Silent Running

Silent Running is interesting to watch from a "look at this crazy movie from the '70s" standpoint, and the drones are cool, but it doesn't have much value beyond that.

Apparently this was the second time I've seen Silent Running, but I don't remember it at all. It was kind of a weird movie. Lowell wasn't very likeable, and Bruce's acting was uneven. Lowell came off seeming Shining-level crazy. It didn't help that his one scene where he was supposed to show some humanity was completely out of focus (what happened there?).

Zoolander

The humor in Zoolander ranges from dumb to tasteless, and there's pretty much no reason to watch it.

I wanted to see Zoolander when it came out - and I was 15 - but at some point I realized it wasn't worth seeing. I should've stuck with that. I'm not a huge fan of Ben Stiller, and the schtick he did for the movie didn't help. I do sometimes like Will Ferrell; he didn't have a huge part here, but he was good. Owen Wilson was probably the best part of the movie, but that didn't make it anywhere near worth watching.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

I can't exactly say I know what the point of "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" was, but it was beautifully shot and interesting to watch.

I've read reviews of people saying Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is slow enough to be boring, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. Maybe it was just because of the mood I was in when I watched it. I could totally relate to how disconnected Kumiko was from everything that was going on in her life.

Suburban Gothic

Suburban Gothic is pretty much a throw-away. The main character is likeable and interesting, and there are a couple funny scenes, but that can't make up for the vacuity of the plot and the other characters.

The reviews for Suburban Gothic weren’t that great, and I probably should've listened to them and not watched it, but it looked like it could be funny and/or interesting. It had a really weird vibe that didn't quite work, though. Raymond had an intriguing look. I was kind of mystified by the fact that Becca never smiled, which is actually one of the main problems I had with the movie - everyone was so much a caricature, you couldn't take it the slightest bit seriously.

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is fairly disjointed in terms of actual mechanics and plot, but there are some cool ideas, and I loved the outfits, the vehicles, and the look of a lot of the scenes in general.

Wyrmwood has been described as "Mad Max with zombies," and I guess you could kind of look at it that way. I did love the look of the movie; the outfits and the truck and everything. There was some cool editing and camerawork going on. I probably should've had the subtitles on; I had to struggle to hear what was being said, and I didn't always catch it.

Spy

Spy had potential, but the vibe is just off. It's not serious, it's not a parody, and it doesn't do a good job of being in the middle. It is consistently funny, but it could've been a lot better.

It's October, and apparently Spy is the second movie I've seen that came out in 2015. I really liked The Heat, and you can pretty much tell from the trailer which if Melissa's movies are going to be unwatchable. I figured this one would at least be passable, and that wasn't far off. There was something weird about the tone. It didn't quite work. I've seen most of the commentary, and the director keeps talking about how it's not a spoof or a parody, and they were going for serious (as much as they could with a comedy), but the general feel of the movie was really off.

I had a hard time investing in the plot. Maybe Melissa works better when she only has one person to play off, like in The Heat, than so many people. There were a *lot* of funny things about the movie, but something about it really brings my rating down. Most of the songs were jarring and just terrible choices in general, and the CGI was inexcusable. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is about the same as the other LotR movies. They changed some things from the book that I don't agree with, but it's still fun to be able to see the story.

I didn't think it was going to work out, but I actually managed to watch all three LotR movies in a row. I wonder what I would've thought of them if I hadn't read the books. There are a lot of things that don't make sense or are just wacky, like what goes on with Denethor, that don't bother me in the movies because that's just how it was in the books. I guess it doesn't all jive 100% in the books, either, though. I just kind of accept them for what they are. The story isn't perfect, but it's still interesting.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is obviously a middle movie. It's a little bit grueling, but they're on a long journey. It's still interesting, and it definitely leaves you wanting to see how it all ends. 

