Films Watched in 2012
Each movie is given a star rating with five stars being the best.Click on a poster to see film information and reviews.
Faded posters indicate films that I intend to watch, but haven't gotten around to yet.
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Key Cast:Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein
Run Time:113 minutes
Summary: The entire crew from American Pie return to their hometown for the Class of 1999 reunion.
Date Watched: April 20, 2012
Likes:Natasha Lyonne, usofine.
Dislikes:Everything except Natasha Lyonne.
Key Cast:Kevin Clash, Whoopi Goldberg (Narrator)
Run Time:80 minutes
Summary: The story of the life and career of Kevin Clash, creator and voice of Elmo.
Date Watched: April 2, 2012
Likes:This was such a beautiful documentary, not just because it is an incredibly intimate portrait of one of the most beloved children's characters ever, but also because of it is rich with history and never before seen moments featuring Jim Henson, Frank Oz and the rest of The Muppets crew. Any long-time fan of The Henson Company will appreciate the little gems hidden in this masterpiece (Kevin Clash is also the voice of Baby Sinclair! Behind-the-scenes footage of The Dark Crystal! Muppets Tonight!).
Dislikes: I love everything!
Key Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
Run Time: 142 minutes
Summary:In the near future, society exists as the post-apocalyptic world of Panem, where the countries of North America once existed. Panem is ruled by The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis which holds hegemony over the rest of the nation. As reparation for Panem's previous rebellion, The Capitol holds an event called The Hunger Games once per year, wherein one boy and one girl from each district are selected to fight in a battle royale-style deth match. In the event's 74th year, 16 year old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to represent her district and changes The Hunger Games forever.
Date Watched: April 9, 2012
Likes:Jennifer Lawrence is solid as young Katniss, potraying both the mental and physical power of the character to the point of justice. Also, set and costume design provide a healthy amount of futuristic camp to an otherwise somber tale.
Dislikes: The story's central premise (that killing children for sport is bad) loses a lot against the good guys/bad guys dynamic of this Hollywood interpretation. Many of the chase scenes between Katniss/the other dudes are set up so that you are happy when the other dudes (still kids!) are killed. Also, the film (unsurprisingly) falls into many of the same traps as other teen fantasy drama franchises. Big explosions and action and BOOM? Check. Slow, overly-expository dialogue? Check. Pointless, out-of-place love subplot (that later kills the mood of the whole series anyway)? Check.
Key Cast: Lauren German, Michael Biehn, Milo Ventimiglia, Rosanna Arquette
Run Time: 122 minutes
Summary: Forced into the basement of their building by nuclear blasts, eight apartment residents fight for survival against the unknown outside world
Date Watched: April 1st, 2012.
Likes:Some of the set design (the white cloth tunnels created by the military, for example) is surprisingly well done.
Dislikes:I'm not sure what I came into this movie expecting, but what I got was a two hour argument between eight people in a basement with a side order of torture porn. The Divide is the perfect example of an awful Hollywood horror movie. An abducted child, a gritty alpha-male stepping into the role of leadership, mysterious government officials in biohazard suits, graphic sexual violence, undersaturated shaky-cam cinematorgraphy, and of course, a group of people who barely escape the effects of a nuclear explosion by outrunning it on foot and locking a door just in TIME - The Divide rolls all these things together to make a fairly impressive trainwreck.
Key Cast: Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, Ice-T
Run Time: 104 Minutes
Summary:In the year 2033, a comet has turned Earth into a rainless wasteland, and a mega- corporation controls all of the remaining water. In an attempt to end the evil reign of the company's CEO (Malcolm McDowell), Rebecca (Lori Petty) and her shy friend (Naomi Watts) hijack a stolen tank and jet -- at once becoming Tank Girl and Jet Girl. But if they want to save the world, the super-heroines will need help from a mutant race of kangaroo-humans.
Date Watched: February 16, 2012.
Likes:This mid-90's grrrl power film is filled with enough punk and camp to satisfy any lady cinephile. Also, I wasn't expecting the SFX make-up to be quite so awesome. And that musical number! Killer.
Dislikes:I'm a little bit concerned with the film's representation of empowerment through "postfeminist" tropes - see this article: http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/writingpostfeminism/solo
Key Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Summary:The film focuses on Martha, a young woman who flees from an abusive cult in the Catskill Mountains that is led by an enigmatic leader, Patrick. Lucy, Martha's older sister, receives a call from a pay phone one day from Martha, asking her to come and get her. Martha, who has been missing for two years, slowly begins to assimilate into her sister's family, but her increasing paranoia leads her to believe that Patrick and his cult may still be watching her every move.
