The Artist

I saw The Artist.

One of the best films of the year (it belongs to last year), but not for everyone. This is definitely an arthouse film, a black and white (mostly) silent movie about silent movies and their stars. That sentence will drive people away in droves, which is sad, because this is a wonderful movie with three great performances – the two leads dazzle with their smiles, and the dog deserves awards.
This is a gimmick movie, but not in a bad way – it’s a movie with heart, passion, and style, with gorgeous cinematography. It reminds me of Hugo, not just because both of them are about early movies, but because both are works of art, each different in their ways, but definitely the best I’ve seen from 2011.

1. The Artist
2. Hugo
3. The Help
4. Captain America
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
6. Source Code
7. Hanna
8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
9. Sherlock Holmes
10. Mission Impossible
11. Thor
12. Rango
13. Paul
14. The Adjustment Bureau
15. X-Men: First Class
16. Pirates: On Stranger Tides
17. Sucker Punch
18. Green Hornet
19. Three Musketeers
20. Your Highness
21. Cowboys & Aliens
22. I Am Number Four

I did not do an Oscar list in 2011 the way that I did in 2010, so that’s the actual final list for the year.

Mission Impossible

This will probably be my last movie review for the 2011 movie year. As with last year, I plan to do a separate Oscar list after I see the nomination list.
Mission Impossible was a surprisingly good film. There were unbelievable elements, but they were overshadowed by some tremendously good action pieces and a solid overall plot. You could do worse than this, for sure. Ranking to follow. Also, this movie had the other lead from the Swedish version of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Funny timing on these three films.

(Probably) final rankings for 2011:

1. Hugo
2. The Help
3. Captain America
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
5. Source Code
6. Hanna
7. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Mission Impossible
10. Thor
11. Rango
12. Paul
13. The Adjustment Bureau
14. X-Men: First Class
15. Pirates: On Stranger Tides
16. Sucker Punch
17. Green Hornet
18. Three Musketeers
19. Your Highness
20. Cowboys & Aliens
21. I Am Number Four

Sherlock beats MI for cleverness and Downey vs expensive production and Cruise. Both solid, fun action movies, though.

Sherlock Holmes

This movie review brought to you by the generosity of my favorite sister.
I saw Sherlock Holmes tonight. A slick, fun, clever action film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you liked the first one, you’ll like this. If not, it might be unintelligible. Or not, hard to say.
Fine acting performances once again from Downey and Law. In an odd coincidence, the token female in this movie was played by Noomi Rapace, who was the titular Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in the Swedish version.
I’ll have to figure out where it stands in my list when I’m back at my computer, which might be a while.

…

After some consideration, this is my new number 8, between Dragon Tattoo and Thor. This has been a pretty good year for films.

1. Hugo
2. The Help
3. Captain America
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
5. Source Code
6. Hanna
7. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Thor
10. Rango
11. Paul
12. The Adjustment Bureau
13. X-Men: First Class
14. Pirates: On Stranger Tides
15. Sucker Punch
16. Green Hornet
17. Three Musketeers
18. Your Highness
19. Cowboys & Aliens
20. I Am Number Four

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Saw Girl With The Dragon Tattoo tonight. A dark, brutal adaptation of a dark, brutal book. Absolutely do not see this movie if you’re squeamish about rape. The original title of the book actually translates as Men Who Hate Women.
With that out of the way, this was an excellent movie. I’ve read the book and seen the Swedish film version, so it’s hard to be objective about how well the central murder-mystery plot is carried off, but I think it was excellently done. It’s a complicated story, with a lot of characters, both present and referenced, but the film flowed very well and should, I think, be intelligible to newcomers. Some of the dialogue was difficult to make out, but nothing terribly vital.
The movie’s flaws are the same as the book’s flaws. There are three main plots: the murder mystery, and the lives of the two protagonists. While everything does interweave, it doesn’t always do it gracefully, and the motivations for a couple of the characters are obscure at best.
I do hope that the filmmakers continue with the trilogy. Adapting this book for an American audience is much more straightforward than the next two, which are much more about the political and social past and present of Sweden, and lack the easy hook of the murder mystery.
Since I have seen them both, I am obliged to compare this version to the Swedish. They’re both good movies, but I give the edge to this one. It seemed a little tighter, a little snappier, but mainly it had better music. I don’t know who had the idea to score this movie with Trent Reznor, but it was genius. Oddly, I was just having a conversation at work today about the importance of the score to a movie, and this is an excellent example of how a good score can improve a movie which risks dullness in the long winter of Sweden.
To recap: good film as long as you’re prepared for brutal violence, rape, murder, and misogyny. I went alone because I knew that watching it with anyone else would make me uncomfortable.

