Rate The Last Movie You Watched

[korme]

So, unless I see Walter Mitty or Her. on a whim tonight, I think my theater-going days of 2013 are complete. Here are the films, and I tried to rank them as I enjoyed them.

The Wolf of Wall Street
Mud
Fruitvale Station
The Way Way Back
Dallas Buyers Club
12 Years a Slave
This is the End
Lincoln
Side Effects
The Great Gatsby
The Place Beyond the Pines
American Hustle
Pain and Gain
Don Jon
Frances Ha
The Spectacular Now
Bad Grandpa
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Iron Man 3
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
The Internship
Prisoners
Out of the Furnace
Salinger
The Heat
Now You See Me
Only God Forgives
Jurassic Park 3-D*

[Suicane75]

Man Of Steel: 44 Out Of 100 Stars
Man, the trailer had me all excited for something more than a big, silly, action movie. The trailer done lied to me.

There's just wayyyyyy too much story here for my tastes, or at least story I had no interest in, or at least story that I may have had some interest in, just not this damn much.

The shit on Crypton is silly and goes on for what felt like half my life, then I gotta deal with fucking Amy Adams and the Lois Lane portion of the film, I mean for fuck sakes, they could have called this movie Girl Of Pluck cause it seems she's in it more than Henry Cavizal.

We got spaceships, special effect liquid spaghetti monsters, the codec, more silly myth and back story than anyone needs, and interspersed with all that we have what looks an awesome story about Supermans burden and the burden of his father, played by a woefully underutilized Kevin Costner.

The problem is that the movie jumps around so much, that just when I'm getting into the story about Clark as a boy and his family and his struggle with his powers, I'm flipped back aboard a spaceship watching Russell Crowes ghost give soliloquies via special decoder ring. At least if the story had been told in natural progression I could say I enjoyed that half hour or whatever, but alas nobody took into account what I wanted.

Cavazil really is great as Superman, and I wish they had allowed him to do more. Much more in fact. Zod is also damn good, which makes me wish the interactions between the two had amounted to something more interesting than a lot of smashing shit.

Then there's Amy Adams, who I may be the only person on Earth who just doesn't get. I don't find her sexy, I don't find her interesting, I don't find her acting anything more than competent, and yet it seems that half the world is having wet dreams over her. Color me clueless. Crowe is good, but enough of him already. I could have done with a complete redistribution of his and Costners arcs in the film. Then poor Chris Meloni, bless his heart but he looks like a TV actor lost in a major motion picture. Richard Schiff is criminally underused but at least he got a nice paycheck.

The action is big and loud, and one has to wonder exactly how many trillions of dollars in damage were done in saving the Earth. Buildings fall down, stuff explodes, spaceships shoot death rays, it's endless, it's numbing, and it's not much fun.

There's probably a good movie here centered around Clark Kent and General Zod, unfortunately it's woven into a long, drawn out, over explained smash em up that at over two and a half hours, left me exhausted and frustrated.


Grown Ups 2: 30 Out Of 100 Stars
Ok, so 30 is probably too high but I have to admit that I enjoyed the early part of the movie. I'm sorry, I find the idea of a moose pissing on people funny, sue me. The problem is that after about 30 minutes or so, where the lack of any sensible script at all can be forgiven, the movie just keeps going further and further into nonsense land and it become painfully clear that there isn't much of a script here at all. Also, the laughs kind of wane, even the crudeness becomes mind numbing because of the COMPLETE lack of a story.

A rushed, ill conceived, hodgepodge collection of mediocre standup in the guise of a feature film, Grown Ups 2 is just Sandler and company comedicly jerking off for 90 minutes. Which would be ok if it were actually funny.


Gravity: 68 Out Of 100 Stars
The problem with Gravity is that actually loses tension as the film goes on.

The opening shots, even on my 24 inch monitor, were astounding and I have no doubt that on a big screen it's even more awe inspiring. It's certainly a visually stunning movie, so props for that.

It was also very hard to watch for the first 30 minutes or so. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I just felt really uncomfortable. I wasn't just on the edge of my seat, I was off it. But it wasn't like I was rooting for Bullocks character, I was just so queasy that I wanted things to progress so my nerves could settle down. It's hard to explain but I don't know if that reaction is what you want to get out of the viewer.

Once things settle down and you get used to the backdrop and it becomes more of a normal, progressing story, well, it becomes much more of a normal, progressing story that's above average but not anything groundbreaking. In fact watching calamity after calamity sort of got a bit tiring. But it's short enough and the ending is solid enough that I'm not gonna rant too much.

I'd certainly recommend at least trying to watch Gravity, but I'm not real positive you get much more of the intended effect of the film than you do from just watching the trailer.

