Movies 2011 - 50filmchallenge

[themadpoker]

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (January 1) -- 4 stars

This was really good! I've got a short attention span and I usually have to watch a movie in parts because I'll wander off in the middle. The time just flew by when I was watching this though, I was actually surprised when it ended. Wait, that quickly? =O I'm looking forward to seeing Part II.

2. The Girl Who Lept Through Time (January 3) -- 3 stars

There were parts of this movie that were kind of confusing, but confusion's kind of hardwired into time travel stories so I'll give it a pass on that. Besides I liked Makoto and Chiaki and characters trump plot coherency. I don't feel like the twist got properly hinted at though, it came out of nowhere.

3. A Single Man (January 4) -- 3.5 stars

I think this is a good movie but I didn't enjoy it very much. It felt very manufactured? And a couple of times it managed to jump out of that and I liked it then but the rest of the time I was admiring things like the cinematography and tone more than I was enjoying watching the movie. tl;dr there's a clever man behind the curtain but I could see him for most of it.

4. Ramona and Beezus (January 17) -- 3 stars

Joey King is adorable! She was perfect for Ramona, utterly bright and charming. Selena Gomez didn't gel as well for Beezus for me but she was adorable too so what do I care? :) Besides it's been awhile since I read the books and what I remember of Beezus is basically just bookish and cranky so I'm no real authority. There were some pacing issues that made me think this might have worked better as a short miniseries but I think the charm of the leads managed to carry it through anyways.

5. Despicable Me (January 19) -- 4 stars

Hey have I ever mentioned my weakness for stories about adorable small girls melting the hearts of cranky men who adopt them? No. Well it exists. =D I love this movie, I was giggling and clapping and oh no!ing all over the place. Also it has a really great soundtrack! The first song earwormed me and I kept singing it until I got distracted by plot significant kidnappings (I was clutching my hands in concern. Save your girls Gru! You have to! D=)

6. Aladdin (January 19) -- 3 stars

Umm. This was alot more racist then I remembered it being. D= Oh the woes of looking at childhood loves with grown eyes. Also I cringed every time I heard one of the characters say Allah. They couldn't find a single Muslim to correct them on pronunciation? D= A Whole New World is still one of my favourite Disney sequences though. Overall the movie is okay but it's not something I can see myself rewatching again anytime soon.



7. Red Cliff (February 14) -- 4 stars

Oh the prettiness of these visuals. *__* At first I was like 'needs moar character development' but it's not that kind of film. Epic war movies are not generally famed for their characters. I have no idea if this is historically accurate or not but it was entertaining so I don't really care.

8. Step Up 3 (February 20) -- 4 stars

So much better than Step Up 2. =D The DANCING in this! It was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen, I just want to get up and try out some of the moves (I uhh didn't on account of being well aware my body is not actually capable of moving that way). I am glad the franchise realized that for these movies the plot is not all that important, I just need to be dazzled by awesome dance routines. It helps that the plot was passable too, this had a very likeable cast of characters.

9. The Losers (February 25) -- 3.5 stars

Zoe Saldana being a badass with a rocket launcher, five hot dudes, and lots of explosions. What more can a girl ask for? Kind of sad at what they did with Roque because he's Idris Elba. You don't make him the traitor! That means you can't use him in the inevitable sequel! I think that shows a severe lack of forward planning. -shakes head- Whatever though, it's a fun popcorn film that doesn't require a lot of brain. Or does require a lack of thinking? Idk, whenever I started to consider how much of the plot relied on people being dumb I switched over to admiring Cougar. I should look up the actor, he was excellent eye candy.



10. Alice (March 1) -- 2 stars

Well that was boring and poorly written.

11. Mao's Last Dancer (March 6) -- 4 stars

I don't know what to say other than this was wonderful and moving and I am picking up the autobiography it's based on ASAP.

12. Iron Man 2 (March 7) -- 2.5 stars

I'm disappointed in this, the first movie was much better. I appreciated the presence of Black Canary but the movie lost alot of what I'd enjoyed about Ironman. Namely Pepper being awesome, the actor they used to have for Rhodes, and Tony not spending quite so much time being horrible. :/ I got this from the library though so at least I didn't waste money on it.

