Though this may seem like a bunch of reviews, notice the date range… I’m continuing to slow down watching movies. Seems there are less and less remotely decent movies left out there, which is probably not a bad thing… less time for me to waste.
Red Cliff (2008)
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Quick quiz… what is the last movie I gave five stars? Hint: it was last summer. It really doesn’t happen very often. Of the 4000-some movies I’ve recorded ratings for so far, I’ve reserved that highest achievement for only 68 of them. This movie was absolutely beautiful. Some of the battle scenes are simply awe-inspiring. The historical plot, based on the Battle of Red Cliffs initiating the period of the Three Kingdoms in China, flowed seamlessly. Of course, this isn’t for everyone… you probably have to appreciate samurai flicks to enjoy it. If that’s you, and you can deal with subtitles, you must watch this immediately. Why two pics above, you might ask? There is a 148min US-theatrical version and an epic International version twice as long. I’ve watched both now, and can honestly say the shorter version is the way to go first, and if you don’t like it you can skip the epic masterpiece. Oh, and in case you haven’t already guessed, that movie last summer was Star Trek.
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
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This is one of those freaky movies where you can see the train wreck coming, and coming, and coming, and you just can’t look away for a minute. The less you know the better. If you like freaky thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, definitely check it out. I think I’ll go ahead and push my tropical paradise vacation out another year or two after seeing this. Yikes.
The Guild: Season 1 & 2 (2007)
The Guild: Season 3 (2009)
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This is a very quirky little show that I enjoyed immensely due to it tracking a “guild” of folks playing an online role playing game, much as I used to do (granted, they appear FAR more addicted to the game than I ever was ;). If you ever played one of those games, you should see this. It’s great comedy, but is not for kids at all, by the way… too much adult language, etc. Oh, and each season is really just a short movie in length.
Flywheel (2003)
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I ended up adding this to my Netflix queue after finding out it was the first picture put together for a few thousand dollars by the folks who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof (both great Christian movies). Even though the production quality is fairly low (as expected), this was a really well done story of a slimy-car-salesman-turned-good-man and how God can work great change in our lives if we let Him.
2012 (2009)
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So much for thinking I was the only nerd around who knew the Mayan calendar “ends” in 2012, prophesying either another cycle of the earth, or complete and utter destruction. This movie definitely goes with the latter, over and over again. Is there any international location or landmark left undestroyed? Not really. I find it interesting how secular movies like this one can’t help themselves but return to Judeo-Christian history: the world sets out to save themselves by building arks. They need to read more than Genesis, though… God said the earth will not end with a flood, but with fire.
1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
(2 Peter 3: 1-13)
I wouldn’t bother building an ark over the next couple years. By the way, the plot, dialogue and action sequences are quite laughable throughout, but the special effects are outstanding enough to raise it to a three-star movie.
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
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Quirky little romance flick that ultimately drags on far too long. The concept of flashing around through the sequence of the 500 days is cool along the way, but like I said, it eventually just threw me into a fit of boredom. Go find something else to watch.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
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I had no idea this won the Academy Award for best picture this year before watching it. This was really intense. It was hard to believe how tense you could get just viewing a guy walking out into the middle of who-knows-what-is-lurking-in-the-shadows to defuse a bomb. I’ll tell you what… you’ll very quickly find out what you’re in for at the beginning of the movie. I had to watch the first couple minutes a second time just to convince myself I just saw what I thought I saw. Just plain great film-making.
The Ugly Truth (2009)
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I’ve become a fan of most anything Gerard Butler shows up in, so figured I would at least give him one shot at a romantic comedy. I can safely say I don’t need to bother with that again. While he certainly played an interesting character here, I will gladly stick with his action flicks from now on. Yet another chick flick chock full of infidelity; not sure why I expected anything more.
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (2008)
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These martial arts flicks are fairly well done. Tony Jaa is pretty impressive, and the scenery is great as always. I enjoyed the first Ong Bak a while back (sorry ;), so figured the second was a slam dunk to watch when it showed up on Netflix instant viewing. I think I can easily say I’ll check out the inevitable third when it shows up.