…

I forgot something in my review: the title sequence for Dragon Tattoo was amazing and weird and disturbing, slightly reminiscent of a Bond opening, and the most unique title sequence I’ve seen in years.
1. Hugo
2. The Help
3. Captain America
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
5. Source Code
6. Hanna
7. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
8. Thor
9. Rango
10. Paul
11. The Adjustment Bureau
12. X-Men: First Class
13. Pirates: On Stranger Tides
14. Sucker Punch
15. Green Hornet
16. Three Musketeers
17. Your Highness
18. Cowboys & Aliens
19. I Am Number Four

Hugo

This week in movie reviews: Hugo, based on the children’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

I loved this movie. I loved the book, and the film adaptation was well done. No book I’ve ever read has begged more for a movie version than this. It’s a very visual book, largely comprised of intricate pencil drawings, and its plot involves early film-making. What I’m saying here, is go read the book. If you like it, go see the movie. It’s like the book, but with two outstanding young actors, a fabulous supporting cast, excellent cinematography and sets, and a sequence towards the end during which my mouth hung open with childlike glee.

Also, this movie did nothing at all to cure the inappropriate crush I have on Chloe Grace Moretz.

My completely subjective movie rank so far this year:
1. Hugo
2. The Help
3. Captain America
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
5. Source Code
6. Hanna
7. Thor
8. Rango
9. Paul
10. The Adjustment Bureau
11. X-Men: First Class
12. Pirates: On Stranger Tides
13. Sucker Punch
14. Green Hornet
15. Three Musketeers
16. Your Highness
17. Cowboys & Aliens
18. I Am Number Four

The Three Musketeers

Two months since my last theater trip (for a new-release movie, anyway).
This time around: The Three Musketeers
Okay, anyone who has seen the trailer should know what you’ll get from this – a hyper-action remake with some steampunk elements. If that’s what you’re in the mood for, and you have a strong ability to suspend disbelief, then this is a perfectly fun movie. Fortunately for me, I’m good at that sort of thing. I’m willing to pretend that Versailles is in Paris, accept some very dubious physics, some of which involve airships, and only gently snicker at the rapier folks trying to use the slow-mo intercuts poularized by 300.
Oh, and the acting is generally mediocre-to-bad and the plot isn’t wonderful. But really. The important things are: the costumes and sets were lovely (though I’m not about to declare them period-correct). There was some very nice armor in there. The swordplay was brilliant at times, and the fight staging was fun.
Also, reimagining the Three Musketeers as a paramilitary infiltration team is at least a different take than the last two versions I’ve seen.
For my money, the best of the modern-era versions is still the Disney one, but I had fun watching this one.

1. The Help
2. Captain America
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
4. Source Code
5. Hanna
6. Thor
7. Rango
8. Paul
9. The Adjustment Bureau
10. X-Men: First Class
11. Pirates: On Stranger Tides
12. Sucker Punch
13. Green Hornet
14. Three Musketeers
15. Your Highness
16. Cowboys & Aliens
17. I Am Number Four

The Help

Saw The Help.

It's pretty early in the year for a serious movie for me, but this is a good one. It's about the relationship between blacks and whites in the South during the civil rights movement. The film manages to take an uncomfortable topic and make it entertaining and sometimes downright funny without removing the harshness of the essential conflict. Good writing, good acting, and an important film, I think, especially for those of us too young to have experienced that part of American culture.

I expect Oscar nominations for this film.

‎1. The Help

2. Captain America

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

4. Source Code

5. Hanna

6. Thor

7. Rango

8. Paul

9. The Adjustment Bureau

10. X-Men: First Class

11. Pirates: On Stranger Tides

12. Sucker Punch

13. Green Hornet

14. Your Highness

15. Cowboys & Aliens

16. I Am Number Four

Captain America

I saw Captain America tonight. That was pretty much everything I could ask for from a superhero movie, or from a movie in general. Coherent, consistent, and fun. It stayed true to the source material without being mired in it. All in all a damn fine movie. Nothing bad to say about it. Give me more summer action films of that caliber, Hollywood.

1. Captain America

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

3. Source Code

4. Hanna

5. Thor

6. Rango

7. Paul

8. The Adjustment Bureau

9. X-Men: First Class

10. Pirates: On Stranger Tides

11. Sucker Punch

12. Green Hornet

13. Your Highness

14. I Am Number Four

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

So, I should review Potter, but really, what’s there to say? If you’re a Potter fan, go see it. If you’re not, don’t. The film adaptations have been quite good, and this is no exception. It hits all the high points and does it in style. I’m a bit delirious from fatigue and watching 8 Potter movies in 4 days, so I might not be objective, but this takes my top spot for the year so far.

Btw, as far as Potter movies go, I think 3 is probably still my favorite. I’ll have to see this one again in a bit once the newness/euphoria/sleep deprivation wears off, but I think 8 comes in a close second.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

2. Source Code

3. Hanna

4. Thor

5. Rango

6. Paul

7. The Adjustment Bureau

8. X-Men: First Class

9. Pirates: On Stranger Tides

10. Sucker Punch

11. Green Hornet

12. Your Highness

13. I Am Number Four

X-Men: First Class

X-Men: Good movie but not great. Suffered from some slow pacing, but my main problem with it is that if you’ve seen the trailer then you already know the plot. All of it. Everything. I will never understand why studios will put out trailers like that. Otherwise enjoyable movie with one fantastic cameo.

