90: The Avengers

The Avengers – May 4, 2012
Starring: Everyone.
Written and directed by: Joss Whedon

The plot: “Nick Fury is director of S.H.I.E.L.D, an international peace keeping agency. The agency is a who’s who of Marvel Super Heroes, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When global security is threatened by Loki and his cohorts, Nick Fury and his team will need all their powers to save the world from disaster.” – IMDB

My thoughts: Much like everyone else on the Internet, I’m going to go ahead and say that The Avengers was awesome. It was equal parts action, comedy, and heart. I think that comes out to being a third of each, right? Right.

I feel like at this point (the movie having been out for about three weeks and extremely popular) I’m not sure what I can say that everyone hasn’t already said. I think they did an amazing job of making Cleveland (er…represent? I’m from the vicinity) look like New York City. I only wish I hadn’t been so dumb and had gotten up there to try to be a PA or to touch Tom Hiddleston/Robert Downey Jr./Chris Evans/Mark Ruffalo.

As a Joss Whedon fangirl, I of course noticed a lot of Whedon-esque quotes and characterizations (which I loved.) Even Scarlett Johansson was enjoyable. I generally don’t like her and she was sooo boooring in Iron Man 2. I think the fact that Joss headed it up helped to make her a stronger female character – she actually had a personality and wasn’t hypersexualized!

And dare I say it, I think they finally got The Hulk right. Sorry Eric Bana and Edward Norton – two actors whom I love a lot – but your Hulks were just…lacking.

I’m going to wrap it up. You guys know it was good SO AWESOME. You’ve seen it or you read the reviews already.

Stars: 5/5

86: Tell No One

Tell No One – November 1, 2006
Starring: Francois Cluzet, Marie-Josee Croze, Kristin Scott Thomas
Written by: Guillaume Canet, Philippe Lefebvre
Directed by: Guillaume Canet

The plot: “The pediatrician Alexandre Beck misses his beloved wife Margot Beck, who was brutally murdered eight years ago when he was the prime suspect. When two bodies are found near where the corpse of Margot was dumped, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes suspect again. The mystery increases when Alex receives an e-mail showing Margot older and alive.” – IMDB

My thoughts: Totally incredible. Honestly, I finished watching this movie last night and just sat on my bed basking in its beauty. I did not realize that the movie is based on a Harlan Coben novel which kind of explains the level of amazing the plot is. I haven’t read the book but if the book is nearly as good as the movie or better, I will be in complete awe.

The movie is, first and foremost, a love story and I think that’s important. The movie follows a couple who fell in love as children and grow up and get married. And when his wife dies, he starts going through the motions of life. However, after some anonymous e-mails, it seems his wife might still be alive.

And that’s all I’m going to say because the plot is wonderful and kept me guessing the whole time. There are a lot of characters that all seem equally shady and a little bit guilty of doing something wrong. In a way, it reminded me of a less dark/twisted Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Mostly just that it was a drama/mystery/thriller/romance all rolled in to one and dealt a lot with family relations. The main character isn’t tatt’d or pierced or anything, it’s just got a similar…vibe.

Honestly, I don’t know what I can say about this movie aside from the fact that I love, love, LOVED it. The acting was top notch, it was gorgeous to look at, the plot was great, and the ending…ugh, all my creys, friends. All my creys.

And yes, it’s in French and yes, it’s worth reading the subtitles. PLUS! The soundtrack is fantastic. Not only is the original music wonderful (it won a Cesar Award for Best Music Written for a Film), it also features music from Jeff Buckley, Otis Redding, and Groove Armada.

Stars: 5/5

P.S. It’s getting the good old Hollywood remake. I am devastated.

78: Wanderlust

Wanderlust – February 24, 2012
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux
Written by: David Wain, Ken Marino
Directed by: David Wain

The plot: “Rattled by sudden unemployment, a Manhattan couple surveys alternative living options, ultimately deciding to experiment with living on a rural commune where free love rules.” – IMDB

My thoughts: Stop what you are doing and go see this movie. Don’t wait for a download online. Don’t wait for it to be on DVD/Blu-Ray. Go fork over the money and see this.

If you like anything involving the following, you need to see it:

– Stella
– David Wain
– Ken Marino
– Michael Ian Black
– Michael Showalter
– Paul Rudd
– things that are funny

I haven’t laughed so hard at a movie in…I feel like the correct frame of time is “ever” although it might have been equivalent with Death at a Funeral. I don’t know how, but this movie managed to surpass Wet Hot American Summer in terms of hilarity and awesome.

All I have to say is: the Paul Rudd talking to himself in the mirror scene. Absolutely lost it. And the reference to my favorite viral video at the end.

Seriously. Go see this movie. And if you don’t like it, I don’t want to know you.

