Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: It's right up my alley.

What's It About?: 70s British espionage.

What'd I Think?: As a disclaimer, I haven't seen the original or read the book, because I'm a total pleb. That being said, I really loved this movie. This was clean and well done, with excellent acting all around, especially from Oldman. The style and tone of the whole movie was just bang on. I kind of prefer the talk-y espionage sort of spy flick to the action-y type. Then again, I'd be content to just lie around and listen to Benedict Cumberbatch talk all day.

Rating: 5 waffles

War Horse

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: Quest to watch all of the Oscar movies.

What's It About?: A boy, his horse, and World War I.

What'd I Think?: In my serious adult opinion it was pretty good. All the cinematography was beautiful, with stunning landscapes and wonderfully framed shots. The story was good and I'm glad the war was depicted as brutally as it was. It was a bit longer than necessary, but whatevs. In my goofy teenager opinion Hiddleston and Cumberbatch bought the farm too quickly and if I never see Cumberbatch with that awful 'stache again it will be too soon.

Rating: 4 1/2 waffles

Drive

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: It looked really good.

What's It About?: A stunt driver who drives getaway vehicles in his spare time and then he gets in to some shit.

What'd I Think?: The last time I came close to feeling this way about a movie was Inception. Acting was superb. I am so gay/straight/bi-curious for Ryan Gosling now. It was shot beautifully, between the cinematography and all the amazing lighting setups. Those gore effects made my friend Elizabeth, a SPFX make up artist, freak out. The whole execution was phenomenal. There are no words. I want to have this movie's children. Also, DAT SOUNDTRACK.

Rating: 5 waffles

A Dangerous Method

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: Fassy and Viggo as Jung and Freud!

What's It About?: Jung boinking one of his patients and having a falling out with Freud.

What'd I Think?: This was really disappointing. I was just expecting to to be more interesting, more in depth, more fucked up. And it was none of those things. I don't really like Keria Knightly very much, but it could have been okay! Fassbender! Mortensen! But it was just really flat with no real plot of any kind, and no sexual tension at all. I haven't come out of a movie feeling disappointed in a long time, but this was just lackluster.

Rating: 2 waffles

Thor

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: It's Thor.

What's It About?: Thor.

What'd I Think?: It was fun. I didn't roll around like a 5th grader on cocaine as I did post-First Class, but I did enjoy myself thoroughly. The cast was super solid (though I could have done without Kat Dennings' character, but that's not her fault). Tom Hiddleston was especially excellent. Good origin story. I hope Branagh had fun too.

Rating: 4 1/2 waffles

Source Code

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: Jake Gyllenhaal. Also, potential neat sci-fi?

What's It About?: A soldier who keeps getting sent back in time in to some poor dude's body to stop a train bombing.

What'd I Think?: It was decent. It's not super cerebral or anything, but a solid concept with a pretty good ending that could have been great if Hollywood movie were only more nihilistic.

Rating: 3 1/2 waffles

H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator

Year: 1985

Why'd I Watch It?: It was the midnight movie at the Belcourt.

What's It About?: A guy who develops a serum that can bring the dead back to life, but they're all screwed up zombie-monsters.

What'd I Think?: Campy horror at its finest. The perfect blend of gratuitous gore, intentional comedy, and wonderful practical effects. Seriously, this movie is really fun. Also, Jeffrey Combs is amazing.

Rating: 5 waffles

Sucker Punch

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: It looked, interesting?

What's It About?: Girls in an insane asylum who try to escape through some girl dancing?

What'd I Think?: I wanted it to be all vision questing and a semi-decent story, but all I got was video game cut scenes and a pile of poop. The dance-dream sequences look neat, but that's really all this movie has going for it.

Rating: 2 1/2 waffles

The Rainmaker

Year: 1956

Why'd I Watch It?: Family movie night.

What's It About?: Burt Lancaster being charming and Katharine Hepburn being a bad ass.

What'd I Think?: Fantastic and well acted all the way around. It's a good story about a strong woman. Maybe my favorite Katharine Hepburn movie?

Rating: 5 waffles

Gold Diggers of 1933

Year: 1933

Why'd I Watch It?: Another one my dad wanted me to watch.

What's It About?: Women looking for rich husbands and a lot of theatrics.