I actually saw The Two Towers a week after the first LotR movie, so it was a nice continuation of the story. I pretty much have the same thoughts about this one as I did about the first one. I like hearing all the language, and seeing how they represent everything. Liv Tyler makes a pretty good Elf. They changed a lot more things in this movie than the first one. I didn't think they were necessary changes this time, either.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

I really liked seeing Tolkein's book "come to life," to be cliché, in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I don't agree with some of the changes they made in the plot, but they did a great job visually. It does seem a bit dated, but so do the books.

I've wanted to see LotR since it came out, but I wanted to read the books first, and I didn't do that until a couple years ago, and by then I didn't have time to watch old movies anymore. I tried to read The Hobbit, and either it was the most boring book I've ever read, or it was one of maybe two books that was so terrible I didn't finish it; I can't remember which. Either way, I won't be seeing that series (and it's not supposed to be good, anyway).

I feel like an unusual amount of memes came out of this series, like "one does not simply walk into Mordor." And that wasn't even a big line in the movie. Why did it become so popular?

This movie has a weird look to it, like it was shot on old-school film, and it has a weird old-school fantasy vibe to it in general. But so did the books -- they were written in 1937-49, after all -- so maybe they were going for authenticity. The opening part in Hobbiton reminded me of Willow.

Synecdoche, New York

Synecdoche, New York follows the proud tradition of Charlie Kaufman movies that I don't enjoy. His characters are always unlikeable, and I can't get invested in them. There are a lot of things about it that could be funny if it weren't so depressing as a whole. I can appreciate it, but it's resoundingly not my thing.

2008 seems like a long time ago. It was only seven years. Maybe anything before 2010 registers as "a long time ago" for me. Charlie Kaufman is not my favorite writer. I could appreciate Being John Malkovich, but I didn't like it. I found the characters to be really unlikeable, which was the same problem I had with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I generally hate surrealism, and that movie is pretty out there. Plus if you don't like the characters, it's just really hard to be invested in what's going on.

It's All Gone Pete Tong

It's All Gone Pete Tong (which is about a DJ who goes deaf, if you haven't heard of it) is one of my favorite movies. It's not super deep, but it is funny and good-natured.

It's All Gone Pete Tong is one of my favorite movies, and I don't care if it is unrealistic and simple. This was either the second or third time I've seen it. Paul Kaye's eyes are so striking, and I love Frankie's whole "Ibiza" look. There are so many great lines in the first half of the movie.

X-Men: First Class

The main plot of X-Men: First Class comes off as extraneous, but the movie is still an entertaining look into the characters' backgrounds. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy do a great job portraying the origins of Charles and Erik's relationship, and Kevin Bacon hits the right notes as the villain. 

I don't know why I wasn't interested in First Class when it first came out; maybe because I didn't know any of the actors at the time. Now James McAvoy is one of my favorites, and I like Nicholas Hoult from Warm Bodies. I wasn't really on the Michael Fassbender boat before I saw First Class, but now I think he's good. I was a little confused about the casting of Kevin Bacon for the villain, but he did a good job with it. His nose was insanely distracting, though. I guess it's always been like that and I just haven't seen him in a lot of movies. Maybe they could've shot from a more flattering angle. Or maybe it didn't bother anyone else.

I always thought of the title "First Class" as like "elite fighters for the government" or something, and I don't think I realized until I saw the movie that it meant "the first class that Professor X trains." I still don't like Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique; or I don't like the way they're styling this version of her, or both. The suit is just unattractive, and the hair looks so fake. What they did with Rebecca was so much better. And I'd love for them to spring on some CGI or something to soften the look of the greasepaint. My #1 X-Men pet peeve, greasepaint; especially glaring for Azazel this time.

Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke wasn't exactly the epic I was expecting. The theme is pretty simple, but the animation is solid, and it held my attention for the entire movie.

I like Miyazaki's work, so Princess Mononoke has been on my "to watch" list for a while. Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle were better, but at least this wasn't as bad as Ponyo. The animation was good, and it held my interest for the entire time. Maybe it's one of those movies that's better for its iconicity than it is for watching for the first time. I liked San's general look/outfit, but other than that there wasn't anything really striking about it, visually or thematically.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is pretty anticlimactic, especially if you already know all the spoilers. It's not that interesting visually, and there's just not a whole lot going on.

