3 posts tagged “watchedin2008”

I've been slacking in my movie-watching lately. I blame the fact that I can barely keep up with my TiVo -- I mean, I'm a month behind on Lost, for crying out loud. I also can't remember the last movie I saw in the theaters.

As always, in no particular order:

16) Cold Creek Manor (Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Kristen Stewart, Stephen Dorff): I ranked this two stars on Netflix. I wish there was a two-and-a-half star option, because I didn't loathe this movie, but there were some completely unnecessary parts, and some overacting, and some generally bad story-telling. I've never lined up my own Cherry Chapstick rating system with any specific guidelines -- as the disclaimer says, I use it as I see fit, based on nothing even resembling structure and/or objectivity -- but I guess I'd give it two Cherry Chapsticks.

17) Nancy Drew (Emma Roberts, Tate Donovan): I saw this in the theaters with Elizabeth, Sarah and Mia, and we all really liked it. It was so cute, and so refreshingly PG. I get so tired of the arguments that the kind of crap put into movies and TV shows aimed at the younger demographic happen, so gee, we might as well watch it -- whatever. Just because something is realistic doesn't make it beneficial or, you know, right. Emma Roberts is adorable, and I really enjoyed watching this again on DVD. Four Cherry Chapsticks.

18) The Jane Austen Book Club (Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Maria Bello): Couldn't even make it through half of the movie. It was boring and uninteresting and...I just didn't remotely sympathize with any of the characters. The plastic wrapper of a Cherry Chapstick.

19) Juno (Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman): I've written extensively about my love for it. I constantly have "Anyone Else But You" in my head. Five Cherry Chapsticks.

20) Across the Universe (Rachel Evan Wood, Jim Sturgess): I don't know why I even Netflixed this. I don't sympathize remotely with anti-war protesters, or casual drug use, or really, the whole hippie existence in the 60s and 70s. So yeah. Like The Jane Austen Book Club, I didn't even finish it. The plastic wrapper of a Cherry Chapstick.

21) Into the Wild (Emile Hirsch, Kristen Stewart, William Hurt, Hal Holbrook, Marcia Gay Harden): Funny, Kristen's not even listed in any of the reviews or on Netflix or whatever, but her storyline and her character's interaction with Chris is the only one I cared about. As I've mentioned, I just didn't find Chris very sympathetic. I think it stems from the fact that I've lived in forced isolation before due to my depression, and so I honestly don't understand how anyone would choose isolation. Two Cherry Chapsticks.

22) Undertow (Dermot Mulroney, Josh Lucas, Jamie Bell, Kristen Stewart): This was a weird movie. Really, really weird. Really violent and depressing and did I mention weird? I Netflixed it in my quest to see all of KS's movies, and was irritated to find that she's in two 90-second scenes within the first half-hour of the movie. I still don't quite understand the point or the underlying theme or, really, what was even going through the director's mind. At all. The cap off a Cherry Chapstick.

23) The Safety of Objects (Patricia Clarkson, Glenn Close, Moira Kelly, Joshua Jackson, Dermot Mulroney, Kristen Stewart): The first time I watched this last year sometime, I was distracted and didn't get it. I didn't even understand the title. I thought it was disjointed and weird. But I watched it again recently and this time, I, well, really saw it. It's still a little weird and a little disturbing, but I also liked it a lot better. And the title made a lot of sense and was even a bit profound. Two and a half Cherry Chapsticks.

24) The Golden Compass (Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliott, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards): I'm not going to suggest that Kevin and Mia see this, and it has nothing to do with the supposed "controversy" over the book. I read the first book and found nothing offensive or controversial whatsoever. However, I was so bored watching the movie. Seriously. It was disappointing, because I liked the book so much. Two Cherry Chapsticks.

25) Cloverfield (Mike Vogel, Lizzy Caplan): I never got around to seeing this in the theaters -- I much prefer Netflixing them and watching them in my PJs at home, anyway -- so I was looking forward to this. JJ Abrams didn't disappoint. I really, really liked it, and unlike some, I wasn't bothered by the jerky motions from the hand-held camera. It just made the suspense more realistic. Four Cherry Chapsticks.