Date Watched: February 16, 2012.
Likes:I believe this is the best movie of 2011, and perhaps the best film about sexual abuse that I
have ever seen. My full review is here:
http://cityofbridges.tumblr.com/post/13898080444/film-review-martha-marcy-may-marlene-2011
Dislikes:I want to be upset about the ending, but I can't. It's perfect.
Key Cast: Cassidy Freeman, Anessa Ramsey, Laura Heisler
Run Time: 99 Minutes
Summary:A small team of explorers heads into the New Hampshire wilderness to investigate the unexplained disappearance of the residents of Friar, who left their homes 70 years earlier and were never seen again.
Date Watched: February 12, 2012.
Likes:An inventive and daring plot that takes risks and experiments with narrative structure and the boundaries of gore. Also, the "leg-ripping" scene.
Dislikes:YellowBrickRoad tries sincerely to bring something new and refreshing to the horror genre, but that's just the problem - it tries. It tries really hard. And it's obvious that the film merely tries and does not succeed. 45 minutes in, I was lost and annoyed by the scattered narrative, aimlessly wandering characters and miserable sound effects/musical score.
Key Cast: Jonathan Mellor, Óscar Sánchez Zafra, Ariel Casas
Run Time: 85 Minutes
Summary:Picking up minutes after the end of Rec, this film follows a Special Operations team as they investigate the outbreak of a mysterious disease at a local apartment complex.
Date Watched: February 10, 2012.
Likes:The continuation and expansion of the mythology from the first film are executed in suprising ways; several characters (Manu!) make surprise re-appearances and the basis of the disease is shocking. Also, the inclusion of unknown actors adds to the effects of the first- person cinematography.
Dislikes:The film suffers from some pacing issues, sticking the audience in one of the most claustrophic, intense, zombie-centric scenes just 20 minutes in. Afterward, a large amount of overt verbal exposition is given and the film begins focusing on exorcism - wut? Yeah, I was confused, too.
Key Cast: Sergio Agüero, Marc Brienstock, Rui Costa Reis
Run Time: 89 Minutes
Summary:After the outbreak of a sudden illness on a midair flight, recently-landed passengers and crew find themselves quarantined in an airport amidst a swarm of "infected."
Date Watched: February 10, 2012.
Likes:A few good jump scares and a few more hot girls.
Dislikes:"And that’s my primary problem with Quarantine 2. When all the action is confined to the
plane, there’s an inherent claustrophobia that really ramps up the suspense. Once they land the plane––a mere 25 minutes into the action––the passengers are sealed into a
baggage loading dock by a government bio-terrorism unit, and the movie seems to settle into a different gear. It’s a creative move that dilutes the entire tone of the movie.
There’s loads of dialogue from screenwriter John Pogue (who also wrote Rollerball and Ghost Ship, so there‘s that to brag about), none of it terribly compelling, and the attacks
from the slobbery infected seem too intermittent. When they happen, they provide a welcome jolt, but they come too infrequently to have a lasting impact. The frantic chaos of
Quarantine has been warmed-over into a sporadically entertaining gab fest. Quarantine 2 certainly has its share of juicy, straight-to-DVD moments, but it’s miles away from the
original." - Ryan Daley
What he said.
Key Cast: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes
Run Time: 117 Minutes
Summary: Dr. Robert Ledgar is researching the development of a burnproof super-skin. Unbeknownst to the world of medicine, he's begun testing the product on human specimens.
Date Watched: January 15th, 2012.
Likes: Fabulous retro-throwback cinematography and vivid wardrobes give the film the feel of a good 1960's creeper flick.
Dislikes: Multiple, explicit-to-the-point of unnecessary rape scenes are woven into the non-linear plot,
I guess intending to add a further layer of suspense and body horror. However, these scenes often injected with awkward comedy and end up playing as careless and offensive.
I've seen films that have used "rape" in a thoughtful, considerate way to further the plot, but The Skin I Live In fails to live up to my personal benchmark in this department.
spoiler alert!
