Year in Review: 2009
It's been a quiet year for movies, because Greg and I upgraded our DirecTV to the HD/DVR receiver, which allowed us to watch movies in HD on PPV, which was AWESOME. For the movies we weren't really sure about, or the movies that one of us wanted to see and the other didn't, it was a perfect solution, as the HD PPV version is essentially the cost of ONE movie ticket (a little less, actually), and we don't have to go anywhere.
So the list below is for theatrical releases. Below this list is the list of what I've seen on DVD/BluRay/PPV/DVR. Those don't get categories, but you're welcome to ask about any of them.
But for the theatrical releases, this is my yearly tradition: mini-reviews, short & sweet with no spoilers. Ready?
The Great
Star Trek: yeah, yeah, yeah, some purists are up in arms over this movie, and they think the science is B.S. Well, some of it is (red balls, anyone?), but some of it is RIGHT ON with current quantum theory that I applaud the writers for using for their reboot. Star Trek reboots the franchise while preserving its history, and it allows the reboot to go in any direction it wants. I'm no fan of the original (hell, I haven't even WATCHED the original: what do you expect from a girl born in 1980?), but I absolutely loved the cast and the solid balance of drama, action, and humor. The movie was better on second viewing via BluRay, and I'm looking forward to the sequels.
Up: this movie had me tearing up in the first thirty minutes. It's also the first movie I ever watched in 3D, and that, not Avatar, has set the 3D standard for me. Gorgeously filmed with a heart-wrenching story. Pixar had another home run, and it almost made me cry multiple times.
Moon: hands down, not just my favorite science fiction film this year, but my favorite film this year period. I was in love with the thing before opening credits were over. Gorgeous score, very appealing cinematography (just pay attention to the placement of the credits), and then the story had a lot of heart. Sure, I've read complaints about the feasibility of the plot, but for what it is, it makes sense, and it's fantastically acted. And there are some moments you THINK you know what's going to happen, and it doesn't happen that way at all. I've read that this movie is actually the first in a trilogy, and whether that's true or not, I can't wait to get my hands on this BluRay.
The Good
Watchmen: a movie that was a little TOO faithful to the source material, but it was very well done. I loved watching it, and reading the graphic novel helped me deal with the length of it. I will say I wished the movie was a bit shorter, as I think that would've helped the theatrical release tremendously, but that said, I still thought it was a solid film.
The Hangover: this came close to "Great" in terms of my ranking, but while I enjoyed the hell out of it (it was very funny), for some reason I just can't bump it up. Despite that, this movie is well-worth seeing. It's a fun little mystery with a lot of laughs, and Bradley Cooper looks freaking HAWT in his black suit. I've already told my hubby that if he ever has to wear a suit, he's getting that one. :) Seriously though, really funny, with real moments of drama. You really root for these characters, even the weird ones. :)
District 9: I really liked it. I loved the gritty elements, the portrayal of the alien father and son, and the fact that the main character really wasn't at all likable. This film honored several science fiction conventions without, IMHO, blatantly ripping them off. The only thing that's keeping me from bumping it up to great is that for a movie set in Africa, there's only one black guy in the whole thing who's a GOOD GUY, and he doesn't get near enough screen time.
Pandorum: pretty solid SF/Horror that just ran a little bit too long for my tastes. Still, it was a good story with some nice surprises along the way, moments that really made me jump, and moments that filled me with wonder. Fans of SF horror like Event Horizon and Alien should give this a shot.
Avatar: beautiful movie, and the 3D was done well considering it ran almost three hours and I didn't get a headache. Sometimes, I was aware that I was watching it in 3D, and I worry about how awe-inspiring this movie will really be when people AREN'T watching it in 3D. But what makes it good instead of great is the story. Too familiar, with characters acting too much like the stereotype, and the natives struck me as a little too stereotypically tribal. And even if you get away from that, there's the fact that some things just aren't utilized to their full potential, like the character of Grace, the scientist who came up with the avatar program. The movie was a beauty to watch, but story-wise, meh.
Sherlock Holmes: I've not read any of the Holmes stories, so I came into this with no prejudices or expectations. I found the movie quite enjoyable, and I really liked the dynamic between Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law's Watson. The movie ran a wee bit long, but I was constantly entertained, and I look forward to the sequel.
The Average
Twilight: I dragged
chicklitter to watch this one with me, and the movie was enjoyable. But it was almost a TOO faithful telling of the book, so if you've read the book, the movie will hold no surprises.