[ISiddiqui]

I think I can now do my Top 10 of 2013... though I haven't yet seen "Wolf of Wall Street" or "American Hustle" or "Inside Llewyn Davis" (nor "Captain Phillips" though that has been out for a while) - nor have I seen "Hunger Games, Catching Fire" or "Her" - so call it a work in progress, I guess.

1. Gravity
2. Blue Jasmine
3. Saving Mr. Banks
4. The World's End
5. The Spectacular Now
6. 12 Years a Slave
7. To the Wonder
8. Mud
9. This is the End
10. Iron Man 3

Part of me knows, however, that "American Hustle", "Her", "Inside Llewlyn Davis" will knock some of these on the list off.

[Julio Riddols]

I felt like the characters and the story behind them in Gravity was a total 180 from the quality of the visuals. Just a terrible, convoluted, overly dumbed down story that really hurt the film overall in my opinion. It was bad to the point of being a distraction from the visuals. I'd even say the story was worse than Avatar. Clooney and Bullock were just bad for the roles too. You can't have a Clooney character in a film like this, nobody can relate to the type of person he portrays. Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 was more the type of character you need for this.

[ISiddiqui]

Obviously people did relate to Clooney, though, judging from the ratings .

I mean, its your opinion and all, but how can I talk you seriously when you say the story was "convoluted"? The main criticism from people was that the story was way too simple.

[Logan]

American Hustle - 7/10

Saw this on NYE day and I think my expectations were set too high. I thought the acting was great, especially Bale and Adams, but the plot just didn't work for me. Or at least...all the way through. There's a point in the movie where Bale is warning Cooper that

Spoiler

his plan is getting too big by going after the mob in Florida

and coincidentally that's exactly where I thought the movie started to go off track. I guess I just liked it as a much more narrowly-defined story. Had an issue with pacing as well...the last 45 mins or so kind of dragged.

[Johnny93g]

An updated list as I've seen most of what I want to see

1. The Wolf of Wall Street
It would be hard for me to enjoy a movie more then this. As good as a movie released in the last 5 years. Instant classic
2. All is Lost
I think Redford is a very underrated actor, and he's incredible in this. I loved it from start to finish. It's probably not for everyone, but it's really great story telling, at it's simplest.
3. American Hustle
The acting, the clever plot, the crazy characters, it's a fun ride.
4. Prisoners
Great film stuck with me for a while after watching it. Not a dull moment during the 2.5 hour running time.
5. The Way Way Back
Familiar story, but great movie. Sam Rockwell is becoming one of my favourites. He's great in everything
6. Mud
What a great cast. Got better watching it a 2nd time.
7. Gravity
Very interesting film. I generally like "realistic" space movies. Not really sci fi, but the stuff that takes place in a manner that's somewhat believable. Clooney and Bullock were excellent, and like All is Lost, i felt it was easy to put myself in these characters place, making it very easy to understand what they were going through.
8. Dallas Buyers Club
I don't know where i heard it, but Matthew McConaughey has gone from Burt Reynolds to Paul Newman. These are good roles, and he's giving great performances.
9. Her
Phoenix was fantastic, and i feel a different actor, or a worse performance would have really hurt the story, which i don't think is as strong its' reputation suggests.
10. Ain't them bodies saints
It's a interesting story, told in a different way. The music is incredible, and I feel Keith Carradine deserves an Oscar nomination as he stole the movie. I dropped this, as i think it's a difficult movie to watch more then once.

I still want to see:
Saving Mr Banks
Nebraska
The World's End
Walter Mitty

[ISiddiqui]

Hunger Games: Catching Fire - 8/10: A very well done adaptation. Faaaar better than the first film! I just read the book a week ago and have very minor complaints about how they did the film, which is a sign of a very good screen play. Loved the casting! Jena Malone is absolutely fantastic in the role of Joanna, among others.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Given we're almost through ten months of this year's releases, with a final two months filled with some good quality films, this seems to be a good time to do my personal top ten movies of 2013 so far.