Stars: 8 million/5

77: Shame (or as I like to call it ‘Michael Fassbender’s Penis’)

Shame – December 2, 2011
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan
Written by: Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen
Directed by: Steve McQueen

The plot: “In New York City, Brandon’s carefully cultivated private life — which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction — is disrupted when his sister Sissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.” – IMDB

My thoughts: This is the perfect film to take your special someone to see! It’s cute without being too fluffy, romantic without being too mushy, funny without being too try-hard-hilarious, and it’s sexy without being too controversial.

I’m completely lying. If you’ve only recently started seeing someone and you’re not trying to make it too intense so soon, don’t see Shame. This is a genuine interaction I heard while sitting in the lobby of the lovely Athena Cinema:

Guy: Hey…you haven’t seen The Artist yet, have you?
Girl: No. Why?
Guy: I uh…I heard that Shame is pretty controversial and I don’t want to be the freak guy who brings you to a porno.
Girl: HAHAHAHAHAHAH OKAY. (editor’s note: seriously, she laughed way too hard and spoke way too loudly.)

I’ll be real, I was a bit giddy about seeing Michael Fassbender in all his naked glory (honestly, were they just teasing us with keeping all the good parts in the shadows? It was just plain cruel!) but was pleasantly surprised with what a good film it was.

This is not to say that it was uplifting. Not even remotely. In fact, it was kind if dismal and made me feel especially depressed, but everything was spectacular. Carey Mulligan didn’t come off like a mousey, boring English girl. She was interesting and loud and fun (in a twisted sort of way) as Sissy. And Fassbender was perfectly tormented and ashamed (imagine, a character feeling ashamed in a movie called Shame!), while still maintaining some really human qualities that made it easy (well, easier) for the audience to sympathize with his character, Brandon.

I’m also going to warn you, Shame is probably not an ideal movie to see with a sibling or family member. Not just because of the full-frontal nudity or the graphic sex scenes but there are some incestuous undertones that definitely add some interesting, complex layers to the story but would also make for an uncomfortable two hours with a family member. However, I found such undertones to be the most important part of the film – they lend themselves to the reading of the film and some kind of understanding of Bradon and Sissy.

I personally feel that the two siblings come from some sort of terrible home life (as Mulligan’s Sissy says in the film, “We’re not bad people, we just come from a bad place,”) and because of that, they sough solace in each other. Whether or not they had sex at some point, I’m not sure. However, I think that they are in love with each other and they know it’s not right but that’s how they feel. Brandon’s sex addiction and Sissy’s depression/wild lifestyle stem from this fact.

Anyway, I highly recommend it. If you’re not comfortable with graphic sex or if Blue Valentine‘s level of depression was too much for you, Shame probably won’t be your cup of tea.

Stars: 5/5

73: Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down – January 18, 2002
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Jason Isaacs, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana
Written by: Ken Nolan
Directed by: Ridley Scott

The plot: “123 elite U.S. soldiers drop into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis.” – IMDB

My thoughts: You might be thinking, “Kaitie, how did it take you over a decade to see Black Hawk Down?” and the only conclusive answer is “I don’t know.” I have no idea how it took me so long to see such a well-known film, by such a prominent director, and starring…everyone.

It was depressing and gory and I would have to imagine quite realistic. I have not been involved in war nor do I really know anyone who has served in the military, but still, it seemed believable to me.

The film was based on a book which was based on a true story about the U.S.’s raid on Somalia to capture warlord Aidid and because of this, the characters are “real”. I would have to assume that some – if not a lot of – liberties were taken in putting these characters on screen. At the same time, they all seemed so genuine and for lack of better word, normal. There was no hyperbolic, speech-y captain nor was there an underdog that saved the whole day. It was just all of these guys trying to stay alive and complete their mission.

The film was chaotic with a few moments of tense calm (that’s a total oxymoron but I’m not sure how else to describe it) as I would assume war is. It seems like in a lot of action movies it’s just non-stop firing and blowing shit up for 15 minutes and then a retreat followed by one big attack. In Black Hawk Down, the teams split up and went off on other little missions (rescuing the black hawk pilots). There was a lot of waiting around and regrouping.

For as many characters as there were, they did a pretty impeccable job of giving them all personality and a chance for us to get to know them just a little bit. There isn’t really a “main character” per se. Everyone is pretty equal despite their ranks.

I really enjoyed Black Hawk Down as most people did 10 years ago. It was honest and gruesome and yeah, I might have gotten a little teary at the end. I honestly can’t even think of any drawbacks. Maybe just don’t watch it if you’re in a depressed mood. It probably won’t be an effective “pick-me-up.”