Also, the fact that the punchline/big reveal at the end is that the female protagonist is a trans*woman, while the rest of the film fails to give any
realistic portrayal of the trans* community, just doesn't sit with me well. I really would have loved to have seen the scientific aspects of the film explored further (more time with
Dr. Ledgar in the lab) instead of being smacked across the face with rape scenes and transphobia.
Key Cast:Danielle Harris, Connor Paolo, Nick Damici
Run Time: 98 Minutes
Summary:In a post-apocalyptic version of the United States where vampires run wild, a young, orphaned man and his mentor, "Mister," try to survive.
Date Watched: January 15th, 2012.
Likes:Great special effects lead the vampire-zombies to look spectacularly scary. Also, the opening eight minutes of the film are pretty hardcore; a vampire eats a baby, ffs!
Dislikes:There is nothing new here. This film is Zombieland, without the comedy. It's The Walking Dead smushed into an hour and forty five minutes. The characters are flat, the story has been told before, and while well-made, it's ultimately forgettable.
Key Cast:Timothy Spall, Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle
Run Time: 97 Minutes
Summary: Still grieving the death of nine-year-old Alice – their only child – at the jaws of a crazed dog, vet Patrick and pharmacist Louise relocate to the remote town of Wake Wood where they learn of a pagan ritual that will allow them three more days with her.
Date Watched: January 14th, 2012.
Likes:The film is enchantingly sorrowful, and moments between Alice and her family are played with a surprsing amount of tenderness. Incredible on-screen chemistry between the cast and well-told plot points make it hard to believe this was a straight-to-DVD release.
Dislikes:Wake Wood sufferes from "Insidious syndrome," where an incredible set-up and excellent pacing suddenly fall to the wayside during the final 10 minutes of the film, leaving the audience somewhat confused. It's forgivable, though. Wake Wood isn't a scary, resolute film, but a mood piece.
Key Cast: Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne
Run Time: 97 Minutes
Summary: A historical-adventure film centering around the black plague.
Date Watched: January 14th, 2012.
Likes:Well-paced action and storytelling. No holding back on gore and body-horror. Also, I'm a sucker for a good Sean Bean period piece.
Dislikes:The final act of the film wanders around a bit, and the ending is less than satisfying.
Key Cast: Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley, Emma Fryer
Run Time: 97 Minutes
Summary: An ex-armyman and his buddy, forced with the harsh realities of a recession, take up jobs as hitmen for an ominous client.
Date Watched: January 14th, 2012.
Likes:Engaging, thoughtful storytelling that is gripping from start to finish. A beautifully shot film with an excellent cast. High suspense from start to finish.
Dislikes:The secondary plot involving the drama between the protagonist and his wife is almost identical to that of A Serbian Film.
Key Cast: Rutger Hauer
Run Time: 86 Minutes
Summary: After witnessing the horrific violence and crime that rules the city of Hopetown, a vigilante hobo takes matters into his own hands.
Date Watched: January 12th, 2012.
Likes:Great kills and gorgeous high-contrast cinematography.
Dislikes:Not original enough to break out of the "Grindhouse" mold and elevate itself from a copycat b-movie to a cult classic.
Key Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk and Katrina Bowden
Run Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Summary: Tucker & Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are attacked by a group of preppy college kids.
Date Watched: January 1st, 2012.
Likes:See Review at cityofbridges.tumblr.com/tagged/Writing
Dislikes:Other than a few slow moments, it's a great hor-com with some relevant dialog on classism.
Key Cast: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega and Alex Esmail
Run Time: 88 Minutes
Summary: The film follows a street gang which have to defend themselves from hostile alien invaders.
Date Watched: January 5th, 2012.
Likes: The edgy Brit kids are likable, particularly the leader. No time wasted on over-explanation. The aliens are well-designed and should stand the test of time CG-wise. Good weed humor.
Dislikes: Suffers from some of the pitfalls of sci-fi/action predictability.
Key Cast: Josie Ho
Run Time: 96 minutes
Summary: Cheng Lai-sheung (Josie Ho) saves up money to buy her dream home. After the sellers decide to turn her down, she goes into a murderous frenzy.
Date Watched: January 1st, 2012.
Likes: Beautifully shot with a well-developed female lead. Kills are inventive and disturbing. The discussions of the housing crisis are fascinating.
Dislikes:The plot failed to fully engage me. Also, moments of satire felt awkward and unharmonious to scenes of extreme cerebral gore.