13. The Social Network (March 16) -- 4 stars

Rashida Jones was in this! \o/ She didn't get a whole lot of screen time but she was totally my favourite character. Possibly because marathoning Parks and Recreation Season One left me immensely fond of her? Yeah probably. Plus it's not like she had a whole lot of competition considering. Honestly, I'd rather have watched the movie of Rashida Jones the Awesome Lawyer than Mark Zuckerburg the Asshole but I am not Aaron Sorkin so I don't get to dictate that kind of thing. And this was really a pretty good movie considering the main character was indeed an asshole (Rashida Jones, it was sweet of you to say otherwise but we're going to have to agree to disagree). I have to say though I am really surprised this won the Oscar for best soundtrack! It wasn't bad but I didn't really find it to be anything special. But whatever, it's the Oscars, they rarely have any actual relationship with quality. So yeah good writing, decent music, don't expect v. likeable characters. Oh and I know TSN fandom is super into Mark/Eduardo and I can see where they're coming from but seriously, Mark is an asshole. I can't feel it. Eduardo isn't exactly a saint (nice boys don't enable their friends to create misogynistic websites that slag on women) but he still deserves better.

14. Wonder Woman (March 17) -- 3.5 stars

This animated straight to DVD movie managed to be alot better than most of the live action superheroes stuff Marvel and DC have been cranking out over the past year. Hey Hollywood, maybe you want to rethink your choices on which superheroes you option for films? Like say doing a Wonder Woman movie instead of Spiderman Version Five Billion? Just a thought. On to the movie though: it was alot of fun! I loved both Artemis and Alexis and I would totally watch a TV show on the adventures of the Themiscryans (with the occasional guest spot from Diana when she visits home!) The first season could be all about them adjusting to life on their island with Hippolyta and Artemis working out how this queen/right hand woman thing is going to go. Also it could have lots of flashbacks to the days before the big battle so I could maybe actually understand how on Earth Ares keeps managing to seduce all these BAMF Amazon ladies.

15. How to Train Your Dragon (March 19) -- 4 stars

I've been looking forward to this for ages! =D I truly believe that adding dragons is a recipe for awesome in any movie. Clearly this proves my point! I have to say though I found it hard to believe Hiccup's village could have ever been scared of the dragons. Look at Toothless! He's adorable! Who could ever see a face like that and think kill it?

16. Kick-Ass (March 20) -- 3 stars

I'm torn on how to rate this. Because on the one hand this is a visually beautiful movie. I hope the cinematographer got some acknowledgement for their work. On the other hand it does nothing original with the superhero story concept and it's riddled through with truly disturbing amounts of homophobia. Add in some bonus misogyny and gratuitous amounts of violence and I don't feel comfortable giving this a very high rating! So I'm going with three stars with the caveat that it's mostly because of the visuals.



17. Black Swan (April 3) -- 3 stars

Yeah okay. :/ I think I would've liked this better if I hadn't read so many reviews beforehand? Because I came in expecting something awesome and feminist and what I got was yet another story of a woman cracking under pressure. And it's not like I don't see where the feminist reading came from but. Ugh. Idk, haven't we graduated past the woman self-destructing under constrictions of femininity yet? It wasn't bad, I just thought I was going to get something more. The lesson of this story is don't hype yourself up on reviews before watching a movie! Actingwise I thought Natalie Portman did a really great job in her role. Her face, it is good at expressing feelings! I wanted Vincent Cassel's character to die in all the fires which I'm pretty sure was the point, so hey, good job there. I think that's about it? Not much in the way of feelings on this one, the cast was mostly unlikeable so I didn't really connect emotionally.

18. Dil Bole Hadippa (April 9) -- 4 stars

Okay clearly I need to just watch everything Yash Raj Films produces because so far I have immensely enjoyed every film of theirs I've seen. I also need to see more films with Rani Mukherjee because she is a fountain of joy and delight and her comedic timing makes this film. Also she managed to do fairly convincing crossdressing! =O You don't know how many movies/shows I've watched where I had to question the intelligence of every person who did not immediately realize the heroine was a girl. Veera makes a slightly effeminate boy but she's still plausible as a boy. The only other actress I can think of who managed to do a better job was Yoon Eun Hye in Coffee Prince. Which is a bit funny since they're both gorgeous highly feminine women who wouldn't have been my first guess for Best Able To Play A Crossdressing Role.

Anyways this movie was excellent! Funny, full of dancing and feminist! My three favourite f's to see in a movie. Veera is my homegirl: she's determined, hilarious, and full of the swagger that comes from knowing you are indeed the best player in the room. =D I was telling my brother how delighted I was with the scene where she got in trouble with the coach for making fun of another player who struck out because there are a billion sports stories about the uber-talented hotshot who tends to arrogance because they're skilled and know it and part of their journey is about learning how to play on a team but how many of those stories are about a girl? Not many my friends, not many. And I think Veera's got a better excuse than most because when has she ever had an opportunity to play on any sort of team at all? She's usually in the position of being the one who proves herself; surprising men who are silly enough to bet money on the idea that a girl can't be talented at cricket.