Stars: 5/5

71: Dark City

Dark City – February 27, 1998
Starring: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly
Written and directed by: Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer

The plot: “A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.” – IMDB

My thoughts: I’m always extremely smug when I tell people that all I do in class is watch TV, read scripts, and watch movies, because it comes with the territory when you’re a media studies student getting a minor in film. I probably won’t be so smug in 8 months when no one wants to hire me because…oh, what is it that you did in school? You watched a lot of shit on different screens? Great.

Anyway, I watched Dark City for a film class today and I don’t know how I hadn’t seen it before now. It was really, really enjoyable. It was this great mystery/sci-fi/fantasy movie with the always awesome Kiefer Sutherland. Essentially, there’s a city (a dark city, yes) and weird shit is going down. Everyone conks out at 12 o’ clock every day and there’s never any sun. Buildings sprout up and strange men with no hair loom about the town.

I won’t spoil it because it was a little unexpected. I mean, maybe I’m just dumb but I was at least a little bit surprised by the big “reveal” toward the end. I was impressed by the art and sets (I’m sure I’ll end up tossing the word mise-en-scène quite liberally in whatever paper I may have to write about it in class.) It was gorgeous and had this wonderful aesthetic of being old and modern and progressive and futuristic all at the same time.

The score was excellent – done by Trevor Jones, the same guy behind Labyrinth, which really makes sense. Dark City was like Labyrinth meets a David Lynch movie but a bit easier to understand and both star Jennifer Connelly?

I literally just finished watching it so I’m still in that state of “Oh man, that movie was awesome! There was nothing – nothing at all I would change about it, that’s how perfect it was,” and that sentiment might change after some time. But for now, whether it’s simply new-movie elation or if it really was that great, I really loved it. Like a lot.

Stars: 5/5

67: Blade Runner (a bit late to the whole thing)

Blade Runner – June 25, 1982
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Written by: Hampton Fancher, David Webb Peoples
Directed by: Ridley Scott

The plot: “In a cyberpunk vision of the future, man has developed the technology to create replicants, human clones used to serve in the colonies outside Earth but with fixed lifespans. In Los Angeles, 2019, Deckard is a Blade Runner, a cop who specialises in terminating replicants. Originally in retirement, he is forced to re-enter the force when six replicants escape from an offworld colony to Earth.” – IMDB

My thoughts: I’m a little ashamed to admit that last night was my first time viewing Blade Runner. It’s a sci-fi classic and as a self-proclaimed geek/nerd, it’s something I probably should have seen ages ago. I guess that sentiment is applicable to a lot of films. Plus, I’m old enough now to fully appreciate a film like Blade Runner! Anyway, it’s been on my list for years, but a few months ago I was at a restaurant where I’m pretty sure Blade Runner should not have been playing and I saw this shot:

At that moment, I thought to myself, “If I don’t see Blade Runner, I’m just going to hate myself forever.” So last night, I finally did.

Honestly, I think the most stand-out thing for me was not the plot or the acting, but the art direction and shots in this film. It was beyond gorgeous (particularly the scene shown above in GIF form.) The costumes, the cityscapes…it all felt wonderfully futuristic and complete. I think that a lot of “in the future” movies work hard to make cute winks and clever jabs at technology’s current state, but in Blade Runner, it was an entirely new world. It looked like crazy people had moved to a new, inhabitable planet and made an almost Earth but not really and then let it slowly fall apart.

Harrison Ford and Sean Young were good in it, but I was more impressed by Rutger Hauer’s performance as I think is common after watching Blade Runner. He’s obviously psychotic and yet I fully sympathized with him. All he wanted was to live and love and in the end, he was just a desperate guy with no one there for him. Come on, that’s pretty sad.

I did a bit of reading up on the movie and in ’82, I guess it wasn’t especially popular. People wanted Star Wars and what they got was a film set heavily in developing characters in the future with little action and little galactic combat. A lot of critics thought that the plot was lost to special effects and that it was slow moving. True, maybe. But rather than saying “Here are the good guys, here are the good guys, let there be war,” the film really lets us get to know characters and I don’t know, probably wants us to question what it is to be human and blah blah blah.

The point is, it became a cult hit and Blade Runner stands the test of time even 30 years later. I really enjoyed it and can understand why it’s a sci-fi staple and see what influence it’s had over the futuristic/sci-fi genre. The acting was great, the design and art were impeccable, and even Vangelis’s soundtrack was wonderful.

Stars: 5/5

67: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (U.S. version)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – December 20, 2011
Starring: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer,
Written by:
Directed by:

The plot: “Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.” – IMDB

My thoughts: Okay, so I know for a fact that there are a billion reviews for this movie out because it was quite buzz-worthy. And with good reason! Point being, there are probably reviews that will be more critical of this so I’ll just do my usual spiel and let you be the judge. Like I told everyone I talked to in regard to the film, “I’m a big Fincher fan, I’m a big Daniel Craig fan, and I’m a big Trent Reznor fan,” and so really, this combination wasn’t likely to go wrong with me.

