Breyers (Taken with instagram)
My Ambitious 2012 Movie Extravaganza.
(300 movies in a year)
Number: 10
Title: TrollHunter (2010)
Synopsis: A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.
Directed by: André Øvredal
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Tomatometer: 82%
Watched on: 01/22/11
Watched at: At Home via Netflix (Streaming)
Thoughts: While the effects are solid and the story is unique, the movie overall falls flat for me. Plus, (personally) I’m sick and tired of “found footage” docu-style movies. Enough already!
Fun Fact: Summit Entertainment bought the rights to produce an American remake before this film’s initial release. Shocker!
My Ambitious 2012 Movie Extravaganza.
(300 movies in a year)
Number: 9
Title: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
Synopsis: The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name.
Directed by: Brad Bird
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Tomatometer: 93%
Watched on: 01/20/11
Watched at: AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 (Film Projection)
Thoughts: Fun, non-stop action and a pretty straight-forward storyline. Pretty much what I expected sans the lack of the typical MI twist. The Dubai/Burj Khalifa tower sequence is brilliantly done and makes the movie worth seeing for this scene alone.
Fun Fact: Tom Cruise performed the sequence where Ethan Hunt scales the outside of the Burj Khalifa tower himself without the use of a stunt double. The Burj Khalifa tower is the tallest building in the world. I can’t wait to see the DVD extras on the scene.
My Ambitious 2012 Movie Extravaganza.
(300 movies in a year)
Number: 8
Title: Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2011)
Synopsis: Tucker and Dale are two best friends on vacation at their dilapidated mountain house, who are mistaken for murderous backwoods hillbillies by a group of obnoxious, preppy college kids. When one of the students gets separated from her friends, the boys try to lend a hand, but as the misunderstanding grows, so does the body count.
Directed by: Eli Craig
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Tomatometer: 85%
Watched on: 01/19/11
Watched at: At home via Netflix (Streaming)
Thoughts: A refreshing & highly enjoyable horror comedy that has a ball with stereotypes, misunderstandings and movie cliches. Becomes a bit of a one trick pony by the end, but that doesn’t take away from the its originality and overall execution. Nice job!
Fun Fact: Eli Craig is the son of actress Sally Field. Guess we know how he got this movie made.
(via Kickstarter - Digital Dharma)
Please consider supporting this locally-produced documentary about E. Gene Smith, whose life’s mission is to rescue over 20,000 invaluable Tibetan Buddhist texts. One of the rewards is a “Good Karma” Bumper Sticker! How can you not give money to that?!?!
My Ambitious 2012 Movie Extravaganza.
(300 movies in a year)
Number: 7
Title: Moneyball (2011)
Synopsis: 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.
Directed by: Bennett Miller
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Tomatometer: 95%
Watched on: 01/18/11
Watched at: At home via Netflix (Blu-Ray)
Thoughts: Having trouble deciding what I liked more; Sorkin & Zaillian’s tightly woven script, Brad Pitt’s amazing performance or Pitt & Jonah Hill’s dynamic on screen chemistry. Either way, the film was phenomenal.
(Not so) Fun Fact: During pre-production, director of photography Adam Kimmel was arrested in Connecticut on sexual assault and weapons and explosives possession charges. He was replaced by Wally Pfister.
My Ambitious 2012 Movie Extravaganza.
(300 movies in a year)
Number: 6
Title: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Synopsis: Focuses on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving.) — (C) Paramount
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Tomatometer: 79%
Watched on: 01/11/11
Watched at: At home via Netflix (Blu-Ray)
Thoughts: Better than THOR, but still no IRON MAN. Very curious to see if all this pays off in THE AVENGERS.
Fun Fact: Raiders Of The Lost Ark reference: After he holds the Cosmic Cube in his hands, Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull makes a comment about how the Fuhrer “searches the desert for trinkets.”
(via liekme)
My Ambitious 2012 Movie Extravaganza.
(300 movies in a year)
Number: 5
Title: War Horse (2011)
Synopsis: Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets-British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter-before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse-an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Tomatometer: 78%
Watched on: 01/11/11
Watched at: Ritz Five, Philadelphia (Film Projection)
Thoughts: Though a tad melodramatic at times, the film sweeps you up in gorgeous landscapes and spins an epic, anguishing tale of hope in the middle of a dark time. If you can give yourself over to the journey of 4-legged protagonist, you’re in for one amazing ride (Pun intended) Plus, The “Spielberg” moments gave me chills!
Fun Fact: Spielberg’s first film to be edited digitally. He has famously held onto editing traditionally, by cutting films manually on a flatbed editing table.
