Now on DVD
Movie night? Make sure to take a gander at these titles to save yourself from renting a severely disappointing film starring Nicolas Cage or Hugh Jackman. Enjoy!
A
Midnight in Paris -- This is a wonderfully charming Woody Allen film with terrific performances by the entire cast, especially Owen Wilson (believe it, or not). This film won an Oscar for best original screenplay, and it's well deserved. Even Wilson haters can find a lot to love about this film.
Take Shelter -- Easily one of the five best films of 2011. Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Bug) has slowly become one of the most tantalizing actors in recent memory. I personally think his performance here was the best by an actor in 2011. Give this one a hard look.
The Ides of March -- A loaded cast helps make this film one of the best in 2011. It's written and directed by George Clooney (who also has a large role in the film), and stars Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti. It's a rather simple political premise, but it's so beautifully acted and written. Gosling (Drive, Blue Valentine) absolutely shines in one of the best performances of 2011.
B+
Hugo -- A slightly overrated, but still wonderful film by the amazing Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Shutter Island). It's somewhat deserving of all the Oscar nominations (and wins), but I don't think it would've gotten this much attention without Scorsese's name attached. The performances are pretty good, but the cinematography, original music, art direction and visual effects carry this film.
B-
Attack the Block -- It's not too often you come across a British alien invasion film these days, but this one is possibly worth a peek. Young John Boyega is simply outstanding in his first film; you can't help but to imagine a British Denzel Washington in the making. Is that racist? I hope not.
C+
Beautiful Boy -- Finely acted and intense, but this film is just hard to watch at times. Partially because of the material but mostly because it's just so darn boring. However, there's still plenty to take from this haunting film. Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Midnight in Paris) and Maria Bello (A History of Violence, Payback) are both terrific, and young Kyle Gallner (Red State, Jennifer's Body) is slowly coming around as an actor.
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front -- I'm a little surprised this film was nominated for best documentary at this years Oscar's to be quite honest. It has certainly been a weak year for documentaries. It's a pretty straightforward story about Daniel McGowan and the Earth Liberation Front. It had less of an effect on me than most, probably because I have no sympathy for Daniel or any of these E.L.F. members who burned down buildings and ruined peoples lives. The film itself is extremely well-done, and doesn't pick a side, I will give it that.
The Myth of the American Sleepover -- An incredibly awful and boring first act had me dangerously close to turning this one off, but I stuck with it and was rewarded with a not half bad, coming-of-age film directed by David Robert Mitchell. It's mildly realistic, and for the most part captures what it's like to be 14-18 years of age in a suburban town on a Friday night.
Water for Elephants -- This is a decent adaptation of a beloved book, starring Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, How Do You Know) and Robert Pattinson (Twilight). The performances across the board are fairly strong, but overall the film feels a little long and tiring. The wonderful Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild, The Majestic) shines as an aged Pattinson, and the always underused Paul Schneider (The Assassination of Jesse James, Lars and the Real Girl) is quite good in his limited screen time.
C
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark -- An adequate, but disappointing "horror" film starring Guy Pearce (The King's Speech, Memento) and Katie Holmes (Batman Begins, Phone Booth). The problem actually isn't the acting, which may come as a shock with Holmes on board. The problem is that the "dreadful" creatures that lurk in this film are almost laughable. They're practically cute and cuddly little monsters. Young Bailee Madison (Brothers, Just Go with It) is a star in the making, Pearce is never bad and Holmes actually holds her own for once. Not a complete waste of time, but I can't recommend it.
Real Steel -- An incoherent, loud mess of a film with iffy performances by everyone (Hugh Jackman included), but does feature some top notch special effects. So, I guess you just take the good with the bad with these robotic films. Not only do these types of films feature robots, the acting and the storytelling itself is robotic. The little kid is annoying, Jackman sleepwalks through the entire film and Evangeline Lilly ("Lost") is a bad actress. You can probably steer clear.
C-
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy -- A very disappointing comedy with below average performances from everyone except for Will Forte, Lucy Punch and David Koechner. Forte (MacGruber) is actually very, very funny, but Martin Starr, Lake Bell, Leslie Bibb, Tyler Labine, Nick Kroll and Jason Sudeikis all underachieve. I'm a huge Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses, Hall Pass) fan, which makes this all the more disappointing. Pass.