CHIEF'S TOP TEN 2013 MOVIES (SO FAR)

1. Gravity
2. The Conjuring
3. Captain Phillps
4. Rush
5. Now You See Me
6. Prisoners
7. Star Trek Into Darkness
8. Man of Steel
9. 42
10. Iron Man 3

Other Movies Seen (Alphabetical)

2 Guns
Elysium
Fast & Furious 6
The Last Stand
Olympus Has Fallen
Oz the Great and Powerful
Pacific Rim
Riddick
This Is The End
The Wolverine
World War Z
The World's End

CHIEF'S TOP TEN 2013 MOVIES

(original ranking from November list in parentheses)

1. Gravity (1)
2. 12 Years A Slave (new)
3. The Conjuring (2)
4. Captain Phillps (3)
5. Rush (4)
6. The Wolf of Wall Street (new)
7. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (new)
8. Hunger Games: Catching Fire (new)
9. American Hustle (new)
10. Now You See Me (5)


Other Movies Seen (Alphabetical)

2 Guns
42 (was #9)
Elysium
Fast & Furious 6
Her (new)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (new)
Iron Man 3 (was #10)
The Last Stand
Man of Steel (was #8)
Olympus Has Fallen
Oz the Great and Powerful
Pacific Rim
Prisoners (was #6)
Riddick
Star Trek Into Darkness (was #7)
This Is The End
Thor: The Dark World (new)
The Wolverine
World War Z
The World's End


It was a solid year for movies, and there are still more to see for me, but I think this is a good point to call it a year and make a "final" list.

I saw several new movies in the past two and a half months since my original list, and every single one of them, IMO, was better than my original #10 (Iron Man 3). This should be no shock, since it is the Oscar season, and I tend to pay attention to buzz and critics ratings before I choose to go see a film that isn't in my "wheelhouse".

I was ready to give 12 Years A Slave the top nod until I was listening to a radio show on movies on Saturday. They played a clip from Gravity, the one where NASA, in that calm, commanding voice, tells Clooney's character that all shit is about to break loose and get the specialist (Bullock) into the shuttle. It was just a 30 second clip or so, but the manic craziness of that scene, even just played out on audio and without the amazing visuals, reminded me of the gripping intensity of that movie, and I found myself on the edge of my seat in my car, just the way I did in the theater (for the whole damn thing, just about).

Maybe if I heard the scene where Ejiofor is being forced to whip his slave master's slave girl lover instead, I would have gone with 12. But that didn't happen. 12 Years A Slave is an amazing movie, though, and thoroughly earns the #2 spot for me.

I was comparatively (next to most everyone else) underwhelmed by Wolf and Hustle. Both very solid movies, mind you. But Wolf was so over the top that I was ready to have less style and more substance about an hour in (not good three hours in--Scorsese did get to the point, and it was a fairly satisfying ending, but it's not on the level of Gangs or The Departed for me). I absolutely loved the period stuff in Hustle, and the women (Adams and JLaw) in this are just great. But in the end, I felt it came down to your basic con movie, not much better than Now You See Me.

The two surprises for me were Hunger Games and Walter Mitty.

Hunger Games was simply one of the more satisfying big budget blockbusters I have seen in a while, and left me anxious to see the conclusion next year. I have not read the books, so I don't know how that one is going to go.

Walter Mitty isn't going to show up on many top ten lists, I don't think, since it is fairly predictable, doesn't really offer anything new and goes conventional Hollywood with the ending (all of which may or may not be a match for the short story it is based on, which I also never read). But it touched a cord with me. Stiller does a very good "everyman" in his roles, and Wiig and Penn are pretty good in this, too. Really, though, it's just a nice story with a great (if oft repeated) message. If you can handle the saccharine, it's worth the watch.

There were a some very good films that didn't break my top ten this year, which I think in years past would have been there (42, Her, and Prisoners stand out in particular).

I still intend to see The Lone Survivor, A Place Beyond the Pines, The Way Way Back and the Dallas Buyers Club, which all appear to be terrific from what I have read. Other than Survivior, though, I don't know when I'll get the chance to see these without going out of my way. I'll probably end up seeing Anchorman II at some point.

Although they may be terrific, I have to admit The Butler and Saving Mr. Banks are two I probably won't end up seeing unless it's for free 2-3 years down the road. I may end up seeing Mud and Fruitvale Station before that, but not sure.

[ISiddiqui]

all of which may or may not be a match for the short story it is based on, which I also never read

Mitty basically takes the name of the short story and the fact that guy likes to daydream and that's it. It's a worse adaptation than "I Robot" was.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Mitty basically takes the name of the short story and the fact that guy likes to daydream and that's it. It's a worse adaptation than "I Robot" was.

Well, glad I could enjoy the movie on its own merits then, rather than having to compare it to the short story.

[Groundhog]

Thor 2: The Dark World - 7.5/10
Big, dumb super hero fun.

Prisoners - 9/10
Holy hell. This is a movie that will stick with me for a long, long time. Good to see Hugh Jackman take a role outside his comfort zone too, and he really nailed it.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

Upstream Color - 10/10 - If you saw and liked Primer, this is that guys second film. It is entrancing, and I felt like even if I didn't know the plot I still wanted to watch it.. But the plot wasn't as hard to follow as I thought it might be. It is a little strange, but basically amounts to these people being brought under mind control by a parasite that is being bred for that purpose. This involves implanted memories, etc. Eventually two of these people who have been "bugged" meet each other and over time they discover what is going on. Shane Carruth is quickly becoming my favorite filmmaker.