Lolol, look at me spouting off all the reasons I loved this movie when I basically figured out I was going to enjoy myself two minutes in when I saw Veera get a ~dramatic~ entrance shot of her walking slow mo through the field with her cricket bat. ALL I NEED TO BE SOLD IS A HEROINE WITH SWAGGER, TAKE NOTE MOVIE INDUSTRY.

19. Easy A (April 10) -- 3.5 stars

Teen sex comedy with 80s inspired lulz? I AM ALL FOR IT. Also I deeply appreciate the hilarity of Emma Stone's face and the expressions she chooses to make with it. Kind of weird to see her hook up with Dan Humphrey though!

20. Skin (April 22) -- 4.5 stars

Oh God, I just kept crying through this movie. Sophie Okonedo with her face and her body language and her ability to convey all the feelings. Could not deal. I need to see all her movies.

21. Letters from Juliet (April 25) -- 3 stars

Erm. Are you supposed to burst out laughing at the climactic love declaration at the end of a romance? ^^ Because Charlie has a cute face and all and it made me more positively inclined than I would have been otherwise but declaring your love and offering to move across the ocean for a girl you've only known for a week can only elicit laughter from me. I tried to keep my realism goggles off! I was all about Claire/Lorenzo even though I suspect that generally people who were in love and then separated for fifty years might not necessarily stay suited for each other. But I can only do so much okay. SORRY KIDS I TRIED. I'm just going to pretend after the wedding they realize they might be moving a bit fast, have a laugh, stay in Verona for awhile and experiment with dating for a period longer than a week.

Moving on to things outside of the implausibility of this movie I want to say that Vanessa Redgrave is kind of wonderful! Near the beginning of the movie when Charlie was still being a killjoy I kept grumping about how he insisted on messing with all the excellent scenes of Claire and Sophie bonding. CHARLIE YOU ARE SUCKING THE FUN OUT OF THINGS, CAN YOU MOVE OFF MY SCREEN SO I CAN FOCUS ON YOUR AMAZING GRANDMOTHER? OR AT LEAST TAKE A FEW TIPS FROM HER ON HOW TO SMILE AND BE CHEERFUL AND GENERALLY INCREASE THE CHARM QUOTIENT OF THIS MOVIE BY 100%? BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE NICE.

In conclusion: picked up this movie for Amanda Seyfriend, stayed for Vanessa Redgrave. What else has she been in? I will FIND OUT.



22. Let Me In (May 4) -- 3 stars

Just how I like my vampire romances: amoral and unsettling. I liked how this movie managed to maintain its atmosphere through weather. The way it was cold and snowing throughout really added to it somehow.

23. Tangled (May 17) -- 5 stars

JOY AND HAPPINESS FOREVER. This was Pixar levels of amazing! =D I loved Rapunzel, she was so bright and optimistic and brave. YOU ARE WONDERFUL RAPUNZEL, BE MY FRIEND ALWAYS. Also oh gosh, I am concerned about Gothel. D= I mean yes she was overbearing and manipulative and locking up Rapunzel in a tower for 18 years was 100% NOT COOL but she was still her mother for 18 years! And I do think she loved her at least a bit in her own way. I mean she didn't have to do things like make her favourite soup and go to get her paint and try not to make her stay completely miserable. Also Eugene Fitzherbert is a dork and completely lovely. =DDDD I was concerned for two seconds because of Disney's gross EMPHASIS FLYNN BECAUSE WE WANT BOY marketing campaign but this was totally Rapunzel's story so I could love him without a hint of resentment. OTPPPPPPP. I was dyyyying at the scene on the boat, the lanterns are maybe the most gorgeous thing Disney has ever animated. IN CONCLUSION: this movie has my heart forever. Rewatching ASAP.

24. Charlie St. Cloud (May 24) -- 3 stars

When did Zac Efron get so hot? I was always fond of him but I never really saw the whole attractiveness thing before this movie. What's going on chipmunk face? How did Troy of High School Musical turn into Charlie 'Brings All The Girls To The Yard' St. Cloud? MYSTERY.

Oh and the movie was good too. But you're going to have to excuse me for a few minutes, I am still boggling at the fact that I suddenly understand the Zefron craze.



25. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (June 5) -- 4 stars

I feel like this movie involved someone watching Prince Caspian and saying you know, Susan/Caspian and Peter/Caspian are great but that leaves two Pevensies Caspian still hasn't visibly fancied yet! How fortunate that those are the two that show up in voyage of the Dawn Treader. =DDD I approve dear script writer and will proceed with shipping Caspian/Pevensies as you so clearly desire. Also please deliver my thanks to the director, costumers, actors and everyone else involved in making this movie a feast for my eyeballs. *__* Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. I really hope they go ahead and film The Silver Chair because I love everything they did with Eustace in this movie. He became a better person by making friends with Reepicheep! Reepicheep: increasing the excellence of characters through his existence since 1949. Plus the Silver Chair has Jill Pole and cameos from old Caspian so it'll just involve alot of amazing people meeting my eyeballs.

26. Tron: Legacy (June 16) -- 3 stars

Throughout this movie I kept wanting to see Sam massively screw up and go down in flames and have the movie kind of be like well duh, we established he wasn't the best forward planner in our first scene, he parachuted off a building after stealing his own program. What did you think would happen? Which didn't happen because Hollywood never listens to me. And on that note, don't think I didn't notice every single POC character in this film (minor as they were) died. Side eyeing you hard for that one movie crew. Otherwise though this was candy for my eyes and ears! I really dug the design of the computer world and the soundtrack was excellent. I wish I'd watched it with my friend; we could have have enjoyed the visuals while mocking the ridonkulous plot, writing, and acting choices. It'd have been like The Lightning Thief all over again!

27. X-Men: First Class (June 18) -- 4 stars

*______* This needs to get a quick DVD release, I want to rewatch it already. I think I might actually like it better than the first two X-Men movies. (X3 of course deserves no consideration on account of how it didn't happen). I am so deeply in love with the portrayal of Mystique here, favourite X-Men character in all the movies. Good job fleshing a side villain into a fully developed protaganist writers! If only you could have managed the same with the rest of your female characters this grade would be even higher. Also the epic romance of Charles and Erik was amazing with the mild exception of the ending which didn't really make sense to me. Not the coin and bullet thing as those are just the sort of terrible life choices Erik makes but his leaving. Seriously Erik Lensherr, what was that? You see your friend bleeding out because of a bullet that you caused to hit him and you leave? At least call a hospital first!

28. Anjaana Anjaani (June 19) -- 4 stars

♥_♥ PERFECT ROMANTIC COMEDY, I JUST WANT TO WATCH BOLLYWOOD FOREVER. Oh man I am so glad that rom coms are a guaranteed happy ending because I swear there were points at this film where I was like dying from how much I wanted Akash and Kiara to kiss. THE UST WAS KILLING ME ADSHKJHSLADHK. This was hilarious and romantic and sweet and Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are going on the list of actors and actresses I will watch films for.



29. Salt (July 8) -- 3.5 stars

Things I learned from this movie: Angelina Jolie in men's clothes is ridiculously hot. Who knew? But seriously though, this was pretty good. It's your basic action movie, none of the plot twists are particularly surprising, but I thought the action scenes were appropriately badass and Salt's character was interesting. Worth the time I spent watching it.

30. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (July 26) -- 3.5 stars

Trying too hard to be an action movie tbh. I feel like they could've gotten in alot more of the emotional moments from the book if they hadn't been so focused on cramming in all the ~exciting~ chase scenes and battle scenes they possibly could. That said I still enjoyed it. McGonagall is my role model and Neville allows no snakes on his plane. Disappointed in Kloves' haterade of Ginny though. She's a boss, why'd he do everything in his power to deny it? Just cause you ship H/Hr doesn't mean you have to dismiss Ginny entirely.

31. The Adjustment Bureau (July 28) -- 3 stars

I was exhausted watching this movie so that may be influencing my rating? But I still think I wouldn't have found it all that impressive even if I was 100% awake. I don't think it really had the plot or characters to support a full movie, I wasn't surprised when I got to the end and the credits said it was based off a short story. It definitely felt like it was. Also lolol Hollywood love stories. If you want me to believe in a love that will defy fate and God (most unsubtle metaphor ever?) you should probably have them meet more than three times over the course of three years. Just a tip.



32. Red Riding Hood (August 3) -- 3 stars

What a mixed movie. I wouldn't call it good but there are definite fist pump moments like when Valerie goes off to do her Red Riding Hood thing and stabs Peter. That was really great. *_* Some unfortunate work on the casting since by the end I shipped Valerie/Henry much more than I did Valerie/Peter. They had better chemistry! Also Henry didn't suffer from a constant case of Smugface. Instead he did things like break off their engagement as soon as he realized she didn't want him and also brooded attractively while blacksmithing shirtless. I was mildly concerned he'd be burned but I also appreciated his commitment to bringing the eye candy. Good lad Henry! You are far more aesthetically pleasing than the other option of this love triangle. I would totally not kick you out of bed for eating cookies.