Daylight -- An intriguing opening sequence eventually turns into the bore of the century with one head-scratching scene after another. The kidnappers are so terrible at their craft, and the pregnant woman who they've captured obviously has no brain power. I didn't give this film a D simply because it did have some decent style.
Grave Encounters -- Despite a decent storyline and a nice build-up, this "found footage" horror falls flat because of some brutal acting and bad special effects. It's not all bad though, there are some pretty enjoyable sequences along the way, but the film loses its luster before it's all said and done. I'd only recommend to die-hard horror fans who're in desperate need of another Blair Witch Project type of trip.
Life in a Day -- Yawn. I'm bored just thinking about this documentary. If you haven't heard, Life in a Day is a mash-up of amateur videos taken on July 24th, 2010 from all over the world. Sorry, but I don't find people talking into the camera about their day, their boyfriend, their dead wife or their religion for two hours enjoyable. No one wants to see 50 live births in ten seconds, sorry. Skip it.
Wake Wood -- This is a disappointing British "horror" film with a warn premise, but an interesting one at that. It's basically Pet Sematary with a few twists thrown in there, and there's definitely a lot to like about this film. However, it's all wasted on some lackluster dialogue and complete lack of dread. This is not a horror film, what-so-ever.
D+
Atrocious -- Probably the worst "found footage" film I've ever seen. The camera work is so atrocious (get it?) that it gives me a headache just thinking about this "horror" film. It's a shame too, because after the mind-numbing first hour and the brain-cramping camera work there's actually a decent little ending to be found. There's undoubtedly some dread built up, but no one could possibly get over the unbelievably awful chase scenes where all we see are trees and darkness for 20 minutes. Brutal.
Trespass -- Whoa baby, this is Nicolas Cage at his best, folks! What a sloppy mess this film is. Such laughable dialogue, so many overreactions by Cage and just so damn much terrible acting by everyone involved. If you like shitty Nic Cage films, then this one is worth a go. Otherwise, you're better off staring at a wall for 90 minutes. I nominate Cam Gigandet for worst actor of the year! Congrats!
D
Quarantine 2: Terminal -- What a brutal follow-up to a wonderful horror American remake. Whoever coached these zombies needs to get sacked, now. [Rec], the film in which Quarantine was based, is one of the better horror films in recent memory. As was its predecessor, [Rec] 2. So I actually gave this straight-to-DVD a chance because of the amazing quality of that sequel. Bad choice. This movie sucks. 
The Myth of the American Sleepover
Trespass
A
Midnight in Paris -- This is a wonderfully charming Woody Allen film with terrific performances by the entire cast, especially Owen Wilson (believe it, or not). This film won an Oscar for best original screenplay, and it's well deserved. Even Wilson haters can find a lot to love about this film.
Take Shelter -- Easily one of the five best films of 2011. Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Bug) has slowly become one of the most tantalizing actors in recent memory. I personally think his performance here was the best by an actor in 2011. Give this one a hard look.
The Ides of March -- A loaded cast helps make this film one of the best in 2011. It's written and directed by George Clooney (who also has a large role in the film), and stars Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti. It's a rather simple political premise, but it's so beautifully acted and written. Gosling (Drive, Blue Valentine) absolutely shines in one of the best performances of 2011.
B+
Hugo -- A slightly overrated, but still wonderful film by the amazing Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Shutter Island). It's somewhat deserving of all the Oscar nominations (and wins), but I don't think it would've gotten this much attention without Scorsese's name attached. The performances are pretty good, but the cinematography, original music, art direction and visual effects carry this film.
B-
Attack the Block -- It's not too often you come across a British alien invasion film these days, but this one is possibly worth a peek. Young John Boyega is simply outstanding in his first film; you can't help but to imagine a British Denzel Washington in the making. Is that racist? I hope not.
C+
Beautiful Boy -- Finely acted and intense, but this film is just hard to watch at times. Partially because of the material but mostly because it's just so darn boring. However, there's still plenty to take from this haunting film. Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Midnight in Paris) and Maria Bello (A History of Violence, Payback) are both terrific, and young Kyle Gallner (Red State, Jennifer's Body) is slowly coming around as an actor.