26) Panic Room (Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker): I still don't like this movie very much but I figured I'd at least watch it all the way through. People have said that Kristen was cast only because, at 11, she resembled Jodie Foster, but what very few know is that she was attached to the movie before Foster was. Originally, Nicole Kidman was cast as Meg, and Hayden Panettiere as Sarah. And then Panettiere was replaced by Kristen, and then Nicole Kidman hurt her knee and was forced to drop out. If only that hadn't happened -- I'm sure I would've enjoyed the movie a lot more without Foster. Anyway, now that I've seen the entire thing, I still can't give it more than two Cherry Chapsticks.

Jen's Cherry Chapstick Rating System is in no way scientific, accurate, or objective, and is based on whatever the hell she feels like.

I thought it was time for another movie update, otherwise I'll completely forget what I've been watching.

In no apparent order (although I'm numbering them to keep track), we have:

7) 10 Things I Hate About You: I have seen this movie so many times, I can pretty much quote the whole thing, but it is a movie I've watched this year, so I'm going to go ahead and count it. This is on my list of all-time favorites. Even my brother, who is utterly disdainful toward anything that's not high-browed and critically-acclaimed, likes it. It came out in 1999, amidst a group of similarly-genred movies that debuted between 1998-2001 that I also love, like Can't Hardly Wait, Bring It On, She's All That, Center Stage, Drive Me Crazy, Get Over It and Save the Last Dance. It's a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, and it is awesome. Stars Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Krumholtz and Larisa Oleynik. (Speaking of, I just found out the first season of The Secret World of Alex Mack is on DVD. So Netflixing it.) Five Cherry Chapsticks.

8) Enchanted: I liked it. Didn't love it, and I don't really feel the need to add it to my DVD collection, but it was cute. Amy Adams was really great and boy, is she able to adapt an annoying Disney princess voice. I could've done with less of Susan Sarandon's entire storyline and more (much more) of Patrick Dempsey. Drool. All in all, I'd say Disney did a good job. Three-and-a-cap Cherry Chapsticks.

9) Fierce People: I kind of wish Kristen Stewart hadn't been in this movie, because then I wouldn't have ever had to subject myself to it. As it is, I fast-forwarded through a lot of it. It was really random, and disturbing, and fairly revolting at times, and the only characters I even remotely liked were Maya (Stewart) and Finn (Anton Yelchin). They were 14 at the time this movie was filmed -- seriously, what were their parents thinking letting them do something like this? Anyway, the cap off a Cherry Chapstick, just because Kristen has a two-minute scene at the very, very end that made the viewing experience worthwhile almost sort of worthwhile.

10) 21: Loved it, loved it, loved it. I have already talked about it in a prior post, but it was fantastic. I want to see it again. Four Cherry Chapsticks.

11) Becoming Jane: I really, really liked this. A lot. I really like Anne Hathaway, and after Atonement, I also like James McAvoy. I've heard that it's not accurate, but hey, I've never read and will never read a biography on Jane Austen, so it didn't bother me at all. I especially loved the Pride and Prejudice parallel. Four Cherry Chapsticks.

12) Rounders: I like this movie a lot, but the desire to punch Edward Norton in the face never really goes away. I can't believe that Mike (Matt Damon) continued to bail Worm out after the dude just disregarded, well, basic human decency and trashed his so-called best friend's reputation all over town and ruined his life, pretty much. Anyway, it's a really good movie, especially if you're a fan of that whole Texas Hold 'Em scene. I, personally, find movies like it, 21, Ocean's 11, etc. fascinating. Three Cherry Chapsticks.

13) Speak: Like In the Land of Women and 10 Things I Hate About You, I tend to watch this movie a lot. So I'll only count each one time, even though I'm sure I'll watch them again. I've gone on ad nauseum about the awesomeness of this movie, so if you want to know more, I'm certain it has its own tag. Five Cherry Chapsticks.

14) Transformers: I wasn't really that interested in seeing the movie in the theaters, even though I watched the cartoon (and Go Bots!) as a kid, so I'm glad that Kevin wanted to watch it with me. It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I'm looking forward to seeing Shia LeBeouf (who will always be Louis Stevens to me) in the next Indiana Jones installment. The special effects, particularly the Autobots and Decepticons transforming, were spectacular, and as an added bonus, there was the hotness of Josh Duhamel. Three Cherry Chapsticks.

15) The Messengers: I guess this is considered a horror movie, but I think of horror movies as all those ridiculous Friday the 13th/Halloween/whatever movies that have absolutely no plot, one-dimensional characters, and gallons of blood. I like movies like The Shining, and The Ring, and similar films that are more psychologically scary than slasher crap. I'd definitely characterize The Messengers as psychologically creepy. It's another Japanese horror adaptation, much like The Ring and The Grudge. Penelope Ann Miller can't act, but other than that, I thought it was pretty well done. Kristen Stewart is fantastic, but then, that's pretty much to be expected. The little boy that plays her brother is absolutely adorable. John Corbett, Dylan McDermott and Dustin Milligan also star. (And there's a cameo by Cigarette Smoking Man.) Anyway, I liked it, even if I will never be able to go into a basement or look at a crow again. Three and a cap Cherry Chapsticks.

Jen's Cherry Chapstick Rating System is in no way scientific, accurate, or objective, and is based on whatever the hell she feels like.

I thought maybe I'd keep track of the movies I see this year in addition to the books I read.

So far there haven't been that many.

In the theaters we have:
Untraceable: It was okay. The ending annoyed me, because it really didn't seem realistic. I mean, Diane Lane's character was a FBI agent. She'd been tracking this killer who's an expert on technology. So let's see: your car's computer system crashes on a dark, rainy night as you cross the bridge where the killer's father committed suicide. His disembodied voice sounds over your satellite radio. You jump out of the car to go use the emergency phone on the bridge, leaving your car wide open. WHY THE HELL would you then go get back in the car rather than staying out in the open, armed, where you had the advantage? Seriously. So yeah. Started out really interesting, and then had a weak ending. Three Cherry Chapsticks.

Atonement: Well, I've already talked at length about it. Awesome. Five Cherry Chapsticks.

Juno: Talked about it, too, considering I think I saw it three times in a a week or 10 days or something. Five Cherry Chapsticks.

The Other Boleyn Girl: Talked about it, too. I give it three Cherry Chapsticks because, while the movie itself was good (acting, etc.), it was depressing, and I didn't like any of the characters. Not even Mary.

From Netflix:
I got I Could Never Be Your Woman, Becoming Jane, and In the Land of Women yesterday. Yes, I've seen In the Land of Women a dozen times. I love it. It is awesome. One of my favorite movies. I just needed to copy it. And I'm counting it, because like my books, I'm counting movies I've re-watched. :)

In the Land of Women: There's a tag. I've written a ton on it. Kristen Stewart is fabulous. Five Cherry Chapsticks.

I Could Never Be Your Woman: Don't ask me why I got this. As with a lot of the Weinstein Co.'s recent films, it was made in 2006 and then released straight to DVD this month. Or last month. I forget. I saw a commercial about it and thought, well, I generally like Paul Rudd, and Michelle Pfeiffer's okay, and maybe it would be One Fine Day-ish.

Um, not so much. It was...weird. I have no idea why Tracy Ullman's character was even in the movie. The best part about it was Pfeiffer's daughter, played by Saoirse Ronan. I had no idea she was even in it. She was like 10 or 11 at the time, with a pretty good American accent, and her character was cute. Plus she sang and played the guitar. Still, the movie itself is fairly god-awful. I give it two Cherry Chapsticks, and only because Izzie's remake of "Oops, I Did It Again" is hysterical.