Smallville: Season 8 (2008)
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This show continues to keep my attention for the most part, but it has really dragged on too long. Enough already with the Clark Kent who can’t fly unless he’s whacked out due to red kryptonite or some other random effect. I actually decided to stop watching the show after Season 7, but I found out that next season (yes, Season 10) will be the final one. Guess I’m close enough to the finish line now.
Brothers at War (2009)
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This is a very interesting film made by a guy with brothers actively serving in the Middle East. He actually got himself embedded with one of them for a while, until his brother was sent off somewhere else. Anyway, it seemed to be a fairly unbiased look at what’s going on with the troops over there, and you sure get to see a perspective you might not from other propaganda pieces out there today. Good stuff.
Warehouse 13: Season 1 (2009)
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I finally found a somewhat dorky investigation-based show that I enjoy (read: better than Psych). In a similar vein to The Librarian series, we have a secret warehouse that houses legendary artifacts, or artifacts you’ve never heard of created by or for legendary figures. Every time another artifact shows up in an episode is a fun surprise. It’s quite fun to see what they come up with each time, and I’m looking forward to watching season 2 on hulu.com throughout the year.
Riverworld (2010)
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Considering they attempted to condense all five of Philip Jose Farmer’s sci-fi classic Riverworld series into a single movie, they did a fairly decent job. However, it is so much better in book form. Basically there is an alien race that resurrects everyone throughout earth’s history onto a world snaked by a single planet-wide river. Oh, and being killed by anyone results in the person being resurrected again randomly somewhere else along the river. It’s a fascinating concept if you ever have the chance to read the books, even if you stick with just the first one, To Your Scattered Bodies Go.
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
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Chalk up a second Gerard Butler movie this month that I didn’t like. It’s interesting to see how Gerard continues to outwit Jamie Foxx’s character in his quest to enact revenge on those involved with murdering his wife and daughter. However, some of the things Gerard did were just plain nasty and disgusting (yes, I know his revenge shouldn’t be glorified, but come on), and the ending was absolutely annoying. Enough said.
Surrogates (2009)
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Based on the reviews out there for this, I really expected to hate it right out of the gate. However, I found myself enjoying most of the movie. I tend to find these futuristic movies pretty decent, especially if they are smartly done. This one certainly had its flaws, but the concept of people inhabiting “fake” bodies to makeup an entire society was portrayed quite well.
A Serious Man (2009)
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I’m still trying to figure out exactly why I thought this would be any good. I suppose it must have been due to seeing it was created by the Coen Brothers, and I enjoy most of the films I’ve seen from them. There were a few bright spots in the movie, but it ultimately wasn’t as funny as I was hoping. It was simply depressing most of the time.
Ride in the Whirlwind (1965)
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This western written by Jack Nicholson (can you believe that??) was claimed to be as good as the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns when it showed up on Netflix instant watch. It even has a sequel, The Shooting, that went on instant watch as well, so figured it would be a slam dunk for me. I was misled. Just stay away.
13 Rue Madeleine (1947)
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This WWII espionage thriller starring James Cagney has some good moments, but it really isn’t that thrilling. It’s hard to see Cagney seriously after watching too many of his films, and as the main good guy, no less. His roles as the sarcastic bad guy in other flicks fit him far better. Watch this only if you can’t get enough of him.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
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So here’s about the point where I wonder if anyone is actually still reading through these. If anyone actually makes it this far, it’s probably Jake scrolling down fast through them to see if there’s anything he actually cares about. In fact, I watched this one just for his benefit. It’s better than I expected… fun to see an alternate universe with a “bad” version of the Justice League, though it seems the bad guys should have been more powerful.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
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Netflix recommended I watch this after rating the Justice League movie, but it simply wasn’t that good. Some “back story” for Batman, if that’s what it was, was slightly interesting, but actually turned out to make the movie slow and just plain boring. I’ll shy away from animated comic book movies for a while, I think.
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