Angels & Demons: I forgot I saw this film. Oops? It was enjoyable, and a far more contained story than The DaVinci Code, but it wasn't OMG!Amazing! either. Then again, neither was The DaVinci Code.
Terminator: Salvation: I loved the look of this film, and I rather liked Sam Worthington as the mysterious Marcus. But I wished that Christian Bale's John Connor was in it a little more, and I wish the movie had some of the anxiety that the predecessors had: like 'em or hate 'em, all of them were about fighting the future and using time travel to do it. This movie wasn't about fighting the future at all (let alone using time travel), it was about living in it. It had its good moments, but it could've been much, much more.
The Bad
Drag Me to Hell: this got SO MANY great reviews that my hubby and I decided to go see it. We like horror, right? Well, we don't like camp, and this was nothing but camp. I couldn't stand the heroine and wanted her to die, and all the horror itself was nothing but obvious special effects and/or hallucinations. Also? If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the ending. ANNOYING.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: I hate ranking this so low, because the first movie was a helluva lot of fun and the story mostly made sense, for what it was. This one? Too long, with more holes in the plot that swiss cheese, and worse, they ramped up the sexuality and profanity. A HUGE MISTAKE when you consider the first movie brought in a whole new generation of kids, you know? The special effects were great, but that's about all I can say for it. Also, there wasn't NEARLY enough Bumblebee.
The theatrical total is 14 movies, down just two from last year, which isn't bad. But the DVD/BluRay/PPV/DVR count? Comes out to a whopping 47, which is a great number, as any true Alias fan should know.
2009 DVD/BluRay/PPV/DVR List
Wall-E
The Godfather
Doomsday
Aliens
Alien 3
The Godfather Part II
Predator
The Proposition
The Day the Earth Stood Still (Original)
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Matrix
Gran Torino
Tropic Thunder
Sex and the City
The Doors
Superbad
X-Files: I Want to Believe
Transformers
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Hancock
The Strangers
1408
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Halloween (2007)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Into the Wild
Skinwalkers
Max Payne
Rambo (2008)
Coraline
Taken
There Will Be Blood
The Mist
Resident Evil: Extinction
Quarantine
Stardust
Sicko
Star Trek
Fight Club
Casino Royale (2007)
Miracle at Saint Anna
GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
A Christmas Story
And that's all, folks! :)
So the list below is for theatrical releases. Below this list is the list of what I've seen on DVD/BluRay/PPV/DVR. Those don't get categories, but you're welcome to ask about any of them.
But for the theatrical releases, this is my yearly tradition: mini-reviews, short & sweet with no spoilers. Ready?
The Great
Star Trek: yeah, yeah, yeah, some purists are up in arms over this movie, and they think the science is B.S. Well, some of it is (red balls, anyone?), but some of it is RIGHT ON with current quantum theory that I applaud the writers for using for their reboot. Star Trek reboots the franchise while preserving its history, and it allows the reboot to go in any direction it wants. I'm no fan of the original (hell, I haven't even WATCHED the original: what do you expect from a girl born in 1980?), but I absolutely loved the cast and the solid balance of drama, action, and humor. The movie was better on second viewing via BluRay, and I'm looking forward to the sequels.
Up: this movie had me tearing up in the first thirty minutes. It's also the first movie I ever watched in 3D, and that, not Avatar, has set the 3D standard for me. Gorgeously filmed with a heart-wrenching story. Pixar had another home run, and it almost made me cry multiple times.
Moon: hands down, not just my favorite science fiction film this year, but my favorite film this year period. I was in love with the thing before opening credits were over. Gorgeous score, very appealing cinematography (just pay attention to the placement of the credits), and then the story had a lot of heart. Sure, I've read complaints about the feasibility of the plot, but for what it is, it makes sense, and it's fantastically acted. And there are some moments you THINK you know what's going to happen, and it doesn't happen that way at all. I've read that this movie is actually the first in a trilogy, and whether that's true or not, I can't wait to get my hands on this BluRay.
The Good
Watchmen: a movie that was a little TOO faithful to the source material, but it was very well done. I loved watching it, and reading the graphic novel helped me deal with the length of it. I will say I wished the movie was a bit shorter, as I think that would've helped the theatrical release tremendously, but that said, I still thought it was a solid film.