I give this an 8.5. I think it is a quality film for those who are into film as a medium for high concept art. If you hate anything that might sniff of artistic pretension, you will want to avoid. But I enjoyed it quite a bit, and despite the concept it was fairly easy to follow. Plus there are a number of places on the internet to decipher what exactly was going on after you watch it.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

I give this an 8.5. I think it is a quality film for those who are into film as a medium for high concept art. If you hate anything that might sniff of artistic pretension, you will want to avoid. But I enjoyed it quite a bit, and despite the concept it was fairly easy to follow. Plus there are a number of places on the internet to decipher what exactly was going on after you watch it.

I really liked this movie and "Primer."

I thought they did a good job of with making the film artistic, almost poetic at times, without bleeding into artistic pretension. It's a fine line, no doubt, but I thought they walked it pretty skillfully.

[Butter]

I haven't seen Primer, but I'm going to now.

[chadritt]

Fruitvale Station - 8/10 The first hour or so is just good, its really all character work, but its a massive set up for the 10/10 half hour of gut punching that follows. Michael B. Jordan is such a natural throughout the film though, I cant wait to see what he does with the rest of his career.

[ISiddiqui]

American Hustle - 9/10: Very well done plot, casting, setting, everything! The acting in particular was fantastic, and I know everyone is talking about Lawrence, Adams, and Cooper, but I thought Bale was quite amazing in the main role. While it is listed as a comedy, it is more of a "dramedy" and the story had me on the edge of my seat. Some great laughs as well (I don't want to undersell that).

[Suicane75]

American Hustle: 75 Out Of 100 Stars
Very good movie, that for whatever reason just never slips into realm of greatness that it feels like it's teetering on.

The direction, the sets and the acting are all top notch, the problem might be that the start of the story seems.....I dunno, too manufactured? The set up borrows heavily from the way Vegas and Goodfellas did it, but this doesn't hold the same weight.

Once things get rolling, the story is pretty good, but really this is a film carried by Bale, who is fucking amazing. And Jeremy Renner is probably going to be criminally under looked, but my god was he awesome in this. Amy Adams actually didn't irritate me as much as she usually does, but Bradley Cooper is starting to wear on me some. Actually it's not much his fault, at some point it just became irritating how much the movie tried to bash me over the head with "this is a guy living in the 70's". I mean, he may as well have been trying to be a disco king. Louis CK, though a bit jarring watching him play an actual role, is also really fun. Jennifer Lawrence, I'm not so sure what the point of her was, she just seemed out of place playing the weathered mom. Out of place and unnecessary if I'm being honest, and this is coming from someone who would do the proverbial gross things to do the proverbial gross things to her.

The story is pretty fun, though at times it tries to come across as a lot more clever than it actually is, but I can forgive that. The thing to me was, a lot of the time that was spent on Cooper and Adams kind of kept pushing against how great I think the movie could have been if it was focused more on Bale and Renner who really had a couple of emotional, top flight performances that the movie would have been better served to give more focus too. I'm probably complaining too much about was really a good movie. Oh well.

So yeah, American Hustle is a strong, fun, period piece that might have a little too much going on, if only because Bale and Renner are so fantastic that you wish it was more focused on them and their relationship.


Bad Grandpa: 95 Out Of 100 Stars
Do I really feel like, in retrospect, this movie deserves a rating like this? Not really. On the other hand, I laughed like a mental patient pretty much all the way through. I mean, my fucking stomach was hurting and I think I might have coughed up some blood at some point or pooped myself. That's how hard I was laughing. And I can't ignore that when judging it. I seriously hadn't laughed that hard at a movie in a longgggggg time.

The thing is, when trying to describe it to a friend, I found myself thinking, "I really don't know how to describe how this was funny. Balls come out, dicks get stuck in stuff, poop is involved". I'd probably be rolling my eyes if the situation were reversed and it was being explained to me by someone. And yet I seriously didn't stop belly laughing throughout the whole damn thing.

I think the thing is that there's always been a sort of tenderness and warm hearted tone to a lot of the Jackass material, especially from Knoxville. It's not just idiots doing stupid things, it's friends doing things together. You could always feel the love they have for each other, and that adds a layer to a lot of the stuff they do, and this movie really takes that to the nth degree with Knoxville and the kid. You feel like they're truly having a grand time together, and as silly as the "movie" portion of the movie is, it works wonderfully because of that relationship. There are scenes with just the two of them together where it honest to god feels like they're having the time of their lives, and that really carries over into the story. It says something about how transcending, honest and raw emotion can be.

