while in some ways it came off as Training Day 2, with Ethan Hawke still there, I’ve never been a huge Richard Gere fan, though he was fine here.  Visually the film was good looking, it just didn’t have any emotional resonance and the script was a bit jumbled.  Essentially a talking head movie, when I was hoping for something more action oriented.  The suspense was there, but something was just missing.  2 stars of 5

The Wolfman

Benicio really didn’t need much make-up to become the Wolfman, based on the original film.  Cheesy graphics didn’t help this.  The film had a strange tone.  Really, Emily Blunt’s character is going to fall for the Wolfman even though her husband/fiancee just died?  Silly really.  There wasn’t enough rhyme or reason to why certain things were the way they were in the film.  Hopkins was actually tolerable as Wolfman senior, but this was just a poor effort overall.  1 star/5

Edge of Darkness

Mel Gibson dreams of Oksana's fate. Just kidding. I think.

Mel Gibson’s return to the big screen before we heard the recent tapes from dude’s personal life.  He is thrashed, but again, I was down with seeing him return to his action roots.  Unfortunately, this was far too much if a talky to ever get too involved.  Where was the action? This was basically him investigating the entire time.  Disappointed.  The best part was (spoiler!) when that chick got killed by a car when exiting Mel’s vehicle. That was cool.  2 stars/5

Shutter Island

I’d already seen it in theaters, so you can see what I felt about it right here.  Very good movie.

The Book of Eli

Denzel and the Hughes Brothers sounded like an intriguing combination.  The look of the film was cool, with the washed out film stock.  I actually liked this about as much as I expected to.  I didn’t find the spiritual elements too overwhelming and actually thought that the end of the movie was pretty cool.  Maybe a little unrealistic for Denzel to care about the Mila Kunis character enough to worry about her the way he did, but it made for a decent film.  3 stars/5

Un Prophete (A Prophet)

This was a bit of an unexpected movie in terms of the way it played out.  It is set nearly entirely in prison, on the inside.  Not what I was expecting from a story about the rise of a kid into a gangster, baller.  Still, it was unique, a little gritty and pretty cool direction.  I was overall pleased.  If you can handle the foreign aspect of the film, I recommend it.  It was a little graphic in its violence and had some weird undertones with the ghost hanging around as much as he did, but still a nice work.  4 stars/5

The Burning Plain

I’ll watch a lot of Charlize Theron since I respect here so much as an actress.  This movie qualifies as one I wouldn’t otherwise have seen.  Catching Charlize naked was enough to make me finish the film.  Unfortunately, it all takes place the first five minutes of the movie.  Still, the story was interesting, if a little uneven.  I was down with the youngsters forbidden love storyline.  This was one of those full circle sort of films.  Not enough to recommend it highly though.  2 stars/5

I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

Bad acting is the law in I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell.

I expected this to be unwatchable and it essentially was.  Its a guy movie through and through and yet it plays the happy-ending card at the end.  Completely lame, with marginal acting, an unbelievable story in some ways (that was supposedly based on true events); I am just shocked I actually sat through it all. A rare movie I watched during daylight hours just to finish the film.  Highly unrewarding in every way. 1 star/5

District 9 (Note: o.g. review not mine)

Saw it already last year and liked it enough to re-watch it. Not quite as good the second time through, but still an original story. Check it if you are a sci-fi fan. 4 stars/5

Here is my list of the film’s released in 2009 in order of preference.  You must realize how difficult it is to put together a true order of films, as so many of them start running in to one another and so much time has passed between viewing some films in the theater and others on DVD or Blu-Ray.  Nevertheless its a task I set out to do and therefore, present that list to you now.  They are in listed in order from best to worst, top to bottom, in my opinion.  I’ve given a little bit of reasoning on some of my picks, scattered throughout the list, for reference.  Click on any of the bolded/italicized titles for original reviews.  Let me know what you think, agree or disagree. (Please note that several of these reviews were done by other previous writers to the site, despite what some name consolidation would suggest – hence there may be some situations where a better review was given to a low ranking picture for me and vice versa.)

Where The Wild Things Are

This was my favorite film of ’09 based on the achievement of taking a book with so few words and making it a full-length film.  I think it was the ultimate in creative achievement for the year and perfectly captured the feelings of wonder and imagination a boy has, and translating for adult consumption.  Spike Jonze is officially a genius and Maurice Sendak should be tickled pink over this.