The Hangover: this came close to "Great" in terms of my ranking, but while I enjoyed the hell out of it (it was very funny), for some reason I just can't bump it up. Despite that, this movie is well-worth seeing. It's a fun little mystery with a lot of laughs, and Bradley Cooper looks freaking HAWT in his black suit. I've already told my hubby that if he ever has to wear a suit, he's getting that one. :) Seriously though, really funny, with real moments of drama. You really root for these characters, even the weird ones. :)
District 9: I really liked it. I loved the gritty elements, the portrayal of the alien father and son, and the fact that the main character really wasn't at all likable. This film honored several science fiction conventions without, IMHO, blatantly ripping them off. The only thing that's keeping me from bumping it up to great is that for a movie set in Africa, there's only one black guy in the whole thing who's a GOOD GUY, and he doesn't get near enough screen time.
Pandorum: pretty solid SF/Horror that just ran a little bit too long for my tastes. Still, it was a good story with some nice surprises along the way, moments that really made me jump, and moments that filled me with wonder. Fans of SF horror like Event Horizon and Alien should give this a shot.
Avatar: beautiful movie, and the 3D was done well considering it ran almost three hours and I didn't get a headache. Sometimes, I was aware that I was watching it in 3D, and I worry about how awe-inspiring this movie will really be when people AREN'T watching it in 3D. But what makes it good instead of great is the story. Too familiar, with characters acting too much like the stereotype, and the natives struck me as a little too stereotypically tribal. And even if you get away from that, there's the fact that some things just aren't utilized to their full potential, like the character of Grace, the scientist who came up with the avatar program. The movie was a beauty to watch, but story-wise, meh.
Sherlock Holmes: I've not read any of the Holmes stories, so I came into this with no prejudices or expectations. I found the movie quite enjoyable, and I really liked the dynamic between Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law's Watson. The movie ran a wee bit long, but I was constantly entertained, and I look forward to the sequel.
The Average
Twilight: I dragged
chicklitter to watch this one with me, and the movie was enjoyable. But it was almost a TOO faithful telling of the book, so if you've read the book, the movie will hold no surprises.Angels & Demons: I forgot I saw this film. Oops? It was enjoyable, and a far more contained story than The DaVinci Code, but it wasn't OMG!Amazing! either. Then again, neither was The DaVinci Code.
Terminator: Salvation: I loved the look of this film, and I rather liked Sam Worthington as the mysterious Marcus. But I wished that Christian Bale's John Connor was in it a little more, and I wish the movie had some of the anxiety that the predecessors had: like 'em or hate 'em, all of them were about fighting the future and using time travel to do it. This movie wasn't about fighting the future at all (let alone using time travel), it was about living in it. It had its good moments, but it could've been much, much more.
The Bad
Drag Me to Hell: this got SO MANY great reviews that my hubby and I decided to go see it. We like horror, right? Well, we don't like camp, and this was nothing but camp. I couldn't stand the heroine and wanted her to die, and all the horror itself was nothing but obvious special effects and/or hallucinations. Also? If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the ending. ANNOYING.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: I hate ranking this so low, because the first movie was a helluva lot of fun and the story mostly made sense, for what it was. This one? Too long, with more holes in the plot that swiss cheese, and worse, they ramped up the sexuality and profanity. A HUGE MISTAKE when you consider the first movie brought in a whole new generation of kids, you know? The special effects were great, but that's about all I can say for it. Also, there wasn't NEARLY enough Bumblebee.
The theatrical total is 14 movies, down just two from last year, which isn't bad. But the DVD/BluRay/PPV/DVR count? Comes out to a whopping 47, which is a great number, as any true Alias fan should know.
2009 DVD/BluRay/PPV/DVR List
Wall-E
The Godfather
Doomsday
Aliens
Alien 3
The Godfather Part II
Predator
The Proposition
The Day the Earth Stood Still (Original)
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Matrix
Gran Torino
Tropic Thunder
Sex and the City
The Doors
Superbad
X-Files: I Want to Believe
Transformers
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Hancock
The Strangers
1408
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Halloween (2007)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Into the Wild
Skinwalkers
Max Payne
Rambo (2008)
Coraline
Taken
There Will Be Blood
The Mist
Resident Evil: Extinction
Quarantine
Stardust
Sicko
Star Trek
Fight Club
Casino Royale (2007)
Miracle at Saint Anna
GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
A Christmas Story
And that's all, folks! :)