What'd I Think?: Busby Berkeley was a mad genius. A really fun movie that descends into crazy elaborate dance choreography. It's redonk.

Rating: 5 waffles

Le Million

Year: 1931

Why'd I Watch It?: My dad wanted me to.

What's It About?: I...I don't really know, some guys win a million dollars but have to track down the lost ticket.

What'd I Think?: It was just kind of disjointed and goofy. I think it was probably better when my dad first saw it in the 40s/50s.

Rating: 2 waffles

Through a Glass Darkly

Year: 1961

Why'd I Watch It?: My dad wanted me to watch it.

What's It About?: A woman's husband, father, and brother dealing with her being insane.

What'd I Think?: Disturbing and beautifully done, but it's Bergman, so of course it's great.

Rating: 5 waffles

Cat Ballou

Year: 1965

Why'd I Watch It?: My dad wanted me to.

What's It About?: Wacky outlaws!

What'd I Think?: So much fun. The way westerns should be. Also, Jane Fonda is adorable.

Rating: 5 waffles

X-Men: First Class

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: Because I had faith despite being horribly burned by the last two installments of the franchise.

What's It About?: Charles and Erik becoming loversfriends and their subsequent break up, and also the origins of the x-team.

What'd I Think?: I seriously loved it, like woah. McAvoy and Fassbender are perfect. It's a well done comic book movie, better than almost anything else in the genre, except maybe TDK (honestly TDK pretty much transcends the comic book movie genre into actual legit film territory). I mean, sure it has some problems, but I'm willing to overlook them, like continuity errors with the other films and with characters in the film vs in the comics. Seriously guys, it's a comic book movie.

Rating: 5 waffles

Priest

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: It looked bad and we had whiskey and free tickets.

What's It About?: The future when the church rules everything and vampires are weird four legged worm things that rule the wastelands.

What'd I Think?: Yep, it was bad! Karl Urban was fun, as usual. No one else was in the theater so we yakkity saxed the fight scenes and talked all through it. It brought a lot of entertainment for such a bad movie.

Rating: 1 1/2 waffles

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: It was there and we were bored?

What's It About?: The continuing adventures of the best characters from the franchise.

What'd I Think?: It was better just because it lacked William and Elizabeth, that being said it wasn't just over the top awesome. It was fun and entertaining, but lacked something. It's so much like all the other movies, though. It wasn't different enough. Bits felt reused. So, eh. That being said, it was a good way to spend a couple hours.

Rating: 3 1/2 waffles

Bridesmaids

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: Ann wanted to see it for her birthday.

What's It About?: A shitty string of events having to do with a wedding and Kristen Wiig.

What'd I Think?: It was pretty entertaining. I really don't like when a movie relies too much on throw-up/poop jokes, so I could have done without that segment of the film. Otherwise it was pretty good and actually made me kind of care about Kristen Wiig's character, which I was impressed by. Also managed to be pretty funny, though I could have gone for some less typical sitcom comedy at some points.

Rating: 3 1/2 waffles

Hanna

Year: 2011

Why'd I Watch It?: It looked good.

What's It About?: A girl who has been raised as a tactical killing machine striking out on a mission of revenge.

What'd I Think?: This movie was really pretty. Full of color and wonderful sets. Also a very solid cast. Overall a pretty entertaining, good movie that was well orchestrated. Good show!

Rating: 5 waffles

London

Year: 2005

Why'd I Watch It?: Chris Evans.

What's It About?: A guy who's still sad about a girl he broke up with and there's a party with Jason Statham and his hair and it's all in a posh bathroom? I don't even know.

What'd I Think?: Someone watched some stylized, Tarantino-esque movies and thought "I want to do that, except with way more ANGST." It was bad. Statham managed to be kind of interesting to a point, but other than that, what. Chris Evans needs to do better movies.

Rating: 1 1/2 waffles

Exorcist II: The Heretic

Year: 1977

Why'd I Watch It?: Pazuzu. My dad wanted me to understand why he kept saying Pazuzu about the cicadas all the time.

What's It About?: Making a terrible sequel.

What'd I Think?: Who cares what I think, what was Richard Burton thinking? I mean, there are some good actors forced into doing and saying redonkulous crap. At any rate, it had its moments, but overall it's a giant piece of entertaining mess.

Rating: 1 1/2 waffles