2011 in Summary...

Wow.


I wasn't really a good theatre movie watcher this year. I think I watched a total of 4 movies, all of which I never reviewed.


So not only was I a bad watcher, I was a lazy blogger.


I just checked which movie I last reviewed and it was The Fighter. Now I'm not sure if I saw this in 2010 or early 2011, but I reviewed it in Jan. Let's just say for argument's sake that it was Dec.


I'll start from scratch for 2011.


#1
Water for Elephants
5/10


Before you say anything, I took this one for the team. The team being my mother. I live for her happiness so I always let her choose the movie.


This one was cheesy. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. It simply passed the time for me. I also ate a small popcorn for the first time in my life. I think this was back in April. I think.


#2
Bridesmaids
6.5/10


Saw this little gem with my friend Kari. I think we were the only two in the world that hadn't seen this movie...so we checked it out about 3 months after it was released.


Funny parts for sure - a little over the top at times.


My problem with this movie is that of the main character. With the exception of Whip It, I find Kristin Wiig annoying. I don't know exactly what it is, but her mannerisms make me want to kick myself in the throat. If it weren't for Melissa McCarthy, this movie would have flopped. She. Was. Frickin. Amazing.


#3
The Way
8/10


Great movie. Wonderful story, amazing characters. I don't want to give anything away, but if you like to travel and you like movies that concentrate on character building, and revealing family issues, you should see this. It's a bit slow at times, and could have easily been made into an hour and forty-five minute movie, but I liked it anyhow. 


My friend Andrea enjoyed it too. Double woot.



#4
A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas

1/10

Wow. What a piece of garbagio. What were they thinking? The first two were funny - sometimes very funny. In this case, it was just sad. Every single attempt at humour failed miserably.

Don't waste your time, or your energy on this one.

_____________________________________________________________________

So as you may have noticed, my picks were slim. I discovered Netflix this year and downloaded a lot of movies too, so the theatre lost out to my wallet for those 12 months.

I can't guarantee that 2012 will be any different. I WILL make a promise to update this blog faster if I DO see something though.

Bye!

The Fighter

6/10

Sometimes I really hate Hollywood. I mean, the more successful you become, the more critical acclaim you get for movies that are average at best.

This was one of them. Got a ton of press because Mark Wahlberg directed and starred in it. Blah blah blah.

True story, and all that. They all did a decent job. Was cool to see Amy Adams in a role where she wasn't meek. She was an assertive take-no-shit waitress. Loved her.

However, I define this movie as being a black comedy. I was bursting out with laughter at so many scenes that no one else seemed to be. I felt the same way when I watched Gran Torino. It was so ridiculous at times.

Let's talk about the sisters. The freaking sisters. Inbred much? Every time they were on camera, I was busting a gut. So ridiculous. Same goes with the mother. Their trashiness was soooooooo overblown at times that I couldn't help but laugh. No one else seemed to share my humour though.

Average movie. It's unfortunate that there weren't many good movies this year, therefore mediocre ones like this got more attention than they deserved.

The Next Three Days

8/10

Would it KILL Russell Crowe to freakin' shave for a movie? Jeez. He's always so disheveled in movies lately.

This movie was pretty good. It kept my interest all the way through, which is a feat in itself. Usually at some point, I'm thinking..."I get the point, let's move along people!"

Again, I don't want to give it away, but it's pretty neat. The whole thing.

So happy to see Elizabeth Banks in a dramatic role. She has been typecast as a ditsy, fun-loving blonde chick for the last five years or so. She really pulled this one off.

And as you all know, I LOVE LOVE LOVE jail movies, so this one gave me my fill.

Black Swan

7.8/10

Hmm. Definitely NOT for everyone. Or better yet, not for 75% of the population.

Very odd. Creepy. Confusing. Interesting. Different. Sexual.

I don't want to give anything away, but the story is kinda cool. What's real? What's a lie? What did I dream? What did I just do?

So many questions.

If you've ever seen The Machinist, you know how hard it was to watch Christian Bale in that character as he almost starved himself to death to do that role. Natalie Portman almost did the same thing. She was so tiny and frail and hard to watch. I wanted to secretly smoosh a Big Mac into her mouth through the whole thing.

Great acting. Great dancing.... although I'm not a big ballet fan. I can appreciate how hard these dancers train, both in the studio and in their own lives.

An interesting movie. Very dark. Know what you're getting into before you go.

Burlesque

7/10

So Joanie wanted to see this and I just want to see her happy, so we went to a matinée in Collingwood.

I had the expectation that it would likely be a little ghey.

It was....definitely a little ghey, however I think I really enjoyed it. It was like being in the front row of a broadway performance. Yes, it was a little too rich with excess at times, but it worked. I really don't think this movie would translate to a home viewing experience. You need to be in the theatre...just like Mamma Mia. You need to experience the loudness and the grandioseness to truly "get it".

My mom loved every second of it. If I could provide her with an opportunity to turn off her brain at the hardest time of the year, I consider my job well done.

Oh and Christina...without the severe makeup...is actually quite beautiful. You'd never know it with the egyptian-like stage crap she paints on.

Don't you agree? Much softer look. She's also left a few lbs on since her child, which looks great on her. Don't lose it Christina!! I wondered where those guns came from though. Man are they huge.

Conviction

7/10

Based on a true story.

Synopsis - uneducated chick's delinquent brother goes to jail. She spends the next 13 years or whatever going to school to become a lawyer to eventually get him out. She succeeds. Roll credits. Draw the curtains.

Very cool story, but no surprises. I'm thinking it would likely make a better book, as most true stories do.

Nothing more to really say. Worth the rental fee. Definitely worth ripping off the internet.

The Town

9/10

FINALLY. A good movie.

Went into this with zero expectations. Came out loving every second of it.

Great story, good acting, kept my interest. Storyline believable. A little bit of action, but lots of relationship -building-kinda -stuff. At one point, the dude behind me said to his girlfriend "there's too much effen talking in this damn movie!"

I laughed because I love lots of dialogue.

Saw this with Ed, that I dated for 3 months. This was likely the best thing that happened in those three months.

Booyah.

The Other Guys

4/10

You know how I know a movie is bad? Less than 4 months goes by and I can't remember the premise of the friggin' thing.

That is me now. What the hell was this about anyhow? Standby while I IMDB it....

Oh yes, Marky Mark and Will Ferrell. Eesshhh. I still got nothin. I remember they were in a bad cop movie and that's it.

Not worth your time.

Are movies getting more terrible or is it just me? Gawsh.

The Last Exorcism

2/10

Saw this in the drive-in with Ally Cat.

I'm not a fan of exorcism movies, although I always tend to end up watching them.

This was too contrived and all over the place. The end was totally ghey too.

Nothing more to say.

Dinner For Schmucks

3/10

Wow.

What a steaming pile of poo.

Saw this with Ally Cat, and I hate to single her out, but she chose it. I took one for the team. Had no interest.

She ended up hating it too.

As much as I like Paul Rudd in all his cutie-patootieness, I couldn't do it.

Oh, and somehow I found myself loving Steve Carrell's hobby of stuffing mice and putting them into different landscapes. It was made out to be a silly hobby in the film, but I actually found it the most impressive part of this steaming pile of shit.

Oh and the worst part is that I was getting into the car with my obscenely large bag of popcorn and it knocked against the steering wheel. I was picking popcorn out of my car for days.