I guess that's probably it. For every dick getting stuck in something joke, there's a moment of real sweetness. There's a grandpa and his grandson, learning about each other and learning to love. I honestly think there are very few actors who could do what Knoxville does here, and the kid more than holds his weight as well.

Fuck it, I loved this movie and I'm not ashamed to say it. The story more than holds it own to go along with the jokes and pranks. Combine the two and you have a near masterpiece.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

American Hustle - 9/10: Very well done plot, casting, setting, everything! The acting in particular was fantastic, and I know everyone is talking about Lawrence, Adams, and Cooper, but I thought Bale was quite amazing in the main role. While it is listed as a comedy, it is more of a "dramedy" and the story had me on the edge of my seat. Some great laughs as well (I don't want to undersell that).

Adams and Bale carried that movie and were fantastic -- especially Adams in my opinion. Lawerence was good but not unbelievably so. Cooper wasn't even close to the level of the others.

[Suicane75]

When Bale is on, he's really on a whole different level. It's a very tangible feeling, just how much better he is at his craft than just about everyone else.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

I give this an 8.5. I think it is a quality film for those who are into film as a medium for high concept art. If you hate anything that might sniff of artistic pretension, you will want to avoid. But I enjoyed it quite a bit, and despite the concept it was fairly easy to follow. Plus there are a number of places on the internet to decipher what exactly was going on after you watch it.

I have to agree with your sentiments regarding those who don't like something that might be construed as pretension. A couple of my friends said that was why they didn't like the film, but to me it never really felt that pretentious. Just a very surreal idea and a meticulously put together realization of that idea.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Obviously people did relate to Clooney, though, judging from the ratings .

I mean, its your opinion and all, but how can I talk you seriously when you say the story was "convoluted"? The main criticism from people was that the story was way too simple.

I totally used convoluted entirely wrong there. Far fetched would have served to express my sentiments, whereas convoluted is exactly the opposite of how I felt the story was presented. Just the total impossibility of the events that occurred actually happening to advance the plot felt unnecessary when the initial event was already well beyond the realms of comprehension for the average person.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by rowech

Adams and Bale carried that movie and were fantastic -- especially Adams in my opinion. Lawerence was good but not unbelievably so. Cooper wasn't even close to the level of the others.

Originally Posted by Suicane75

When Bale is on, he's really on a whole different level. It's a very tangible feeling, just how much better he is at his craft than just about everyone else.

Agreed with both. The interesting thing is beforehand all I heard about was Adams, Lawrence, and Cooper. No one was really talking about Bale, and I thought he was just incredibly fantastic. The fact that people were seriously saying some Best Actor snubs should have been there instead of Bale is mindboggling to me.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

I totally used convoluted entirely wrong there. Far fetched would have served to express my sentiments, whereas convoluted is exactly the opposite of how I felt the story was presented. Just the total impossibility of the events that occurred actually happening to advance the plot felt unnecessary when the initial event was already well beyond the realms of comprehension for the average person.

Ah, that's far more understandable! I was really confused by your post earlier . I think there does have to be a suspension of disbelief there, but no more than other films, at least IMO.

[Logan]

Saw Wolf of Wall Street yesterday. Definitely a fun watch; I thought this movie felt much shorter than American Hustle despite being 50 minutes longer. I actually think it could have gone on longer and I'd be okay with it, if it meant giving some more screen time to the investigation angle which I thought could have been explored further.

Debated between an 8 or a 9 so I'll split the difference and go 8.5/10.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Agreed with both. The interesting thing is beforehand all I heard about was Adams, Lawrence, and Cooper. No one was really talking about Bale, and I thought he was just incredibly fantastic. The fact that people were seriously saying some Best Actor snubs should have been there instead of Bale is mindboggling to me.

FWIW, I thought Bale was much better than Cooper.

That said, I am surprised you would consider it mindboggling. Did you see Captain Phillips? That was an incredible performance at the end by Hanks. And everything I have heard is that Redford was amazing in All is Lost as well.

It was just a very strong year for Best Actor performances.

[ISiddiqui]

That's not exactly what I'm saying. I'm saying that folks are saying all the snubs should have replaced Bale. Not that they should have been nominated, but Bale is the one who should be gone in the place of people's choices. No one seems to be clamoring for the snubs to replace DiCaprio or Dern.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

That's not exactly what I'm saying. I'm saying that folks are saying all the snubs should have replaced Bale. Not that they should have been nominated, but Bale is the one who should be gone in the place of people's choices. No one seems to be clamoring for the snubs to replace DiCaprio or Dern.

I felt Bale should be gone in place of Hanks, but I also think Dicaprio is overrated in his role as well. I think it's a shame that either Bale or Dicaprio are in it over Hanks. I can't speak to Dern, as I haven't seen Nebraska.

If someone were to want to bump Dicaprio instead of Bale for Hanks or some other nominee, I certainly wouldn't have an issue with that.

[larrymcg421]

Wow, I don't think DiCaprio is overrated at all. I thought he was amazing in that role and I'd be really happy to see him win (eventhough it's clearly gonna be McConaughey). I do think Hanks definitely should be in and I'd put him in Dern's spot. I'd probably rank Bale 4th among those who were nominated, but I'm happy he got in because it meant American Hustle got a nom in all 4 categories and it's cool David O. Russell did that two years in a row.

[ISiddiqui]

I think one of the marks of being a good actor is to be able to play a wide variety of roles and make people believe you in each of those roles. To think that the main character in Nolan's Batman movies and the main character in American Hustle are played by the same actor just boggles the mind.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

I think one of the marks of being a good actor is to be able to play a wide variety of roles and make people believe you in each of those roles. To think that the main character in Nolan's Batman movies and the main character in American Hustle are played by the same actor just boggles the mind.

Try The Machinist and the next year be in Batman Begins. There's even a decent transformation for The Fighter as well where he transforms within a year.

Adams was stellar in the film Junebug even if the movie was OK for me.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

I think one of the marks of being a good actor is to be able to play a wide variety of roles and make people believe you in each of those roles. To think that the main character in Nolan's Batman movies and the main character in American Hustle are played by the same actor just boggles the mind.

I don't disagree, but that's more of an argument for Bale being one of the best actors overall instead of best of this particular year.

[ISiddiqui]

I think it is part of the argument. I mean one of the main things that Matthew McConaughey has going for him this year is that he lost all that weight to play the role (and then, apparently, disappeared in it).

[larrymcg421]

I don't mind it being part of the argument, but my point is that Hanks, despite not quite disappearing into his role, gave an emotionally powerful performance that surpasses what Bale did.

[korme]

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS - 9/10
Went to go see Her., ended up running late (thank you, crappy weather) and so I opted for the next show from the Coen's instead. Really happy I saw this. It was fantastic. The music was great, without being self indulgent - it helps suck you in. I'm going to have to rethink my "Tops of '13" list.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by korme

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS - 9/10
Went to go see Her., ended up running late (thank you, crappy weather) and so I opted for the next show from the Coen's instead. Really happy I saw this. It was fantastic. The music was great, without being self indulgent - it helps suck you in. I'm going to have to rethink my "Tops of '13" list.

My brother is a huge Coen Bros fan, and he said it's merely an average Coen Bros movie......FWIW

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

FWIW, I thought Bale was much better than Cooper.

That said, I am surprised you would consider it mindboggling. Did you see Captain Phillips? That was an incredible performance at the end by Hanks. And everything I have heard is that Redford was amazing in All is Lost as well.

It was just a very strong year for Best Actor performances.

I stand by my "Captain Phillips is the most disappointing movie of 2013" for me, but i just saw Saving Mr. Banks, and i think Tom Hanks performance in that was a much better then his Captain Phillips performance.

Now, that obviously has something to do with how much i enjoyed the film. By the end of Phillips, I just wanted the damn thing to end. It felt like it would never stop at that point. During Saving Mr Banks, i found myself hoping every scene would involve Hanks......

[Julio Riddols]

An average Coen Bros. movie is better than just about anything else, so that sounds good to me.

Also wanted to say that the streak McConaughey has been on, he deserves about 3 Oscars. Has been really good in everything he has done since The Lincoln Lawyer, seemingly turning it up a notch in each successive film.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I stand by my "Captain Phillips is the most disappointing movie of 2013" for me, but i just saw Saving Mr. Banks, and i think Tom Hanks performance in that was a much better then his Captain Phillips performance.

Now, that obviously has something to do with how much i enjoyed the film. By the end of Phillips, I just wanted the damn thing to end. It felt like it would never stop at that point. During Saving Mr Banks, i found myself hoping every scene would involve Hanks......

With all the stuff coming out about how Captain Phillips was actually a dumbass, I find myself not even wanting to watch this movie. It would be easier to digest if they just made the movie as a fictional story, but now I feel like it is some kind of undue glory being paid to this guy who really put his crew in danger more than anything.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

With all the stuff coming out about how Captain Phillips was actually a dumbass, I find myself not even wanting to watch this movie. It would be easier to digest if they just made the movie as a fictional story, but now I feel like it is some kind of undue glory being paid to this guy who really put his crew in danger more than anything.