33. Beastly (August 3) -- 2 stars

Wow that was aggressively terrible. The things I watch for Vanessa Hudgens. I hope she dropped her agent for this movie, she needs someone with better taste. I feel like she thought it was as terrible as I did, she looked like she was trying really hard to pretend she was somewhere else for most of the movie. The soundtrack was pretty good though.

34. Kaminey (August 6) -- 4 stars

Oh my God that was stunning. *__* I don't remember what inspired me to put this on hold at the library but go me. Making excellent life choices since 2011. This is a contender for the best action movie I've seen this year, it was exciting and I was invested in all the characters. I have one question on the ending though: was it a dream sequence or did it actually happen? I got kind of confused, I thought they'd both died in the firefight but then there was the happy ending with no indication that it was all in Charlie or Guddu's imagination. Maybe they were just wounded? It's possible I missed something, my DVD was damaged so I had to watch the end on youtube which wasn't as high quality.

35. Season of the Witch (August 8) -- 1.5 stars

Whatever possessed me to put this movie on hold? I can't imagine that any source I trust would have recced it to me. It's boring, there are barely any women in it, and it doesn't have any of my favoured actors. There is absolutely no reason for me to have wanted to watch it and I am side-eyeing my past self pretty hard for thinking so. At least the scenery was nice?

36. True Grit (August 10) -- 4 stars

Mattie Ross! What an amazing character. She was so determined and judgmental and hardcore. I'd definitely want to be friends with her even though she'd probably correct my manners and generally take me to task for not being as much of a boss as her. Everyone else was cool too. I was super glad the movie didn't even try to take things down a romantic route with LaBoeuf because gross gross gross. I wouldn't have worried because she is fourteen but he made that comment about stealing a kiss earlier and Hollywood is known for making terrible romantic decisions when it comes to women in movies. I have to say though I'm judging whoever designed the packaging for the DVD pretty hard right now. Why is Mattie tucked away in the back with Cheney and LaBoeuf upfront like they're the stars and she isn't. Excuse yourself sir, this movie is about one Mattie Ross and the cover ought to accurately represent that. Hailee Stanfield doesn't even get her name on the front like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin do. WORK ON YOUR SEXISM HOLLYWOOD, THIS IS NOT OKAY.

37. Blue Valentine (August 12) -- 4 stars

Okay so I thought this was a pretty excellent movie. It is basically about the dissolution of a relationship and the director intercuts it with scenes of the couple from their earlier days. Every single flashback pretty much tells you why they were doomed from the start. Dean and Cindy were just straight up not suited for each other because she clearly had plans to do things with her life and just married him because she was pregnant and he was willing and he y'know, didn't exactly match in the way of having ambitions not solely centered on her. I was sad for them though because they seemed so happy in the beginning. I mean sure they weren't going to work out but they seemed so hopeful! Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams turn in fantastic performances in this, I don't know if they got nominated for anything but I hope they did.

38. The Green Hornet (August 14) -- 3 stars

So basically this movie is about Jay Chou being a badass superhero and Cameron Diaz being an amazing newspaper-focused mastermind. Also Seth Rogen doofs around trying to pretend he's the hero of the movie. It's actually pretty fun! I mean the idea that Kato is Brett's sidekick in any way is laughable but I did get the sense the movie kind of got that too. Still can't fathom why Brett was the lead though.

39. Never Let Me Go (August 19) -- 2.5 stars

Things I learned from this movie: Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield are not very good actors. I am amazed that this fact escaped me for so long since I've seen Keira in many films and I remember liking Andrew in The Social Network and Doctor Who. Maybe they were just phoning it in for this one? But in which case shame on them because Carey Mulligan had to basically carry most of this film on her shoulders. Which are quite capable shoulders but still, it couldn't have been easy playing against two people so very bad at giving their roles any kind of depth. I thought Ruth in particular could have been interesting in the hands of a better actress. And who knows, a better actor might not have left me thinking that Tommy was an indecisive twit. (Probably not though. Seriously, if he liked Kathy no one forced him to date Ruth. Shame on you Tommy). The child actors were quite good though! At several points I wished they could have done the whole film because it would have been an improvement on what I saw. Cinematography was nice too.

40. Winter's Bone (August 25) -- 5 stars

What beautiful South Ozark realist fairytale quest did I just watch, what was it, I want to see it again. *__* Jennifer Lawrence might be rapidly approaching my list of actresses I will watch anything for. I still think she was an inappropriate casting choice for the Hunger Games (why won't Hollywood ever let us have a brown heroine, why :() but at least I know she'll probably wow me actingwise there.

41. I Am Number Four (August 27) – 2 stars

I’m starting to develop a reliable test for whether a movie will be bad. Is Alex Pettyfer in it? Then yes, it probably will be. This wasn’t quite the eye-searing awfulness of Beastly but it’s close. Pettyfer just really really can’t act. Combined with the fact that Dianna Agron can’t either they made for the most chemistry lacking romance I’ve ever seen on screen. In the first half of the movie I was kind of hoping Four would make out with Sam instead because hey, at least he’s cute but the more I watched the more I didn’t give a fudge either way. My brother says the book’s better though so maybe I’ll give that a shot.

42. Sucker Punch (August 31) -- 4 stars

*_____* Isn't it great when a film lives up entirely to your expectations? Seriously, everybody who spent ages talking about how this movie is exploitative wank fodder for dudes based off the pictures needs to either shut up or watch it already. (If they have watched it and still think that I suppose they can keep talking but it better be far away from me so I'm not struck with the urge to explain to them why they are so very wrong). Ugh the soundtrack on this! And the visuals! So utterly amazing, I can't. Also oh my god who would have looked to a Zack Snyder film for a critique of the patriarchy? And I loved how the film refused to ever actually show Babydoll dancing because it kept it on the line of critiquing the exploitation without replicating it. Glad I was spoiled for the ending because I probably would've cried for days (I was already crying at what happened to Rocket, this was a film about big sisters trying to protect their little sisters and they failed and oh god everything hurt. ;_;) So in sum: I come down on the that was fantastic side of reactions to this film. Totally going to rewatch it at the soonest possible date.



43. From Prada to Nada (October 13) -- 2 stars

Alexa Vega was quite charming in this, it's a shame that it highlighted the fact that her co-star Camille Belle can't really act. The music was nice too? Idk I don't have much praise because it was deeply predictable and Belle seemed to be operating under the mistaken belief that heartbreak, disappointment, grief, and any and all negative emotions can be portrayed by looking very confused. She had nice hair though. Also according to the Internet this is meant to be a riff on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility which umm. Sure it is. Kind of like how The Lion King is a riff on Hamlet.

Actually that comparison might not be quite apt, Lion King's a pretty decent translation of Hamlet if it was set in the African savannah with lions. Alright then From Prada to Nada is to Sense and Sensibility as Troy is to The Iliad. That's much better.

44. The Eagle (October 25) -- 3 stars

I can't report any amazing things about the story or characters here but there was enough scenery porn for this to be a passably enjoyable two hours. I do wish they hadn't made the Seal Prince kill his son, it was a clumsy obvious way to try and give Marcus the moral high ground and I did not appreciate it. I was on his side, he offered Esca hospitality and was betrayed; I appreciated that the story didn't try to paint him as an unreasonable villain prior to the son-killing. After all the Romans were occupiers and conquerors, they're gross and there is no better way to turn me against your main character than to try and ignore that. But y'know. Look at the pretty land and sky and houses. *_*

45. Rabbit Hole (October 26) -- 3 stars

This reminded me alot of A Single Man. Technically impressive film on grief, failed to have any emotional impact on me whatsoever.



46. The Man From Nowhere (November 3) -- 3 stars

I really REALLY need to learn to ignore hype or read enough of it to get a better detailed idea of what the film is about. Because based on all the buzz over this I somehow picked up the idea that it was an action movie with the focus on the relationship between Won Bin's character and Kim Sae-Ron who go on the run together and it was super touching and well developed. And like. I really should have just come in expecting a straight action movie.

47. Jane Eyre (November 5) -- 5 stars

Ohhhhh. That was beautiful. Gorgeously acted and executed. Fukunaga saw something wonderful when he read Jane Eyre and he managed to translate it onto the screen. Brilliant performances all around. This has convinced me, I will follow Mia Wasikowska into whatever she decides to act in because her Jane gave me so many feelings. I don't think I loved her so much even in the book and I did enjoy Jane Eyre in the novel. And Jamie Bell is fantastic, I could empathize with his St. John though I've never liked him. It probably goes without saying that Judi Dench performed beautifully as well. I can't say I ever had any Mrs. Fairfax centred feelings before but I do now. She cared for Jane and it made me so happy to see her played that way -- that she warned Jane from Rochestor because of genuine concern for her not any antipathy. And it was a perfect choice to have the soundtrack consist entirely of instrumentals.