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front -- I'm a little surprised this film was nominated for best documentary at this years Oscar's to be quite honest. It has certainly been a weak year for documentaries. It's a pretty straightforward story about Daniel McGowan and the Earth Liberation Front. It had less of an effect on me than most, probably because I have no sympathy for Daniel or any of these E.L.F. members who burned down buildings and ruined peoples lives. The film itself is extremely well-done, and doesn't pick a side, I will give it that.
The Myth of the American Sleepover -- An incredibly awful and boring first act had me dangerously close to turning this one off, but I stuck with it and was rewarded with a not half bad, coming-of-age film directed by David Robert Mitchell. It's mildly realistic, and for the most part captures what it's like to be 14-18 years of age in a suburban town on a Friday night.
Water for Elephants -- This is a decent adaptation of a beloved book, starring Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, How Do You Know) and Robert Pattinson (Twilight). The performances across the board are fairly strong, but overall the film feels a little long and tiring. The wonderful Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild, The Majestic) shines as an aged Pattinson, and the always underused Paul Schneider (The Assassination of Jesse James, Lars and the Real Girl) is quite good in his limited screen time.
C
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark -- An adequate, but disappointing "horror" film starring Guy Pearce (The King's Speech, Memento) and Katie Holmes (Batman Begins, Phone Booth). The problem actually isn't the acting, which may come as a shock with Holmes on board. The problem is that the "dreadful" creatures that lurk in this film are almost laughable. They're practically cute and cuddly little monsters. Young Bailee Madison (Brothers, Just Go with It) is a star in the making, Pearce is never bad and Holmes actually holds her own for once. Not a complete waste of time, but I can't recommend it.
Real Steel -- An incoherent, loud mess of a film with iffy performances by everyone (Hugh Jackman included), but does feature some top notch special effects. So, I guess you just take the good with the bad with these robotic films. Not only do these types of films feature robots, the acting and the storytelling itself is robotic. The little kid is annoying, Jackman sleepwalks through the entire film and Evangeline Lilly ("Lost") is a bad actress. You can probably steer clear.
C-
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy -- A very disappointing comedy with below average performances from everyone except for Will Forte, Lucy Punch and David Koechner. Forte (MacGruber) is actually very, very funny, but Martin Starr, Lake Bell, Leslie Bibb, Tyler Labine, Nick Kroll and Jason Sudeikis all underachieve. I'm a huge Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses, Hall Pass) fan, which makes this all the more disappointing. Pass.
Daylight -- An intriguing opening sequence eventually turns into the bore of the century with one head-scratching scene after another. The kidnappers are so terrible at their craft, and the pregnant woman who they've captured obviously has no brain power. I didn't give this film a D simply because it did have some decent style.
Grave Encounters -- Despite a decent storyline and a nice build-up, this "found footage" horror falls flat because of some brutal acting and bad special effects. It's not all bad though, there are some pretty enjoyable sequences along the way, but the film loses its luster before it's all said and done. I'd only recommend to die-hard horror fans who're in desperate need of another Blair Witch Project type of trip.
Life in a Day -- Yawn. I'm bored just thinking about this documentary. If you haven't heard, Life in a Day is a mash-up of amateur videos taken on July 24th, 2010 from all over the world. Sorry, but I don't find people talking into the camera about their day, their boyfriend, their dead wife or their religion for two hours enjoyable. No one wants to see 50 live births in ten seconds, sorry. Skip it.
D+
Atrocious -- Probably the worst "found footage" film I've ever seen. The camera work is so atrocious (get it?) that it gives me a headache just thinking about this "horror" film. It's a shame too, because after the mind-numbing first hour and the brain-cramping camera work there's actually a decent little ending to be found. There's undoubtedly some dread built up, but no one could possibly get over the unbelievably awful chase scenes where all we see are trees and darkness for 20 minutes. Brutal.
D
Quarantine 2: Terminal -- What a brutal follow-up to a wonderful horror American remake. Whoever coached these zombies needs to get sacked, now. [Rec], the film in which Quarantine was based, is one of the better horror films in recent memory. As was its predecessor, [Rec] 2. So I actually gave this straight-to-DVD a chance because of the amazing quality of that sequel. Bad choice. This movie sucks.
Take Shelter
The Myth of the American Sleepover
Trespass
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