The Road

After reading the book, this adaptation perfectly captured the post-apocalyptic vision that I saw in my head while reading the novel and enhanced it where it could.  A difficult film, a challenging subject, but one that rewards the viewer (primarily those with the book as a frame of reference in my opinion).

Avatar

A creative and technical achievement, even if the story telling is not top notch.  There is a good reason this is the most seen film of all time (based on B.O. dollars).

Up In The Air

More Than A Game

Three of my top-8 favorite films this year were documentaries. This one chronicling a young LeBron James meant the most to me I suppose.

Tyson

Inglourious Basterds

Capitalism: A Love Story

State of Play

Crazy Heart

Bruno

I enjoyed this in the theater, but probably would continue to drop it down the list if I were to re-watch it a few times. Crass, but it was still amusing and Sacha Baron Cohen has brass balls.  He could probably sell real estate in Glengarry Glen Ross.

District 9

The Hurt Locker

The Escapist

Sugar

Moon

This one continues to grow on me. Actor Sam Rockwell and director Duncan Jones deserved more recognition for their work. A great score by Clint Mansell, the man behind the infamous score from Requiem For A Dream.

Facing Ali

Anvil: The Story of Anvil

Uplifting final scene. One for the underdog in all of us.

Precious

Duplicity

The Cove

Makes you care about dolphins. Pathetic, senseless slaughtering might lead some to anger and activism.

Nothing But The Truth

Rachel Getting Married

The Vicious Kind

Sherlock Holmes

Brothers

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Two Lovers

Michael Jackson’s This Is It!

Law Abiding Citizen

Notorious

Whatever Works

The Brothers Bloom

I wasn’t that impressed with this when I first saw it, but I get the sense I might appreciate it more in time if I were to see it again.  It’s been two years since I have seen it as it was a very advanced screening at the time.

The Informant

Potential ditto on the above comments.

The Messenger

The Soloist

Zombieland

A Serious Man

(500) Days of Summer

The Box

Didn’t deserve to get bashed as much as it did. It’s a strange film but J.R.Kelly is a unique voice in film today. I hope he gets more opportunities to utilize it.

Shrink

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

The Blind Side

Not remotely close to a top-10 film.  Oscars really lack credibility.  While I was rooting for the likable Bullock, I wasn’t that blown away by her performance here either. Sorry.

Funny People

Gentlemen Broncos

Public Enemies

Invictus

This film makes me feel like Eastwood is losing it.  Really a jumbled mishmash of scenes meant to be uplifting and educational.

World’s Greatest Dad

The Girlfriend Experience

Thirst

Taken

Completely cheesy and implausible, but fun to see Liam Neeson play this role.

Bronson

Downloading Nancy

Taking of Pelham 123

Last Chance Harvey

In The Loop

Wolverine

Watchmen

Push

The Lovely Bones

The Hangover

So overrated I can’t begin to break it down. Nothing remotely special in this one and I would have loved to enjoy it. Maybe 3 laughs throughout. Plus, a little bitter since it “stole” (used) one of my script’s premises/film ideas.

My One and Only

I Love You, Man

Powder Blue

Swayze is a genius in one of his last film roles. Still a pretty weak film.  And yes, we’re leaving out the obvious reason why I would sit through this drivel. You can figure it out on your own.

Away We Go

Sunshine Cleaning

2012

Long and overwrought, disaster flick puffery.  Horrendously mixed dialogue alternating between dead serious and ridiculously over the top.  Amazing it not only got made but was seen as much as it was.

Post Grad

The Ugly Truth

Big Fan

Couples Retreat

The Proposal

I propose you never suffer through this film. The reason I rarely see rom-coms. Ocassionally I submit to a woman’s filmic desires for some reasons my subconscious would need to explain, but I am continually reminded why I choose what movies I should see.

The Great Buck Howard

Complete lack of chemistry between the lead male/female (C.Hanks and E.Blunt). A slice of life that just didn’t work for me.

The Limits of Control

I hate to have Jarmusch’s movie in this spot, but I can’t justify having this any higher. Boring and unmoving.