Ranking the Movies I Saw This Year

This is my ranking list of the new movies that I saw this year, as well as a few that I did not get a chance to see yet. I really did not see that many movies this year looking over the list, but I thought I would include all of them. Quite a bit of debate went into writing this, I kept changing the order of the movies until I decided it was good enough.

11. Cowboys and Aliens: This was by far the worst movie I saw this year. I thought it was a creative idea with a really cool cast, but the execution was not there at all. There were definitely parts that I enjoyed, but others that really didn't work at all. It definitely fell far below the other movies that I saw this year, probably around the 4.0 out of 10.

10. Thor: This is my least favorite of the new generation of Marvel movies. It does not help the movie's case that I saw it in 3D and the 3D did not really do anything for me. I don't think it was needed at all, maybe my eyes just don't handle 3D well, but that is beside the point. This movie was of a character that just was not all that interesting, I was a bit underwhelmed by it. Probably about 6 out of 10.

9. Captain America: The First Avenger: I really liked the style of this movie, and it did a good job of setting up the last movie before The Avengers. Chris Evans did a great job of being Captain America, there was just a bit lacking in the story itself, it was good, but not great, 7 out of 10.

8. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: I will admit I have only seen the original Planet of the Apes movie, so I cannot claim to be the biggest fan of the series, I would watch the others if given the opportunity. I thought the movie was pretty good, really thought Andy Serkis did an amazing job with the motion capture acting as he has been known to do.  I would give it about a 7.5 out of 10.

7.X-Men First Class: I think this movie really approached the X-Men in a much different light than the first series had. Of course this was looking back at the origins, where the other movies did not get into that. This is a somewhat more dramatic and darker look at the X-Men, I look forward to a potential sequel. 7.9 out of 10.

6. Super 8: This movie was really just an ode from JJ Abrams to Steven Spielberg, I would get self conscious if the person I would making a tribute to, was actually producing the movie, but I thought it was well executed. The kids do a great job with their roles in the movie, and Kyle Chandler does a good job in his role. The movie is a different look at its style and genre. 8.5 out of 10.

5. The Muppets: This movie was just amazing!!! I realize it is hard for a Muppet movie to have that much of a cohesive plot, but the movie was just all around enjoyable. I can't claim to be the biggest fan of the Muppets, but there are some Muppet movies that I really like. I really liked the writing, the songs, the emotions, the performances, and just about everything. The only reason it is not higher is that it is a Muppet movie, it is just hard to take is seriously against other good movies, but don't let that count against the movie overall. 8.8 out of 10.

4. Bridesmaids: I really liked this movie, when I saw it in the theater and also the times I have seen it since. I think some of the performances have the chance to really be breakouts for the actors, both Kristen Wiig, and Melissa Mccarthy gained a lot of awareness for what they did in the movie. I thought the jokes and the story were great, I guess there were some gross-out moments, but I didn't really mind them personally. I thought it was a heartwarming journey that was quite unique in recent years. 9 out of 10

3. Attack The Block: I think this was a good all around movie. There was comedy, there was horror, there were interesting characters, there was British slang, what's not to like? It is not gory horror, but more of a thriller horror movie. I liked the creativity of the movie, and how it is different from other horror movies. It was a shame that the movie didn't get wider distribution in the US. 9.2 out of 10.

2. Moneyball: I am a huge fan of the book, and find the subject matter very interesting, and to be honest the movie really did not get into the most interesting things in the book. Looking at the movie as an independent piece from the book, as I need to do in this case, was very entertaining. It is a lighthearted look at an improbably season with a franchise that had to find new ways of evaluating talent, and there is a happy ending, the Twins win! 9.5 out of 10

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: I would just like to refer to this movie as HP 7.2, much shorter and I think the message still gets across. The weird thing about this movie, is that I actually liked part 1 better, but they were released in different years, so I did not have to truly compare the 2 on here. I think the intensity of this movie is great, for the climax of such a long lasting series I would have expected nothing else. It really was a great way to wrap up a series that has been around for a large portion of my life! I think movie was able to wrap up the series very well. I think the performances by the now grown up actors were great. I think this is a movie that will live on in my collection for years ( I got all 8 harry potter movies on Blu-Ray for $59 bucks total). I would give it a full 10 out of 10 because it was the best movie I saw this year.

I should note that I had finished writing this before I saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, which I really enjoyed a lot.

