Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
This year was a fair year for movies. Not nearly as good as last year, but 2009 had it’s gems.
- Avatar – This was the biggest film of the year and everything else is a distant second. I loved this movie for it’s immersive experience, but it was not the best story line of 2009. That said, what I felt during and after this movie makes up for any shortfalls in the storyline. The graphics and 3D are spectacular, and not done in a gimmicky way, but in a completely scenic way, like watching Discovery Channel in HD.
- Star Trek – I am a huge Star Trek fan and was disappointed this didn’t take the number one spot on my list this year. I’m really glad J.J. Abrams brought the franchise back to life, and even took it a little main stream. The first time I saw this movie I was actually disappointed, but later realized that was only because of my impossibly high hopes for the movie that just about nothing could have met.
- Watchmen – I never have read any of the Watchmen comics but this movie had so much buzz from Comic Con that I decided to go see it right away. I was blown away, and think this is one of the best comic book movies ever. You defiantly feel like your watching a comic book movie, but it still leaves you on the edge of your seat thanks to an amazing gripping story and well done acting.
- Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino does WWII. What else do I need to say?
- Terminator Salvation – I’m a big fan of the entire Terminator series and I think I’m one of the few that actually enjoyed the third movie. While I was skeptical at first about a Terminator movie without Arnold, I was quickly corrected during this movie. The entire movie feels like a Terminator movie, and much like the third one, doesn’t have an overly happy ending to it.
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The second installment of the Transformers franchise was a fun watch for all. While I didn’t find it nearly as funny as the first movie, it still managed to thrill me and make me laugh from time to time. The story line leaves something to be desired though.
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Wolverine tries to bring X-Men back from the dead after the horrible X-Men 3 movie. The movie isn’t just about Wolverine, we do see many of the other X-Men in their earlier stages, but for the most part we are taken along Wolverine’s life journey. This movie takes us back to the good old, bad ass kicking Wolverine that we all know and love, but still lacked the magic from the first movie.
- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – The third movie from the Underworld series takes us back to the time when the Lycans and Vampires worked together. This movie is a little disappointing because it goes over the same history that we had already learned about from the first two.
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – I had huge expectations for this movie that were not lived up to. While this movie was still pretty good, I felt as if the life experiences could have been enhanced. I would have rather followed around Benjamin Button around on his life journey, rather then the old girlfriend that is narrating the story.
- Hangover – I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard in a movie. The only reason this movie is on the bottom of the list is because of the lack of actual story line. That being said, I don’t think I had more fun at any other movie this year. If your looking for a good time, and loads of laughs, watch the Hangover.
Tags: 2009, Movies
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Sunday, January 4th, 2009
This list was fairly hard to make this year. While I saw a lot of movies this year, few really excited me or were good enough to add to my Blu-Ray collection. Keep in mind that this list does not include two 2008 movies that I still am waiting to see, Valkyrie and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
- The Dark Knight – This was the clear winner for 2008. Once I saw this movie it was all over but for second place. This movie was an incredible success and I think Heath Ledger’s acting performance should be learnt in drama classrooms for all time.
- Iron Man – If any movie competed with Batman this year it was Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. did not disappoint as the egotistically billionaire who fights evil in his mechanical suite.
- 21 – I love Math, I love numbers, I loved this movie. The casting in this movie was perfect and I really felt a part of the kids journey into the dark world of counting cards. Great movie, defiantly worth the addition to your DVD collection.
- Wanted – I had pretty high expectations for this movie going in given the all-star cast, and while I was not blown away, I was not disappointed either. The action sequences are great and the odd humor that is added in once in a while is quite funny.
- Tropic Thunder – Could we have any more stars in this movie? I can’t think of another movie this year who had so many big name actors in it. Strangely enough this did not detract from the comedy of the movie. In fact, sometimes because of the prestige of the stars, the parts were even funnier then if the cast had been lesser known actors.
- Charlie Wilson’s War – This is the movie that didn’t get it’s due in 2008. Tom Hanks gives an excellent performance, which is complemented by the FANTASTIC performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The only person who really looked out of place in this movie was Julia Roberts.
- The Incredible Hulk – This movie is everything the original Hulk movie should have been. We see more of the action sequences we wanted, and the good side of the Hulk is brought out more. I had no expectations at all for this movie, but find myself now looking forward to the next one.
- James Bond 22: Quantum of Solace – I love James Bond, I just don’t love this James Bond. While I enjoyed the movie overall, I find some of the features from a good old Bond movie missing. I can’t put my hand on it, but I never feel like I’m watching a bond movie.
- Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – I had very high expectations for this movie and I was very let down. Indiana Jones seems to have went from ordinary explorer to superhero (that fridge scene). Overall I had fun watching it, but I found myself thinking it could have been so much more.
- Love Guru – No movie surprised me more in 2008 then the Love Guru. I did not even want to see this movie and only went as a favour to a friend. However, I found myself having a lot of fun watching it. Justin Timberlake’s French Canadian acting was so funny and really made the movie for me. Worth a watch in my opinion, but I wouldn’t add it to your collection.
Tags: 2008, Movies
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