I finally finished the Harry Potter series, and it only took me until four years after the last movie came out. The beginning of this one is really weird. It felt like I came in at the middle of the movie, which I guess makes sense since it's a two-parter. I didn't remember Part 1 at all, though, so I was pretty confused. Maybe they could've done some kind of recap. Or maybe they thought they did. There wasn't a whole lot going on in this movie. I was pretty tired when I watched it, and I was just waiting for it to end already. It probably would've been more interesting if I hadn't found out all the spoilers from the internet.

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is one of my favorite movies (and books). I love the aesthetics, from the framing to the costumes. The dialogue is brilliant, especially the use of Nadsat. The soundtrack is amazing, and the plot is visceral and thought-provoking. Burgess' writing in combination with Kubrick's vision created something truly iconic.

This was the third time I've seen A Clockwork Orange. It's one of my favorite movies, and books. I love languages and different lingo, which is probably why I like it so much. There are so many lines that just strike a chord with me, maybe because they've been reinforced a few times.

Furious 7

Furious 7 could've been a much better movie if they had just tried a little harder not to be so absurdly cliché. There were some cool stunts, though, and I can't say I didn't enjoy it.

I don't know why I keep watching these. Maybe now that Walker's gone, I can stop. I held out for about half of the trailer before I saw too many interesting stunts and felt like I wanted to watch it. And then Roeper gave it a favorable review, so I had to do it. I don't regret it, but I do wish it could've been just a bit less cliché and more intelligent.

A Walk Among the Tombstones

A Walk Among the Tombstones is interesting for the atmosphere. Liam Neeson gives a great performance, most of the side characters are done well, and the setting ties everything together nicely.

I wasn't that into A Walk Among the Tombstones from the trailer, but Roeper kind of got me interested in it. The title's a little clunky, and I'm still not really sure how it relates to the movie. The movie itself is pretty straightforward, but it's interesting. Liam Neeson gives a solid performance.

Inherent Vice

 Inherent Vice is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Josh Brolin, Joaquin, and Benicio all give standout performances. It's definitely confusing, it does drag on a bit, and the ending isn't completely perfect, but the humor is so refreshing and spot-on that I'm giving it 4.5/5.
Inherent Vice looked interesting from the trailer. I don't remember what Roeper said about it, but he gave it a B, so I guess he didn't hate it. I think Chris liked it more after thinking about it than he did right after he saw it. All that put together, and I still wanted to give it a shot, but I went in prepared to just enjoy the ride and not have everything wrapped up at the end.

I was surprised by how funny it was. It's subtle humor; they don't beat you over the head with it, but it's good. I'd say it's the funniest movie I've seen in a year, so that should count for something. I love that they shot it on actual film. It looks amazing; it has character without looking dated - although since it is set in the 70s, you could probably allow some dated-ness leeway. I liked how most of the women didn't look like they were wearing makeup. They all looked clean and natural. I'm sure they were wearing some makeup, but it just wasn't over-the-top like usual.

Predestination

Predestination is based on a short story, and it shows. They added some things that weren't in the story, but it's not enough. The framework of the original idea is really all that's there, and it wasn't worth my time. I was expecting a flashier action/fantasy-type movie, and it turned out to be straight drama. 

The trailer for Predestination made it seem like it would be all futuristic, but a weird 40s-style future, and flashy and exciting with the way they do the time jumps, like an action/fantasy movie. But it was actually pure drama; borderline boring drama. It was such a narrative. I wasn't surprised at all to find out it was based on a short story. It had a real "short story" feel to it. I don't think they had enough here to make a movie out of, even though they added things that weren't in the story. I feel slightly disenfranchised being sold a movie that turned out to be a short story, now that I think about it.

John Wick

John Wick is a lot of fun. The soundtrack adds just the right energy, the composition is interesting both in terms of lighting and blocking, there's some cool stuff going on with the action, and Keanu doesn't have too many opportunities to ruin scenes with his signature brain-dead delivery. 