FWIW, the movie doesn't really portray him as a hero. They actually show him receiving the e-mail warning. There's a whole discussion in the film where the crew urges him to change course and he explains why they shouldn't do that, a clear point in the movie where the crew is portrayed as right and the captain portrayed as wrong. Furthermore, without spoiling anything, the ending clearly goes against the typical Hollywood Macho Hero stereotype and is one of the best endings of a movie I've ever seen. Since the movie does show both sides, I'm inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt against what is being alleged in a lawsuit.

[chadritt]

That final stuff with Hanks is phenomenal, just amazing to watch.

[Buccaneer]

Watched Captain Phillips last night and phenomenal and amazing were the best words I could describe it, as well. The final scene was made even more remarkable if you read on how it was done.

I didn't read the book so I can't judge whether there was a better route to get to Mombasa, short of not delivering the needed aid.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

FWIW, the movie doesn't really portray him as a hero. They actually show him receiving the e-mail warning. There's a whole discussion in the film where the crew urges him to change course and he explains why they shouldn't do that, a clear point in the movie where the crew is portrayed as right and the captain portrayed as wrong. Furthermore, without spoiling anything, the ending clearly goes against the typical Hollywood Macho Hero stereotype and is one of the best endings of a movie I've ever seen. Since the movie does show both sides, I'm inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt against what is being alleged in a lawsuit.

This may have convinced me to give it a go. I'll check back with the results upon viewing.

[Pyser]

i mean, it's greengrass. he's got a track record, you know what you're getting. captain phillips is right in his wheelhouse. united 93 meets green zone, in a sort of way.

i loved it.

[korme]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

My brother is a huge Coen Bros fan, and he said it's merely an average Coen Bros movie......FWIW

Your mileage may vary. I'd probably rank it just below Fargo and NCFOM.

[Suicane75]

All Is Lost: 30 Out Of 100 Stars
All is boring is more like it. God dammit. I love Robert Redford, and despite him looking every bit his nearly 80 years in this film, he really does a fantastic job with the physical performance. The problem is it's just so insanely boring. His boat encounters some damage, he does some shit, but not being a sailor I have no idea what the fuck he's doing. I guess I was rooting for him to succeed in whatever the hell it was, but it's hard to get invested in outside of, I hope he don't die doing that.

There's almost no dialog in the movie, and I mean that. After the first 30 seconds of the movie I think he says about 10 words for the next 90 minutes. The other thing is, the movie opens cold with him on his boat. Eventually we find out where he is, but the why and the who are left a mystery. I understand what the film is trying to do, but it just doesn't work.

As the film wore on I couldn't help thinking of Paul Newman and how after Nobodys Fool he probably had a good 10-12 years where he could have made one final great movie, and it never came. If this is Redfords swan song than it's a fucking waste. That probably pissed me off more than anything.

The old man in the sea, just not how I wanted to see the old man go out.


Captain Phillips: 78 Out Of 100 Stars
Now this is how you do a big action movie. I was pretty surprised by the turn of events during the film as for whatever reason I didn't expect near the amount of action. Maybe it's because I just don't think of Tom Hanks, action star.

Hanks gives his usual top notch performance, but it's Barkhad Abdi who steals the show. He's got a look that's at once terrifying and sympathetic and helps draw you into Hanks' character even more because you're never really sure how much you can or can't reason with him.

The script is damn tight and takes you through 3 distinct acts that never drag and build nicely upon each other. It also doesn't just separate the story into good guys and bad guys, the pirates are doing a job they have to do. The script is so good that at points you're hoping the bad guys come to their senses. Just really well put together.

It's a joy to watch a film that clearly takes pride in technical efficiency when it comes to it's action. There's nothing here that's over the top in the way it's portrayed yet it's 10 times as exciting as most chase/blow em up type movies.

A wonderful film in every aspect, Captain Phillips is strongly written, acted and shot, and builds superbly to the films climactic 15 minutes where you can't help but feel for everyone involved.


Dallas Buyers Club: 73 Out Of 100 Stars
McConaughey and Leto both give tremendous performances in this story about the early days of AIDS and how a homophobic straight man and a cross dressing gay men, team up to help get drugs to those who need them.

Gritty and at times depressingly realistic, the film doesn't really stray to far from where you can see it's going, but that's ok. At times Jennifer Garner seems a little out of place but what can ya do, it's Hollywood.

There is at times, a sort of weird fluctuation between biopic and straight ahead fiction, but the performances from the leads help overcome that.

