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.

HIATUS

I've taken a little hiatus from movies...not because I have been busy....but because there hasn't been a single movie I have wanted to see.

Summers are so boring in that respect. They release all of the good movies during fall and winter.

I'll be back, I promise.

~Merdypops

Hot Tub Time Machine

4/10

Some people thought this was hilarious, but it didn't do much for me. The humour was too forced and cliche.

Mind you, it was an amalgamation of about 150 movies from the 80s, so it's hard to be seamlessly funny.

A few funny parts - a. catheter b. all the possible ways for his arm to have been chopped off.

Those scenes were funny. The rest, well, just wasn't. In my opinion of course. I know some people that loooooved this movie.

If we all liked the same stuff, life would be boring, non?

Date Night

9/10

Ok, seriously. I haven't laughed this long and hard in a movie in about....oh I don't know.....ever.

It was nice to discover that Tina Fey and Steve Carrell have the best on-screen chemistry. Man, they were good together.

During one scene (car chase), both Karen and I were laughing so hard that our stomachs were seizing. That is the best feeling. You can't stop laughing... it hurts so much..... but you are loving every second of it. I've never seen this cabbie dude before (J.B Smoove) but man...funny, funny, funny.

One of my favourite scenes, albeit a serious one....is when Tina Fey goes off on the cliche "rant" about how much she does in comparison to her husband around the house, and with the kids.
He then puts her in her place - stating that she needs to relinquish control and trust him to do it as well. It won't be the same way that SHE does it, but he can get it done too.

A-frickin-men.

Half of the women I know complain that they do EVERYTHING yet they don't allow their spouses to do it because they do it 'wrong'. Well then shut up already. If you are that much of a control freak, then stop complaining. You've done it to yourself.

End of rant.

Back to the movie.

Mark Wahlberg looks smoooookin' hot! What a body. Phew. I need a moment.

Okay, better.

I don't want to give any more of it away. See this movie. It's so worth it.

F
U
N
N
Y

Telus Tuesdays rock. Movie, popcorn, pail'o'pop for 10 bucks?

Wicked.

The Bounty Hunter

3/10

ONE DRIVE-IN HAS OPENED!!!!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Wait, there was a movie playing? Seriously? I was too distracted by my popcorn, by my slushy, my cotton candy, my blanket that I was toasty under....

So fun. I love the drive-in.

Oh yes, the movie. It's so secondary, you know. They don't play GOOD movies at the drive-in. You go for the experience. To chat behind closed car doors. To eat with your mouth open. To burp. Fart.. whatever.

But, if I am forced to talk about the movie, then it was shit. That's all you need to know. I think it has probably lasted in the theatres for 2 weeks? Jennifer Aniston needs to get lost at sea, in my opinion. She's so. Boring.

Sorta like Winona Ryder. Always the same boring character. One dimensional. I also think she's gotta be psycho in real life. She can't seem to date anyone for more than 2 weeks before they run screaming.

Strange.

I LOVE THE DRIVE-IN!

My Name is Khan

5/10

East Indians should stick to Bollywood movies, and steer clear of the serious ones. I hated Slumdog Millionairre. Man, was that boring AND repetitive.

This was the same. It vacillated between being serious and campy. There were so many parts where Karen and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

At the end, I voiced that it reminded me of an East Indian version of Forrest Gump.

I mean, there is no way a chick like that would marry a guy like this. He was almost like her child. Unconvincing. Bitch, please.

Ugh, the whole thing was a mess. I could go on and on and dissect this in each spot, but I will just say that it wasn't good. At all.

I'm giving it a 5 due to the performance of the main character. He did a good job. That's about it.

She's Out of My League

6/10

I saw this movie two days after Laurelle passed away, so I was looking for something light and something that would make me laugh.

This did both.

I was introduced to a hottie named Kyle Bornheimer.......although he played trailer trash in this, I could see past the gruff exterior...very cute. Reminds me a bit of Craig Sheffer back in the day. Rowr.