John Wick looked like a cool movie from the trailer; there were some standout action sequences that made it seem like it would be unique, and I was hoping Keanu Reeves' acting wouldn't ruin this movie like it did Johnny Mnemonic. His delivery in the trailer was pretty terrible. One of his first scenes in the movie is with Willem Dafoe, and the contrast between their levels of acting is crazy. It's like Keanu is reading off of cue cards and Willem is just an actual person saying something.

Luckily Keanu doesn't have a lot of dialogue. He's primarily just doing stunts, most of which he apparently performed himself, so that's cool. I always get a little lost with close combat. It's tough to tell what's going on, and these fight scenes were no exception. I wish I could've seen it in the theater; a bigger screen might have helped, but it didn't come to the cheap theater. It seems like they only get kids' movies anymore.

The soundtrack was great. It sounded good, it fit what was going on, and it added just the right kind of energy. The composition was great, too, both in terms of lighting/colors and blocking/framing. The sets were gorgeous, and the neon overhead shots of New York were cool. John's house was actually designed to be an art gallery, so it had lots of windows and light, and it looked perfect. The art director said he wanted something everyone would want to live in, and he really hit the mark.

Everything was super sleek and opulent for the whole movie. John's suit looked great. The wacky subtitles were a misfire. I don't know if they were going for a comic-book feel or just trying to do something different, but it was just annoyingly distracting. The different sizes and placements just weren't necessary. There's nothing wrong with regular subtitles.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kingsman: The Secret Service looks good, aside from the weird jumpy camera style they went with for a few of the fight scenes. There are some interesting ideas, but Eggsy's protégé character is totally one-note, and I would've liked it better if it had less immature violence and more parkour. 

I don't have many thoughts on Kingsman: The Secret Service that don't involve spoilers. It had just the right amount of "gadgets" to keep things interesting without being gimmicky. I was disappointed the parkour scene wasn't longer; they should've done more of that. And I hated the weird jumpy camera style of the fight scenes.

Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For

Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For has a striking visual style, an engaging plot, and fun characters and cameos. 

I liked the first Sin City, although I haven't read any of the comics. I didn't remember much about it, so I read the Wikipedia article on it before watching this one. I didn't think it really helped; it was just a jumble of names - X did this, then Y did that, and I couldn't even keep the names straight while I was reading it. I think it actually was useful, though.

I love the visual style of the sequel. I wanted to see it at the theater, but it looks like it's not coming to the cheap one. It's amazing how much it looks like you're watching a live comic, and all the highlights and color pops were great. I liked the noir-style narration.

To Be Takei

To Be Takei is an interesting look into George's life, but it's more like an E! Special than a movie. 

I wasn't planning to see To Be Takei, but Roeper gave it a favorable review, and I decided it might be interesting just to watch in place of a TV show throughout the day. It actually took less sittings than I expected. Before and during watching it, I was most interested in the scenes of George's home life with his husband, but there weren't many of those. The internment camp stuff was interesting, though. I guess George really doesn't like William Shatner. I wonder why Shatner even agreed to do an interview for the movie.

I don't know how George can stand his husband being so critical all the time. I guess George is just a super easygoing, positive kind of guy. He seems nice. I like that he has a sense of humor about things. I kind of felt bad for his husband, since he wanted to retire, but instead they're constantly running around doing appearances.

There's really nothing more to it than advertised; it's just a little look into George Takei's life. I didn't feel like I wasted my time because of the way I watched it, but in terms of just sitting down and plunking two hours into it, I found myself wondering at the end why anyone would want to do that. It certainly didn't seem like the kind of thing that would be worth watching that way.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moves along at a decent pace, without too many unnecessary distractions. There's not really anything "magical" about it, but it advances the plot, and it's better than the previous two Harry Potter movies.

I accidentally watched Harry Potter #7 before #6, but now that I've seen this one, I realize I really didn't miss much, even though it felt like I did when I watched #7. I probably should read a synopsis of "the story so far" before I watch the last one, though. I don't remember any of the Tom Riddle business, and apparently I should. I also don't remember what happened with Draco's father, but I guess something did.