2009 Movies I've Seen in the Theatre

There should be no question as to what this post is about after that rather descriptive title. Please, pardon the British spelling of "theater;" I often can't help myself. In case you don't understand the title, I'll be trying to recount all the movies I've seen in the theater since I got home. These will be mini reviews to catch up to present day. As far as I can tell, the next movie I'll be seeing in the theater is District 9, so I want to be up-to-date by then. I'm going this way!

Quantum of Solace

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%

My Score: 8/10

First, I'd like to make a note that Casino Royale was the last movie I saw in a theater before I left for Hungary, while Quantum of Solace (the sequel) was first one I saw after Hungary. Pretty cool timing, eh? You're now intillectually a bit richer for knowing this bit of trivia. Anywho, I absolutely loved Casino Royale when I saw that years ago, and I bought the DVD since then. It's easily my favorite Bond film (I've only seen a couple of the ones with Pierce Brosnan)--an overall solid film. It made a great impression and quite successfully rebooted the Bond series. Quantum, however, didn't seem to fill the sizable shoes left by its predecessor.


If a sweet action flick is what you want, Quantum of Solace is sure to satisfy. It is absolutely packed full with awesome action sequences, including foot, car, boat, and even air chases! This film continued that gritty, rough-around-the-edges style of action that I loved in the first film. While it was overall pretty similar to Casino Royale, it simply didn't leave such a significant impression with me. Daniel Craig did a great job again, as did the other actors, but apart from its action, it just didn't leave me with anything new. Part of what made Casino so great was that it really stood out from the other Bond films. Now, that isn't to say this is the Mission: Impossible series' MI 2, but I felt like it didn't quite take the series much further. Good movie, though. Worth at least renting, likely even buying.


Okay, I'll try to do smaller reviews of the rest...

Coraline

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
My Score: 8.5/10

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was directed by Henry Selick, who directed Nightmare Before Christmas (... no, it wasn't Tim Burton! Burton wrote and produced Nightmare). The animation was really cool, and the story was great, too. I laughed quite a bit at the kinda odd humor. Now, overall, I would say it's as good as Nightmare, but the main thing missing was Danny Elfman's amazing music. That's not to say the music wasn't good, but it wasn't as memorable or impactful as Nightmare's.


All in all, I would strongly recommend adding it to your movie collection. Also, I would recommend getting the edition that comes in 3D, as the 3D animation was done very well. Blu-ray would probably be considerably better, if possible.

Monsters Vs. Aliens

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

My Score: 7.5/10

This movie was pretty much exactly what I expected: a cool, CG-animated comedy with lots of laughs and a somewhat acceptable storyline. With voices like Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, and Hugh Laurie, it definitely delivered on the laughs! It was quite funny throughout the film, and they used the 3D animation pretty well. Like I expected, the storyline was somewhat acceptable, but in a movie like this, who cares? You don't go to see a movie like this expecting something Pixar would deliver; you go to laugh and enjoy the cool 3D effects! And, in this respect, it pulled through. I'm not sure it's worth buying, but definitely worth a rental.

Terminator: Salvation

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 33%

My Score: 7/10

Okay, as flawed as this film was, don't take Rotten Tomatoes' word that it was twice as bad as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (RT gave that one a 70%!). While it had its share of plotholes and story weaknesses, it was still very enjoyable. As far as story weaknesses are concerned, it was the lack of attention given to the main character, Marcus, played by Sam Worthington, that really hurt the film. Apparently, John Connor's role, played by Christian Bale, was originally supposed to be much smaller, and by devoting more story to him, they compromised the potential progression of Marcus.


Despite these (and many other) flaws, it was a lot of fun to watch. The action scenes were incredible and very well dispersed throughout the film. As far as the Terminator series is concerned, I watched the first three movies the same week I saw Salvation and thereby noticed a whole bunch of little hints and references I probably wouldn't have, otherwise. It really felt like a Terminator film. So, I recommend at least renting it. I'll probably even buy it!

Up

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

My Score: 9.5/10

As can be expected from anything Pixar puts out, Up was phenominal. It offered a completely original storyline with amazing animation. The film follows an old man on his last great adventure of his life, along with many friends he makes along the way. Unlike many other 3D animated movies of its kind, it didn't use any "gag 3D." In other words, the 3D animation simply enhanced the images you saw, instead shoving three-dimensional objects in your face to try and inpress you (though that kind of 3D has its place and isn't always a bad thing). The characters were very memorable, as well as hilarious! I never had any idea what was going to happen next as the story kept taking interesting turns. The way they told his life story was very interesting and touching. It was very great movie--definitely one to own.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 20%

My Score: 5/10

Hmm, I'm not quite sure what to say about this one. It was all over the place! On one hand, the action was so mindblowingly awesome, but on the other, everything else was so amazingly crappy! I've heard this movie explained as "the first Transformers times ten in every way." Ten times the Bayhem, ten times the robots, ten times the ridiculous parents, ten times the Megan Fox, ten times the attempt at plot; everything! There are too many plotholes to count, littered throughout the "film." It raises lots of questions when you think about it. For instance, it opens with a scene in which the Autobots, along with the humans, are hunting down and brutally murdering the hiding, docile Deceptacons, who are just minding their own business--for no apparent reason! There's even a "robot heaven" at one point! It's so outrageous!!!

Now, the only reason this movie get's any number out of 10 is the action. In-freakin-credible! The first time I watched it (yes, unfortunately, that does imply I watched it on a subsequent occasion), I was giggling throughout every action scene! It was so awesome! There was so much robot fighting, and it was done so well! I know what you're thinking--This is the part when you're gonna tell us it's not even worth renting. Wrong! I'm gonna buy it on Blu-ray. Why? Because I wanna see all that fighting again and again, without having to see the rest of it! At least rent it, but you may want to buy it just for that!

Year One

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 16%

My Score: 5/10

Not much to say about this one. As you can probably guess, it's not a very good movie. It's one of those movies that just tries hard enough to make you laugh so that you'll forget the other necessary components of a good film. Now, it was very funny. I laughed quite a bit, after the first half hour or so. If you've seen the trailers ad commercials, you've seen the first half hour of the film, pretty much. After that, though, it got...better? Well, it had stuff I hadn't seen already. I would say this is worth a rental if you like Jack Black and/or Michael Cera. It's got a lot of funny names (David Cross, Paul Rudd, etc.), but it's kinda hit-and-miss. I would certainly never buy this one.

Moon

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

My Score: 9/10

Moon was such a fantastic film! I loved it so much. As a bit of a warning, it is very slow-paced, so if you easily get bored, this isn't for you. The story was very original and engaging. I really liked the music, too, which greatly enriches the storytelling. Sam Rockwell's performance was just about perfect. Basically, he's on a moon facility, harvesting a helium3 fuel. He's been there for just about 3 years, and he's got two weeks left before he can come home. Things start to go awry, though, and you're left guessing what's going on the whole time. I strongly recommend it.

AND THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE!