The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan

Genre: Action | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 165 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

The legend ends.

[IMDb]

Comments: I was pretty excited to check out The Dark Knight Rises for the first time since I saw it in theaters. And damn, if it isn't still freaking awesome. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Does it hold a candle to the first two films? In my opinion, no. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the hell out of myself, to the point where I got that giddy feeling when I popped in the Blu-ray. Speaking of which, Bane sounds so fucking cool even though he's about ten times louder than any other character in the film. Neighbors be damned!

Look, The Dark Knight Rises certainly has its issues, and I can honestly see why some people have real problems with it. But for me, it's an amazing film and an awesome way to end the trilogy. Movies like this make it easy to overlook the smaller stuff. Haters be damned too!

Argo (2012)

Argo (2012)

Directed by: Ben Affleck
Screenplay by: Chris Terrio

Genre: Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 120 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Theater

The movie was fake. The mission was real.

[IMDb]

Comments: Ben Affleck has legitimately had my respect for a few years now (not that my respect means anything). I always liked him as an actor (mainly for his roles in Kevin Smith's films), but soon his abhorrent choices in movies turned him into a laughing stock in Hollywood. Then he released his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, which I loved and gave a 4.5. He followed up with The Town, one of my absolute favorites of 2010, and a five-star film in my book. This afternoon, I had the absolute pleasure of watching Affleck's latest, Argo. It's fantastic. Outside of David Fincher, I can't think of a director who's scored so well with me recently. Do yourself a favor and check out Argo if you have any interest. It's awesome.

Oh, and Ben Affleck totally looked like Hans Gruber.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Directed by: Drew Goddard
Screenplay by: Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard

Genre: Horror | Thriller
Running Time: 95 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

You think you know the story.

[IMDb]

Comments: Original review below. I enjoyed The Cabin in the Woods even more the second time around, so while my original thoughts still stand, my rating has gone up. This movie fucking rules.

For the love of science, if you consider yourself a fan of the horror genre at all, go see The Cabin in the Woods. Don't let anyone tell you anything about what you're going to experience over the hour-and-a-half runtime. It's wonderful. Despite being in a theater full of what I thought was going to be loud idiots, everyone was into the crazy awesomeness that was unfolding onscreen, and I barely heard a sound. The film's exciting, violent, and funny as shit. It's a horror fan's wet dream. So yeah, go fucking see The Cabin in the Woods.

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Directed by: Gareth Evans
Screenplay by: Gareth Evans

Genre: Action | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 101 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

When there's nowhere left to run or hide... you fight or die.

[IMDb]

Comments: This. Was. Fucking. AWESOME.

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)

Directed by: José Padilha
Screenplay by: Bráulio Mantovani and José Padilha

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 115 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: Pretty damn good too.

There's your hard hitting analysis for the evening.

Elite Squad (2007)

Elite Squad (2007)

Directed by: José Padilha
Screenplay by: Bráulio Mantovani, José Padilha, and Rodrigo
  Pimentel

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 115 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

On the streets of Rio only the elite survive.

[IMDb]

Comments: Fan-fucking-tastic.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

Genre: Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller
Running Time: 164 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Theater

The legend ends.

[IMDb]

Comments: Wow... just wow. I'm completely reserving the right to adjust my rating upon subsequent viewings (and there will be many). The Dark Knight Rises is almost too much to take in on one viewing. It's so grand and so intense that I feel I need another go-around to really process everything.

In a flip of my thoughts on The Dark Knight, I felt like the first part of the movie was little too densely packed in setting everything up. Much like The Avengers, though, the build-up was worth it as the finale was extremely epic in the truest sense of the word.

I'll likely have more coherent thoughts after my next viewing. I'm not sure when that will be, but hopefully it's soon.

Suspiria (1977)

Suspiria (1977)

Directed by: Dario Argento
Screenplay by: Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi

Genre: Horror
Running Time: 98 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

The most frightening film you'll ever see!

[IMDb]

Comments: I love Suspiria. It's without a doubt my favorite Dario Argento film (though there are a few I still need to catch up with). The haunting look combined with Goblin's amazing score make the film captivating every time I watch it. The only real issue I have with the film is the terrible over-acting by some of the supporting cast; it took me out of the film due to the overall silliness. But otherwise, Suspiria is Grade A awesome.

Shame (2011)

Shame (2011)

Directed by: Steve McQueen
Screenplay by: Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan

Genre: Drama
Running Time: 101 Minutes
MPAA Rating: NC-17
Viewed: Rental DVD - Family Video

[IMDb]

Comments: Shame is a fantastic piece of filmmaking. To be honest, it's something I would have picked up upon its original release, but I've never seen the fucking thing for anything less than $30. What the hell? I guess you need to pay for the privilege of seeing Michael Fassbender's Fassmember. But as I said, Shame is wonderful. The powerful images combined with the intense score left me in awe watching the horrors of Brandon's life due to his sexual addiction. The result is horrifying but completely enthralling. I also have director Steve McQueen's debut film Hunger (starring the Fassmember as well) in my Netflix queue; I'll definitely be hitting that up soon.

And finally, am I the only one that was reminded of American Psycho at times during Shame?

EDIT: Totally just went to the IMDb page to read some more about the film, and one of the top message board threads is titled "This film reminds me of American Psycho." Guess I'm not the only one then.

Alien (1979)

Alien (1979)

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Screenplay by: Dan O'Bannon

Genre: Horror | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 117 Minutes (Theatrical Cut)
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

In space no one can hear you scream.

[IMDb]

Comments: I haven't used this format in awhile, so here we go:

- I have to get ready for Prometheus in some fashion.

- And if I'm being honest, I think I'm looking forward to Prometheus more than The Dark Knight Rises. And that's saying something. It probably also says that the film won't live up to my internal hype.

- If I'm being honest again, it's always annoyed me that there's no comma in the tagline after "space." Perhaps the no comma way is the correct way - I'm not entirely sure - but it always felt wrong to me.

- As for the film itself, it's hard to go wrong with Alien. It's been several years since I've seen the film, but it holds up remarkably well. The effects are solid, and despite the archaic looking computer systems everything else looks great (especially on Blu-ray).

- I chose the theatrical cut because it is the version Ridley Scott prefers.

- I was reminded a lot of John Carpenter's The Thing while watching Alien. (Woah there! I realize The Thing came out in 1982, after Alien). The plot, look, and feel of the films are very similar.

- I'm somewhat perplexed at how much everyone wanted to save Jonesy the Cat. I love cats. Seriously. But this cat was an asshole. All he did was hiss and growl. Sorry buddy, you're going down with the ship.

- So if you read the last post, you'll see that I'm trying to not buy as many Blu-rays (half due to saving money, the other half due to the frequency in which I watch movies). This is because I wander around Best Buy when I'm bored. And then I see the Alien Anthology on sale (keep in mind I already own all four special editions on DVD). But this is shiny. And on Blu-ray. And I want it. So I get it. And then I see the Mel Brooks collection on sale. And it's nine of his films on Blu-ray. And I want that also. So I get that too. But wait, there's the Jackass television box set for $13. Looks like that's going in my collection. Oh wait, there's The Deer Hunter for $10 on Blu-ray. And Season Three of Breaking Bad. Yep, those were the last few weekends.

- In summation, I can't fucking wait for Prometheus.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Screenplay by: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

Genre: Drama
Running Time: 126 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Some people can never believe in themselves until someone believes
  in them.

[IMDb]

Comments: I've seen most of Good Will Hunting before, but it's always been in pieces. I decided to watch the whole movie tonight because of this post I found on Reddit the other day. It just stuck with me, and when perusing through my catalog for something to watch, that image just popped out at me. It's a great film, and one that very deservedly made Matt Damon a star. In fact, I would watch the whole film if it was just Damon and Robin Williams in a room talking together, as the two are fantastic. In fact, it just sort of bums me out that Williams hasn't made more great films recently. Even though he's primarily known as a comedic actor, he's got great dramatic chop.

I feel like I need to say something about apples to end this review.

Serenity (2005)

Serenity (2005)

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Screenplay by: Joss Whedon

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Running Time: 119 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned DVD

They aim to misbehave.

[IMDb]

Comments: Awesome.

If this is indeed the end (and it looks like it was the end, as it's been seven years), what a great film to go out on. Serenity takes everything that was great about Firefly and applies it to a spectacular two hour film. Sure, I could have used a little more Mal and Inara interaction, as her simply staying on the ship was barely enough to satiate my silly needs. But in the end, Serenity is a terrific film and one hell of an accomplishment. How many shows cancelled halfway into their first season have had movies made? Yeah, not many.

Firefly - Season One (2002)

Firefly (2002)

Created by: Joss Whedon

Season: One (2002)
Genre: Drama | Sci-Fi
Number of Episodes: 14
Episode Running Time: 60 Minutes
Viewed: Owned DVD

[IMDb]

Comments: Ah, Firefly. A show with a reputation for being one of the best ever one season shows (the only show that I can think of with as much fanfare is Freaks and Geeks). I've owned the show for a long time, but as usual, put off watching it way too long. I finally dove in a week-and-a-half ago and promptly fell in love.

Make no mistake, Firefly isn't the greatest show ever, no matter what diehard Browncoats say. But, it was rather great with a chance to be spectacular, had it been allowed to continue. It had everything I love in a show: action, suspense, romance (though the main romance between Mal and Inara never had the chance to run its full course - or any real course) and comedy. It was awesome, and I really understand why its cancellation pissed so many people off.

I'm about to pop in Serenity, the show's big screen follow-up. I've seen the movie before, but never having watched Firefly, so it'll be like watching the film all over again (I don't really remember much about it, anyway). It's a shame the show never got the chance it deserved, but even with fourteen episodes, it accomplished something that few shows ever can. And it's shiny.

Game of Thrones - Season One (2011)

Game of Thrones (2011-????)

Created by: David Benioff and D. B. Weiss

Season: One (2011)
Genre: Adventure | Drama | Fantasy
Number of Episodes: 10
Episode Running Time: 60 Minutes
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Winter is coming.

[IMDb]

Comments: I really didn't care much about Game of Thrones until a few weeks ago, when all of a sudden I decided I was going to buy the first season on release day and dive right in. I have no clue why I did this, or how my interest was suddenly cultivated, but I'm glad I did/it was. Game of Thrones rules.

- I'll get this out of the way first: I love me some Emilia Clarke (who plays Daenerys Targaryen). She's just... yeah.

- All of the acting was great, but Peter Dinklage stole the show in whatever scene he was in. It's hard for actors of a "small stature" to be taken seriously at times, but Dinklage commands respect every time he's onscreen.

- The showrunners did a great job in casting Prince Joffrey. I haven't hated a TV character like him since Penny Johnson Jerald in the early years of 24.

- The plot was a little too fantasy driven at times for my taste - especially later on - but only because the first several episodes are so grounded in reality (sans the white walkers). By the end, there's zombies and dragons and black magic (all of which are fucking awesome, don't get me wrong), but they all feel out of place from what occurred over the majority of the first season.

- I know most people were happy with how the first season followed the book, but it made for a generally lackluster finale (particularly for someone who hasn't read the books). I felt like the show was building up to this gigantic war, but then the season just kind of ends (at least it ended on a good note, with a healthy dose of Emilia Clarke nudity).

- Game of Thrones is awesome. I'm saddened that I don't have HBO to watch the Season Two premiere in three weeks, and I'm even sadder thinking I'll have to wait until next March (?) for the show to be released on Blu-ray. I know there's 'alternative methods,' but fuck that. Maybe I'll buy the episodes on Amazon...

Take Shelter (2011)

Take Shelter (2011)

Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Screenplay by: Jeff Nichols

Genre: Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 120 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: And my streak of excellent films watched this weekend continues. Take Shelter is phenomenal. Michael Shannon is completely worthy of an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, though I'm not surprised this film wasn't recognized in the least (perhaps there's a limit on the number of films that can be nominated that Jessica Chastain starred in). (Speaking of which, I'm glad I didn't watch the show: pretty much every predicted winner won, yet again.) There's not going to be a lot in this review because I have to get up for work in a few hours, but Take Shelter is wonderful. Many feel that the end "cheapens" the entire viewing experience, however I found it a great and fitting end. The film truly moved me, and is really sticking in my mind. Seriously, Netflix the shit out of this.