Anyhow, again, this movie did the job. An hour and a half of light fun.

Crazy Heart

9/10

Excellent, excellent movie.

Before I go on, I must admit that I found it very, very difficult to get past Jeff Bridges' eyebrows. Please allow me to direct you to an old blog entry.

I'm just saying that it only takes a few seconds to take scissors to the brows. That's all. I thought maybe it was done on purpose for the role, but he showed up at the Oscar's ungroomed too. Pity.

Back to the movie.

WOW. Can Jeff really sing! And play a mean guitar! I had no idea.

The story was wonderful. The acting was great and the location(s) were beautiful. Maggie did a great job - and the biggest shocker of all - was Colin Farrell as the younger, more successful musician. Again, I had no idea he could play the guitar and sing so well too.

Once again, it didn't end in a feel good way. I loved the realness and the rawness of this movie.

No one is perfect - we're all just trying to find our way in the world. Stumbling through each day.

There is one thing that they could have done to improve the credibility of Jeff's character. I would have had more empathy for him if he hadn't been married 3 or 4 times before meeting Maggie. It had me wondering if it was actually true love, or whether this was just the trend that he usually follows when he meets someone that he considers "special". Hell, maybe that was part of the movie? It was trying to confuse the viewer, who knows.

WELL worth watching. He deserved the Oscar for this one!

The Blind Side

8/10

First of all, did you know that AMC Theatres has $6 movies on weekends before noon? Take advantage people! That's $3 per movie if you sneak into two (shame on me).

You know, I resisted this movie for a long time. I am so footballed out. Hollywood loves to create these football stories that are so horrendously patriotic and boring. Likely because I have never really understood the sport, or figured out America's fascination with it.

So, I resisted.

Until, of course.....the movie started at the exact time the first one ended (Crazy Heart).

So we sneaked* in and it turned out to be a pretty good movie! Sandra's performance was top notch.

One catty point - Tim McGraw needs to give up on the hair plugs. Seriously.

Here's the thing, boys. If you're starting to lose your hair, IT'S OKAY.
Shave your head. It's COOL.
Getting hair plugs? That's cheesy, and sad.
Seriously. Deal with the hair loss - women don't care. We like confidence more.

Anyhow, back to the review. Well worth the watch. Try to get past the annoying little brother though. He's a little too much.


* I believe it's sneaked and not snuck. Almost 80% sure.

It's Complicated

7/10

You know, Meryl Streep could just stand there and look into the camera for 2 hours, and I would pay to watch her. She's brilliant.

This movie was cute. I was in the mood for cute, and I got cute. No more, no less.

Alec Baldwin was charming, as usual.

If you want to turn your brain off and enjoy a feel good story, check this out.

Up In the Air

10/10

This is exactly the type of movie that I love, love, love.

A lot of people that I have discussed this film with, hated it. They can't understand why it was up for so many awards. I guess it just bored people.

Meanwhile, I wanted it to go on forever. The characters were fantastic, the chemistry was great, and the acting was superb.

I liked that it wasn't a feel good ending either. I can't stand those.

Yay Jason Reitman! First "Thank You for Smoking" and now this amazing piece of work. I will be awaiting all of his upcoming projects with excitement!

Everybody's Fine

9/10

This movie reminded me A LOT of one of my all-time favourite movies, About Schmidt.

It's about a recently widowed man, who has 4 kids that live in different parts of the United States. They all plan to come home to visit for one weekend and then they all bail within a few hours. He decides to go on a giant road trip to surprise each of them in their respective cities.

It's not the holiday-esque type of feel-good movie though. I think this is why I liked it. It was completely real.

I won't give the rest of the plot away, but holy moly. Get ready to be moved. A thousand times.

I really, really enjoyed this movie. And DeNiro. Friggin' Deniro. He's a genius. I can watch him do something so simple like eat his spaghetti..... and be completely engrossed with him.

Beautiful flick.