I did not get around to seeing every movie that I wanted to this year, in fact there are some fairly recently released movies that I would really like to see. Here is a list of the movies from 2011 I would like to see:
50/50--I like the main actors, and it seems like it could be a very touching story.
Warrior--Heard great things about Tom Hardy's performance.
Horrible Bosses--Heard the movie was just completely hilarious.
Crazy. Stupid. Love.--Love the cast, didn't really have a date when it came out, though.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy--Getting great reviews, on a great topic.
Young Adult--Love the director, the writer, and Patton Oswalt.
Midnight in Paris--Seems like it is the first good Woody Allen movie in too long.
Tucker ad Dale Vs. Evil--A great twist on the horror genre, sitting at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

I wanted to do this last year, but never really had the follow through to finish it, I hope to make this a tradition, I might even remember to keep movies ranked as the year goes on, we will see how committed I get.

Super 8

Super 8 is a well layered movie. There are two main story lines throughout most of the movie, that intertwine at times. I am still drinking in this movie. I got out of the theater about an hour ago. It really is a different take on the monster movie. I really like what JJ Abrams did with this movie. The movie reminded me a lot of some alien movies like ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I am not sure if that was because Steven Spielberg was involved, or if that was the idea all along. If I had to guess I would guess that it was because the was what JJ Abrams wanted to do.

I really liked that this movie did a good job with the special effects that it used. I think a lot of the technique used in Cloverfield was also used in this movie, although these are 2 very different movies. This movie shows growth from a lot of the characters. This movie has a variety of emotions in it. There are some very sad scenes, some very funny scenes, some jumpy scenes, and of course some lovey dovey scenes too.

This movie should not be pigeon holed into a movie that is just for a certain type of person. I don't think it is as much of a family movie as ET can be, but even though there is some violence, it is not graphic violence. I think anyone mid teens and up can enjoy this movie. 

Elle Fanning does a really good job in this movie, at times she is playing a character who is playing a character. I know that sounds really weird, but its really what happens in the movie. This movie really makes me want to go back and re-watch ET and Close Encounters, it has been quite a while since I have seen those movies. I actually think all of the children in this movie do a great job.

 I am really trying to be vague with this review, because I really don't want to give away any of the mystique of this movie. I think they did a great job with the trailers for this movie as well as the mystique and mystery within the movie itself. 

There are quite a few themes in this movie. It is hard to discuss all of them without giving too much away. There is a not so subtle anti-drug message in the movie, which I found very enjoyable. Being understanding is a big theme throughout the movie.

Make sure you stay a bit into the credits for something very special.

Baseball's Back and WNYX Has It

The title line is taken from the following video. Every time I think of Opening Day I think of this video. I am going to start including more videos in my posts, I would love to provide people with some classic moments that I have enjoyed in the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7ZL5tfSgA0

My favorite line in the video is, "I"m Bill Mcneal......on crack.......I like boys."

News Radio is such a classic show that my brothers and I loved watching. I still enjoy watching the reruns on Reelz channel I believe. The classic battles between Phil Hartman's Bill Mcneal and Dave Foley's Dave Nelson are always enjoyable. Worth checking out if you want some with a great 90's sense of humor. Lots of people who are much more well known now got big breaks in this show.

This brings me to my excitement about baseball.

I really need to force myself to take a lot of time off of girls. I think I have been hurt so much by putting myself out there in the past, that subconsciously I am unable to really develop feelings anymore. I am just like pure brain now, and no heart. I guess I am a real life Tin Man. It was the Tin Man who lacked a heart right? (Yes I looked it up after writing that)

I need to find a way to correct myself. Maybe doing some self help reading is the solution. Maybe some healing will happen with time, and maybe I need to stop trying to force myself to have feelings for people. I think I need to suspend all of my online dating profiles on the different sites, although I guess I ccan only think of 2 different sites. That will take away the temptation of trying to contact someone online. Maybe I need to actually learn to start something offline hahahaha. I think there are a great deal of things that I need to work on. I have had some flair ups of anxiety, specifically when I was thinking about starting a job search. Of course I am still thinking about that, but it makes me a bit nervous. Maybe I actually am in need of some courage. I will have to remember that for the next time I visit the Wizard. This actually makes me think of something that I will address later in the post.

Wow that is somewhat of a decent transition to discussing looking for a job, I have kind of been putting it off, but I guess it wouldnt hurt to start as soon as possible. I still really wish I knew what I wanted to do, but maybe what i want to do is something I can do on the side, such as writing. I would just need a job with hopefully a regular schedule that I could work around and actually set up a normal routine with! I can't imagine how nice that would be. I think I would be able to get more exercise that way. I really need to set some goals for a job hunt and my personal life. I think that is what I will work on for my next post.

Where the hell has creativity gone in Hollywood? I know everyone has heard this all before, but I needed to write about it myself. I referenced this somewhat earlier about visiting the Wizard, but I believe there are 2 or 3 movies in the making that are in some way related to the Wizard of Oz. I believe there is a straight up remake coming, as well as a prequel. What is up with that? Have all the original stories been done or something? Lets make a prequel to a movie from 1939 that totally makes sense.