The Tree of Life (2011)

The Tree of Life (2011)

Directed by: Terrence Malick
Screenplay by: Terrence Malick

Genre: Drama
Running Time: 139 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: I don't think I've ever seen a film like The Tree of Life. It's absolutely fascinating (although maybe a little too fascinating at times), and I often found myself in awe of what I was watching onscreen. That isn't to say there's no fault to be found in the film, because there's some issues (at least to me), but on a whole The Tree of Life is simply breathtaking.

- The cinematography of the film is outstanding (I'm starting to run out of good adjectives to use). Malick's vision shines through, and I was enthralled by the images that populated my screen for two hours. His portrait of the 1960s was so real and alive, while at the same time making me nostalgic for my youth, yearning for the simpler days. That's quite the feat.

- I have no idea why Sean Penn was in this film. I could easily see all his scenes being cut out and the film taking place entirely in the 1960s. He added nothing to the experience of The Tree of Life for me.

- Normally, I would have watched the Oscars tonight, but I always get bored by them. This year, I especially wasn't thrilled with who was nominated (seriously, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for Best Picture?), so I decided to spend my time elsewhere. It was totally worth it.

- Like I mentioned at the start, The Tree of Life is different from anything I've watched before. It's a little messy at times, but the movie is an unforgettable experience. Highly, highly recommended.

Moneyball (2011)

Moneyball (2011)

Directed by: Bennett Miller
Screenplay by: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

Genre: Biography | Drama | Sport
Running Time: 133 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

What are you really worth?

[IMDb]

Comments: This is going to be short and sweet, because, well, it's 2 a.m. and I'm tired.

- Moneyball was fantastic, and I'm not even a baseball guy.

- Brad Pitt was also fantastic, and it's cool to see him get an Oscar nomination for the performance.

- Jonah Hill was solid, but I failed to see anything Oscar-worthy about him.

- I generally don't like movies made so soon after the events they're portraying. There's something that feels false about the whole experience, mainly because everyone in them is still alive and says "this isn't at all what happened." However, movies like Moneyball and The Social Network are changing my mind. They're so good, I don't give a shit whether they're accurate or not.

- And I'm out.

Unforgiven (1992)

Unforgiven (1992)

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Screenplay by: David Webb Peoples

Genre: Drama | Western
Running Time: 131 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

[IMDb]

Comments: It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man.

Attack the Block (2011)

Attack the Block (2011)

Directed by: Joe Cornish
Screenplay by: Joe Cornish

Genre: Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 88 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Rental DVD - Family Video

Inner City vs. Outer Space.

[IMDb]

Comments: Holy shit, Attack the Block was wicked awesome, blood.

Warrior (2011)

Warrior (2011)

Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
Screenplay by: Gavin O'Connor, Anthony Tambakis, and Cliff Dorfman

Genre: Action | Drama | Sport
Running Time: 139 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

Family is worth fighting for.

[IMDb]

Comments: The only reason that Warrior isn't getting five stars is for the sheer ridiculousness of the plot and how everything came together. You have two estranged brothers, on opposite sides of Pennsylvania, that get included in a 16-man middleweight MMA tournament to determine the best fighter in the world. Oh, and neither man is a full time fighter; one just started fighting and the other is just getting back into it after an earlier career being a .500 fighter. And of course, before fighting each other in the finals, one fights his "enemy" while the other fights the best fighter in the world (aka Kurt Angle). It's crazy how things worked out, isn't it? (I'm not ruining anything, because anyone who has an eighth of a brain/watched the trailer could see this coming twenty miles away.)

Otherwise, this movie fucking rocked.

I was going to end the review here, but I have to add this: If watching Tom Hardy maul people and then walk directly out of the cage like a motherfucking monster didn't make you want to go and beat the shit out of somebody, then, well... I don't know what. But I was so fucking pumped after watching these fights that I can only heap praise onto Gavin O'Connor for how well he filmed those scenes.

Did I mention that Warrior was awesome?