1. Source Code

2. Hanna

3. Thor

4. Rango

5. Paul

6. The Adjustment Bureau

7. X-Men: First Class

8. Pirates: On Stranger Tides

9. Sucker Punch

10. Green Hornet

11. Your Highness

12. I Am Number Four

Pirates 4: On Stranger Tides

Pirates: Entertaining, but frequently felt phoned-in; a franchise movie rather than a movie that has to stand on its own merit. It actually had the material to be good, but scenes that should have been emotionally impactful weren’t, and some plot elements were weak, nonsensical, or unnecessary. Still, I enjoyed it. Not as good as Pirates 1, but better than 2 or 3, for me.

1. Source Code

2. Hanna

3. Thor

4. Rango

5. Paul

6. The Adjustment Bureau

7. Pirates: On Stranger Tides

8. Sucker Punch

9. Green Hornet

10. Your Highness

11. I Am Number Four

Thor

Saw Thor tonight. I love midnight crowds. Surprisingly good movie. It has its cheesy moments, certainly, but forgivably so. The gentlemen behind me were kind enough to share (repeatedly) that this was not how the story was supposed to go, but as I’m not an avid Thor comic book reader, I don’t mind.
Chris Hemsworth was perfect as Thor – arrogant, charismatic, disgustingly good looking.

1. Source Code

2. Hanna

3. Thor

4. Rango

5. Paul

6. The Adjustment Bureau

7. Sucker Punch

8. Green Hornet

9. Your Highness

10. I Am Number Four

Hanna

Saw Hanna. Very good thriller, But: in some ways this movie is more like Dragon Tattoo than Bourne. It’s arty, atmospheric, and sometimes slow. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people take bathroom breaks. If you can handle that, it’s excellent. Some beautiful long takes, and the lead actress does a good job in a challenging role.

1. Source Code
2. Hanna
3. Rango
4. Paul
5. The Adjustment Bureau
6. Sucker Punch
7. Green Hornet
8. Your Highness
9. I Am Number Four

Your Highness

Saw Your Highness. Exactly what I was expecting, a low-brow R-rated comedy. It’s not actually a good movie, but it had its moments and I enjoyed it. Sorry guys, the best shot of Portman is in the trailer.

1. Source Code
2. Rango
3. Paul
4. The Adjustment Bureau
5. Sucker Punch
6. Green Hornet
7. Your Highness
8. I Am Number Four

The Adjustment Bureau

Saw The Adjustment Bureau. A solid, slick film which I enjoyed but have a couple quibbles with.
1) It was on the edge of too manipulative/message-y for me.
2) In a film which absolutely depends on convincing the audience that the two main characters have so much chemistry they should file for a patent, I didn’t always buy it. Damon and Blunt performed well, but sometimes not well enough.
Still worth seeing.

1. Source Code
2. Rango
3. Paul
4. The Adjustment Bureau
5. Sucker Punch
6. Green Hornet
7. I Am Number Four

Source Code

Saw Source Code tonight. I wasn’t expecting much – the trailer looked like a gimmicky sci-fi movie with bad sci. I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-plotted movie with decently good science, suspense, and heart. Best movie I’ve seen so far this year.

1. Source Code
2. Rango
3. Paul
4. Sucker Punch
5. Green Hornet
6. I Am Number Four

Paul

I saw Paul today. It was reasonably funny. I laughed out loud a few times. I’m pretty sure I missed a few of the geek references, which is sad. If you’re a geek, it’s worth watching. Otherwise, skip it.

1. Rango
2. Paul
3. Sucker Punch
4. Green Hornet
5. I Am Number Four

Sucker Punch

Saw Sucker Punch at a midnight screening. I was expecting this movie to be odd and visually fabulous. I was right on both counts, though it actually wasn’t as odd as I was expecting it to be. This is a movie with oodles of style but not enough substance to really make it good. I have one other complaint about it, but it’s a spoiler, and I don’t spoil in public.

1. Rango
2. Sucker Punch
3. Green Hornet
4. I Am Number Four

Rango

Rango: very strange movie, very much not a kids movie in places. Entertaining. Much better than I thought it was going to be. It’s the best movie I’ve seen so far this year, not that that’s saying much.

1. Rango
2. Green Hornet
3. I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four

I saw I Am Number Four today. This is an earnestly mediocre film. I was surprised to see Millar and Gough wrote the screenplay, since much of what was wrong was in the dialogue and scripting. The good news is that some of the action sequences were really quite good, and when the plot is bad it’s usually laugh-at-it bad, not oh-god-why-did-i-spend-money-on-this bad.

1. Green Hornet
2. I Am Number Four
…it’ll get better, I’m sure.