There are so many prequels, sequels, and remakes coming out in the next few years. I can understand wanting to make a sequel to Tron, now that the technology has advanced that you can actually make it seem so real. There are just so many movies coming out that are unoriginal. There are some re-imaginings that I have enjoyed, specifically Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, plus I am guessing I will enjoy The Dark Knight Rises, as long as it does not go Spiderman 3 on us. And of course they are re-booting Spiderman back to his high school days. Spiderman and X-men really got this comic book movie trend started and now they are both being rebooted, less than 10 years later. I really liked Spiderman 1 and 2 as well as X-men 1 and 2, and even the Last Stand to a lesser degree.

The industry is of course driven by money. Make sequels to movies taht made a ton of money. Even if the writing is not as good, just throw in tons of flashy effects to cover that up (Transformers 2, no one will ever be able to convince me that movie was even decent. Everyone who was involved with it admitted it was bad, but I still come across people who tell me it was amazing. I have never been so bored in a movie with so much action. Plus I think it killed Michael Jackson). They are remade Red Dawn, which was not that great of a movie to begin with. I think the movie has been finished for 2 years, but they are trying to cut it in a way that won't be offensive to Russians or Chinese people

Do we really need another Pirates of the Caribbean movie? And as good as The Hangover was the first time around, do you really think they can replicate that with a second movie? Or will it become a movie revered by the Jersey Shore loving crowd? I don't even think The Hangover is all that great after watching it a 2nd time. It just is not that rewatchable.

I will give Transformers 3 a chance because I enjoyed the first one enough. There are just so many of these sequels and prequels that I have little not no interest in at all. I want to like as many movies as possible, but some movies just make it way too hard for me to do that.

This topic of course brings me to Arthur. I had not until this point seen this movie, but at the same time I can't imagine Russel Brand doing the character justice. There is just something about him that rubs me the wrong way, which is weird because I usually love british humor. He was good in a small dose in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but Get Him to the Greek was just too much of him for my taste. It was also lacking in other areas.

The extent of exposure I previously had with Arthur is the references that were made to it on the show The Critic, one of my favorite forgotten shows, and also the trailer of the new remake of Arthur. The same guy who played Jerry's dad on Seinfeld plays Liza Minelli's dad in Arthur, weird. I think I actually understand this Arthur character more than I should. I might not be a womanizing alcoholic, but i tend to laugh way too often. I sometimes think of myself as a failure, but in the end for the most part keep myself in good spirits. In the end he chose love and a working life, over a fortune

I am looking forward to the upcoming movie Your Highness. I think the cast should be fun, and its an idea that has not been beaten to death. A romantic medieval epic comedy? Other than Princess Bride I can not think of any others. Of course its 2am and I am starting to get tired, so I might be missing something.

Other movies I have not mentioned that I am looking forward to:
Bridesmaids
Super 8
Super
Bad Teacher

Write about:
Monsters- This is such an awesome movie. There are really 2 whole characters in the movie. Its quite a simplistic movie. Trying to get across a potential wasteland where some monsters are being held. There are some beautiful shots of wilderness, as well as not having all of the information about what is going on creates this uneasiness, at least it did in me. I really enjoyed the action and the mystery that was created by the situation, as well as just finding it intriguing. It has a bit of the feel of Cloverfield because of the monsters and the mystery involved. Monsters is available on Netflix Instant if you feel like giving it a try.

Garden State-This may be my favorite movie to watch when I am a bit depressed. I love, and really connect with the feelings of melancholy involved in it. I think this may still be the best soundtrack for any movie I have seen. It does such a good job of getting the feeling of the movie across to the viewer. I think many of my readers will have already seen Garden State, but if not its definitely worth viewing.

I almost forgot to write about my birthday! Its becoming less and less of an event each year. I might actually try to do something bigger next year, I think that it would help to think about doing something more than a day in advanced. I think I didn't really care this time around because well I hate being the center of attention for things, even on my birthday of all days, silly me.

Well I think I have spent more than enough time writing this, and maybe I will start to write more. I am really looking forward to it warming up so I can go on late night jogs/walks without getting too cold. I can do half of my route, but the whole route is too long and I still slip on the sidewalks due to some remaining ice. I hope by next week this will be greatly reduced.

Well as always, I would love feedback, comments, suggestions or anything anyone has to share.

Things I did while writing this:
Watched Futurama, laughed at the name Noticeably F.A.T.
Looked up how to spell Bill Mcneal
Started watching the original Arthur with Dudley Moore on Netflix Instant
Looked up the year The Wizard of Oz came out.
Worked on actually linking movies I mentioned!!!
I guess technically I slept while writing this post, had to take a 7 hours break from it
Started Watching Season 3 disc 2 of Mad Men and recognized Carla Gallo from Undeclared in an episode