A film that would have served McConaughey better if it had given him a little more focus pre aids, he and Leto still manage to transcend whatever flaws the script has in that regard and makes this a pretty beautiful film, seeped in the ugliness of the early days of the aids epidemic.


Inside Llewyn Davis: 84 Out Of 100 Stars
Oscar Issac as the lead, gives what has been my favorite performance so far this year.

Set in the early 60's, Issac stars as a folk singer, too young to be so beaten down by the business and by life. In typical Coen brothers style, there's so much nuanced stuff going on, and so many layers to Davis, seen and unseen, referenced and unsaid. Also in typical Coen brothers style, there are characters that float in and out, some like John Goodman whom are marvelous, and others not so much.

The story really relies on Issac to carry the burden of the films message and he is just fucking fantastic. Burdened and beaten down but never out, no matter how times he himself, or outside forces try and pull him down. As depressing as it can get, there's always this sort of twinkle in Issacs eyes that gives you faith.

No disrespect to the other great movies I've seen so far this year, but it's nice to see a film this good built from scratch and not based on anything other than the wonderful creative minds of it's writers.

Not the Coen brothers best work, because the universe isn't quite as strong. But damn, does the star shine.


Afternoon Delight: 36 Out Of 100 Stars
The 36 stars are mainly for Juno Temple, looking absolutely scrupulous, and Katheryn Hahn being brave as all fuck and getting plenty naked all throughout the movie. Other than that, this is a rather unfortunate mess of a film.

So Hahn is married mother of 1, but her and her husband aren't screwing. I don't know why, the script doesn't seem to know why, and no real answers are provided as the husband is pretty much written with all the depth of a potato.

Needing a spark in their life, the couple go to a strip club and Hahn ends up becoming infatuated in some way with a dancer, played by Temple.

The script is so all over the place and unfleshed that I'm not real sure if Hahn wants to save the stripper, fuck the stripper, write a book about the stripper, who the fuck knows. Anyway, she finds out that Temple does a little more than strip but this doesn't seem to bother Hahns character much as she still lets her live in her house with her husband and kid, both of whom might not as well exist for the movies first 70 minutes or so.

So shit happens that I'll not spoil, but it doesn't much matter. The film seems to take joy in having people do stupid things, never communicate and seemingly exist on different planes altogether for no good reason. Then when it's time to wrap things up in a tidy bow, we're expected to have some sort of affinity for the plight the characters have gone through to get there. Sorry man, it's a shitty story told in a shitty fashion and Hahns effort and willingness to bare herself, literally and metaphorically, is fucking wasted. And that's a damn shame.

Afternoon Delight is all smoke and no fire.

[korme]

Finally saw her Joaquin Phoenix is just so damn good. There are so many scenes that he has to carry by himself. So many idiosyncrasies that make him one of the best and most enjoyable to watch. I thought it was very fitting how Jonze used Phoenix's job and relationship with Johansson to kind of tie itself together over the course of the movie. ScarJo was a pretty good character, for not having a face. I think the movie could have been a little shorter, though. I'll give it a solid 7.5/10

And of the Oscar movies I've seen, I'll go Wolf, Dallas, 12 Years, Her, American Hustle. I'll probably catch Captain Phillips and maybe Nebraska. Slim chance I see Gravity at this point, and very minor chance I'll catch Philomena.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Saw the new Lego Movie yesterday. Everyone in our group was disappointed. It was one of those movies where literally all the funny lines were in the trailer. It dragged on far too long and felt like they were trying to weave it all together. It failed miserably.

[ISiddiqui]

The Lego Movie - 9/10: I haven't laughed a movie so hard in a while, and I was going in with high expectations (when Rotten Tomatoes has it at like 96% being the main reason I wanted to go). Great voice acting! Fantastic skewering of modern blockbusters and a very satisfying twist! Well worth all the accolades and more.

[revrew]

Robocop - 3/10

Started off great, the tech was cool, acting was good enough, action/fight scenes were engaging and exciting ... but the overbearing politics of it and Samuel L. Jackson's just smug, satirical ending buried it for me.

I don't care if you're right, left, GOP, Dem, libertarian or something else, unless you're a hardcore commie or Nazi who wants to bring about a totalitarian state to enforce your political goals, we're ALL concerned about the extent of surveillance, NSA and growing police power in this country. "Robocop" could have tapped into that and made a movie we could all relate to. Instead, it goes off on skewering big business, "American imperialism," and mocking the notion of American exceptionalism - all talking points from one side of the political spectrum. Why ruin a movie with overt partisanship?

I didn't expect a whole lot from this film (given they chose to release it in February, when studios typically dump their losers), but I was still disappointed - not in the spectacle, which was pretty cool; but in the story, which just didn't live up to the potential it established in the first several minutes.