48. Band Baaja Baarat (November 15) -- 3 stars

Okay so everything before the intermission point of this movie was delightful. It was fun and Shruti and Bittoo had this easy chemistry where you could see they were having good times together and getting along fantastically as friends and partners. So when the kiss happened I was basically glued to my screen like oh my god yes, get it you two, you're excellent together. And then the next thing I know Bittoo was regretting it and being all love and business shouldn't mix and acting like he wasn't in love with Shruti and just. What? I thought if there were going to be any regrets on those lines they'd come from Shruti which why I was super pleased to see she didn't seem to have any when she woke up. The love/business thing did not make any sense coming from Bittoo. So the acrimonious breakup afterwards didn't work for me because it felt like neither of them were acting in character. Shruti had a better sense of professionalism than that, I couldn't see her taking out her rejection on Bittoo to the extent of ruining a really good working partnership. And as I said I could not fathom why Bittoo was acting as though he hadn't fallen for Shruti at all (which he really was acting like! It didn't feel like Anushka Sharma was playing Bittoo as just denying his feelings for inexplicable out-of-character reasons, he was acting like someone genuinely romantically uninterested in Shruti and worried about having ruined their friendship). So everything from the intermission onwards was a confused experience of why is this conflict even happening?????? Which gave the resolution less impact because it was like Bittoo just changed his mind about being in love with Shruti for no reason (yes sure there was the omg he's losing her to another guy catalyst but that would only have worked if he had any reason to have been suppressing existing feelings in the first place).

So uhh basically watch this until the intermission and pretend it finishes there, it's a more satisfying viewing experience. And youtube the Dum Dum and Ainvayi Ainvayi remix performances, those were pretty great.

49. Hanna (November 18) -- 3.5 stars

What is the summary on the back of this even talking about. They could have just written in large letters that this is a fairy tale and it would have been perfect. Sophie voiced up my reaction to this film: it was weird and I liked it. Someday I am going to rewatch it with my analysis brain on, I feel sure this is film that gives more on a second take. In conclusion: fairy tale, fairy tale, fairy tale.

(Fairy tale).

(The only bad thing about this movie is that now I will be forced to watch The Host for Saoirse Ronan's face. :l It's like Matsuda Satoshi all over again. And even he never made me watch adaptations of books I actually threw across the room in rage)



50. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides (December 3) -- 1 star

Woooooooow. This is the most nonsensical incoherent time waste of a movie I've seen in a long time. Let's all just pretend the POTC franchise ended with the third movie, okay?

51. Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (December 10) -- 1 star

My brother told me this was pretty good. I no longer labor under the illusion that my brother has reliable taste in movies. :l Boring, nonsensical, and way way way too long. I felt like I spent half a day watching this (to be fair I did frequently pause it to do other things when I got bored -- which was often -- so that's not entirely due to the length. Still two and a half hours is way too much of a time commitment to ask with a movie as shitty as this one). Also I miss Mikaela. =( I'm glad Megan Fox got out of this crap franchise particularly considering how much of a gross objectifying sexist ass Michael Bay is but her character was ace in the first movie. Also was Sam Witwicky always this much of an entitled whiny loser? Because I remember liking the first Transformers alot and I have to wonder how I managed that with him as a protagonist.

52. Thor (December 28) -- 4 stars

Did a woman direct this? Because this was pro female gaze in a way I do not see in many mainstream action movies. I appreciated it alot. :D Jane's a lucky girl. And on that note Jane and Thor were a deeply adorable ship, I approve. He's a golden puppy dog retriever! She keeps giggling because this hot guy keeps kissing her hand and complimenting her, it's the cutest thing. Plus the movie did a pretty good job fleshing Loki out so he was sympathetic even as the villain. Odin on the other hand deserves a worst dad of the year award. D= Pretty much everything that happened in this movie is entirely his fault. Who rejects their son when they're basically hanging off a cliff, damn Odin, you couldn't wait to express your disapproval till later? WORST FATHER OF THE YEAR. But anyways very enjoyable movie all around, recommended.