I really loved the Swedish version starring Noomi Rapace in the titular role of Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo. And even though I think Rooney Mara comes off as being very vanilla in “real life”, she was excellent as Lisbeth. She was hard and messed up and perfectly weird. I really feel that she was on par with Noomi in the role and they both brought a really wonderful and distinct dynamic to the character.

However, I thought that Daniel Craig stood out to me as Mikael Blomkvist. For some reason, I don’t really recall what Mikael was like in the Swedish version. Daniel always seems so charismatic and complex in his roles (at least to me. I’m sure many would argue that. I guess I’ve just got a crush on him.)

I haven’t read the books, but as far as I understand, Fincher’s film follows the books more closely which I generally enjoyed. It ended on a much sadder, probably more realistic version which to me was appreciated as it just doesn’t seem like the kind of story where everyone gets the perfect, ideal happy ending. It’s kind of the entire point of Lisbeth.

Reznor and Atticus Ross‘s score was glorious. I love that it’s not so much that they’re creating music or songs, they create moods. I don’t know how else to describe it. I just don’t think I’d ever put on the soundtrack separately or say “Oh turn it up, I love this song.” To me, it’s kind of the epitome of what a score should be. I’d put Cliff Martinez in this category.

I really enjoyed the movie. It was kind of nice seeing it and comparing it to the Swedish version. I can’t determine which I liked more…I’ll probably have to watch the 2009 version so that Fincher’s is still fresh in my mind and I can decide. It was easily one of my favorite movies of 2011 – won’t be surprised if it comes away with a few awards throughout the year.

Stars: 5/5

58: Moneyball

Moneyball – September 23, 2011
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Written by: Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian
Directed by: Bennett Miller

The plot: “The story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.” – IMDB

My thoughts: I kind of like that Aaron Sorkin has this penchant to write quality films out of a story that sounds…dry, to say the least. I mean, The Social Network was about the kid who created Facebook and even though the story wasn’t actually that crazy, it made for an interesting film. Same with Moneyball.

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for Brad Pitt (even though, was it just me or did his face look a little bit plastic-y?) so I went into knowing I’d at least be biased in that direction. Jonah Hill was actually quite pleasant as a likable, shy geek who finds his way by working with Pitt.

Lucky for me, I don’t follow baseball. I understand it quite well thanks to more than a decade of playing softball, but I didn’t know what the outcome would be which kept me interested. I had to know if the GM would succeed in getting the A’s all the way to the top.

I found one part of the movie to be a bit unnecessary and that was Billy’s (Pitt) daughter/ex-wife. I simply didn’t find it integral to the portrayal of Billy Beane. I’m not sure if the addition of that part of yes, his real life, was intended to make him more relatable, but I just didn’t find it to be an necessary plot point.

The acting was great. I’m not sure many of the characters had to reach especially far to capture their character’s personalities, but everyone was really enjoyable to watch on the screen. Brad Pitt was, as almost always, a sympathetic and honorable character and Philip Seymour Hoffman was kind of a dick.

I was rooting for Billy to succeed and have everyone respect what he’d done so I think it was mission accomplished by writers and director. I was invested and interested and exited VLC feeling satisfied. Plus, a lot of the visuals were really gorgeous, so it was pleasant to watch as well.

Stars: 5/5

53: Blue Valentine (still more Gosling)

Blue Valentine – December 29, 2010
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
Written by: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance

The plot: “The film centers on a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.” – IMDB

My thoughts: Well I’m sufficiently depressed to say the very least. I knew I would be going into the film, and yet I’m still a bit surprised at how much I feel like wallowing in two fictional character’s misery.

I’m going to keep this review brief because God knows there have been a billion of these reviews about how “real” and “brutally honest” this movie is and they’re right. The movie is scarily realistic and effective. And it’s not even that the story is that original – in fact, it’s anything but. This is something that people go through every single day. Couples fall in love and fall out of love. They try to repair the relationship and they give up. They do things they’re not proud of.

Gosling and Williams are great in the movie. I read a few factoids about how they lived together for a month to “age” themselves and to learn to pick fights with each other and it seems like it helped. I also read that Cianfrance asked them to improvise a lot of their dialogue which I think helped to make the movie believable and real. People don’t fight with eloquent speeches and perfectly timed breakdowns. They don’t have montage sex. And things aren’t always tidy in real life. They’re speech is simple and exactly what anyone would expect from a couple who’s relationship is crumbling.

I really enjoyed the movie, though I’m not sure that that’s quite the right word for a movie like this. I appreciated it? Understood it? Felt it? It’s definitely depressing so don’t watch it if you’re looking for something romantic or if you’re going through a rough patch with a significant other or you’ve just broken up.

Phew, I’m going to need a cinematic pick-me-up to recover from that.

Stars: 5/5