53. The Runaways (December 31) -- 2.5 stars

So that was disappointing. :l I just want Kristen Stewart to be in a good movie! She was hot in this because she always is whenever she does the baby butch tough girl thing but that is not enough to sell an entire film on. The role played to her strengths at least, she used much of the same disaffected attitude that makes so many dislike her performance as Bella. Dakota Fanning wasn't bad either. Same for whoever it was playing their creepster record producer though I'm not inclined to compliment him because good God so gross and exploitative. D= I get they probably had to include him since this thing is theoretically based on real life but ughhhhh. Wish they'd minimized his role. Went searching around for some reviews and the sentiment I'm seeing repeated is that this was basically one long extended sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll themed music video. True! It's a shame it was sold as a movie then.



Television Watched

* denotes a rewatch

Avatar: The Last Airbender 3.06, 3.07, 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.18, 3.19, 3.20, 3.21, COMPLETE.
Being Human *2.01, *2.02, *2.03, *2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 3.01, 3.02
Being Human: The Annie Broadcasts 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, COMPLETE.
Bump Off Lover 1.01
Can You Hear My Heart? 1.01
Castle 2.01, 2.02
Chasing Dorota 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, COMPLETE.
Damages 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06
Doctor Who *5.01, 6.00, 6.01, 6.02, 6.03
Downton Abbey 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07
Down With Love 1.02
Firefly 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, COMPLETE.
Flames of Ambition 1.01
Fringe 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05
Gakko ja Oshierarenai 1.01, 1.02, 1.03
Game of Thrones 1.01
Glass Fleet 1.01
Glee 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 3.07, 3.08, 3.09
Gossip Girl 2.09, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 2.23, 2.24, 2.25, 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 3.07, 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.18, 3.19, 3.20, 3.21, 3.22, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 4.04, 4.05, 4.06, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13, 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, 4.21, 4.22
Hayate the Combat Butler 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19
Hourou Musuko 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05
How I Met Your Mother 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 4.04, 4.05, 4.06, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13, 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, 4.21, 4.22, 4.23, 4.24, 5.01, 5.02, 5.03, 5.04, 5.05, 5.06, 5.07, 5.08, 5.09, 5.10, 5.11, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14, 5.15, 5.16, 5.17, 5.18, 5.19, 5.20, 5.21, 5.22, 5.23, 5.24, 6.01, 6.02, 6.03, 6.04, 6.05, 6.06, 6.07, 6.08, 6.09, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 6.13, 6.14, 6.15, 6.16, 6.17, 6.18, 6.19, 6.20, 6.21, 6.22, 6.23, 6.24
Huge 1.01, 1.02
Kuragehime 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, COMPLETE.
Kuroshitsuji 1.01
Leverage 1.01, 1.02
Love Buffet 1.01, 1.02
Mad Men 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07
Maria Holic 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06
Mary Stayed Out All Night 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, COMPLETE.
Merlin 1.01, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 4.04, 4.05, 4.06, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09
Misfits 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.07
Modern Family 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 1.23, 1.24
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06
Myung Wol the Spy 1.01, 1.02
Nikita 1.05
No. 6 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07
Occult Academy 1.06
Paradise Kiss 1.01, 1.02, 1.03
Parks and Recreation 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09, 2.10, 2.11
Party Down 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10
Patalliro 1.01, 1.02
Powerful Opponents 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09
Psych 1.01, 1.02
Puella Magi Madoka Magica 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06
Revenge 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09
Sanctuary 1.01, 1.02
Serial Experiment Lain 1.01, 1.02
Shakugan no Shana 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17
Sherlock 1.01, 1.02, 1.03
Shiki 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15
Simoun 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07
Skins 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 3.07, 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 4.04, 4.05, 4.06, 4.07, 4.08, 5.01, 5.02, 5.03, 5.04, 5.05, 5.06, 5.07, 5.08
Soredemo, Ikite Yuku 1.01
Supernatural 2.01
Teen Titans 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06
Teen Wolf 1.01
The Big Bang Theory 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2,05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17
The Borgias 1.01-1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05
The Good Wife 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 1.23, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2,05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 2.23
The League of Extraordinary Dancers 1.01
The Pillars of the Earth 1.01, 1.02, 1.03
The Sarah Jane Adventures 2.05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 3.07, 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12
The Secret Circle 1.01, 1.02
The Simpsons 23.06
The Vampire Diaries 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03
The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry 1.01, 1.02
Torchwood 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05
True Blood 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2,05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 3.07, 3.08, 3.09, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12
Ugly Betty 4.01, 4.02, 4.03, 4.04, 4.05, 4.06, 4.07, 4.08, 4.09, 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13, 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, COMPLETE.
V 1.01
Vampire Knight 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13
White Collar 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08, 2.09
Young Justice 1.01-1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18
You're Beautiful 1.01
Zenkai Girl 1.01, 1.02