Movie Ratings: 2010

MOVIES FOR ADULTS

Toy Story 3(2010): A+/A (10/10)
Appeal: 100%
Exciting, funny and touching. My favorite of the trilogy.

Inception(2010): A+/A (10/10)
Appeal: 90% (-confusing)
Unique, clever, fun and engaging.

Date Night(2010): A- (9/10)
Appeal: 100% (+broad appeal)
I laughed a lot. And I connected with the relationship themes and dialogue.

The Fighter(2010): A- (9/10)
Appeal: 90%
Amazing performances. I connected with the internal struggle of the main character. Mark Walberg wasn't bad, but wasn't very good either. He didn't have nearly as much to "do" as the other main players.

The Next 3 Days(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 80%
Almost constantly harrowing and/or gut-wrenching. Very engaging. Just don't think too hard about the plot.

Black Swan(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 90% (+unique,-confusing)
Unique story. Great acting. Movie is a slow starter but has a good 2nd act and 3rd act pay-off. Scarier than you would expect.

The Town(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80% (+mass appeal)
As much a Drama as a Heist Film. I liked it but I would have preferred Affleck stay behind the camera on this one.

Shutter Island(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
[notes]

The King's Speech(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80%
Great performance by Colin Firth. A strong performance from Geoffrey Rush. Additional strong performances by supporting cast. Slow starting movie with a great finale.

The Social Network(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70% (+interesting true story)
Strong dialogue, a captivating underlying story, and good performances couldn't hide a meandering plot and a weak character arc for the main character, Mark Zuckerberg.

Buried(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50%
Well made but not very pleasant to watch. You really have to be in the right state of mind to sit through this.

True Grit(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70%
I loved the performance of Hailee Steinfeld. I liked Jeff Bridges' performance once I got used to it. Didn't really like Matt Damon's. I also didn't like the story (what happened) or plotting (how it was told) very much. I never seem to like Coen Brothers movies as much as some but I always appreciate their film making skill.

Green Zone(2010): D (3/10)
Appeal: 30%
I found it to be a dull movie.

[title](2010): ? (?/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

MOVIES FOR OUR INNER CHILD

Shrek Forever After(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: %
Hilarious. Better than the 3rd one.

The Crazies(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 80%
Well plotted Zombie fun.

The Losers(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
I just saw it for the second time and I still enjoyed it despite a story that didn't really make sense and several corny moments. Good plotting of a silly story. A lot of the performances were good. Jason Patric worked as the evil villain.

The A-Team(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-Over the top action)
[notes]

Megamind(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80% (+mythology)
Despite iffy plotting and unnecessary length, I found the characters and story very engaging.

Knight and Day(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-lack of chemistry)
Cheesy fun. Even though he generally weirds me out now, I didn't mind Tom Cruise here. He and Diaz have zero chemistry but it doesn't matter. This isn't a movie to take seriously. Just sit back and enjoy the gun play, stunts and amusing, if silly, dialogue.

Clash Of The Titans(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: %
It's a silly fantasy film but the filmmakers had fun with it. It worked for me despite its numerous flaws.

Dinner for Schmucks(2010):B (7/10)
Very funny parts and Steve Carell kills. However, the movie is overly long with pace and plotting issues. The "dinner" referred to in the title is in the third act (i.e. the end of the movie). Knowing that going in may help your enjoyment.

Iron Man 2(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60%
As compared to the first: Better Villain(s); Better Action; Worse Story; Much Worse Plotting; Worse James Rhodes (Sorry Don Cheadle). Hard to say which is better to me.

The Other Guys(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70% (+charismatic performances)
I wanted to like it more but my enjoyment of the movie fluctuated greatly.

Hot Tub Time Machine(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
Funny in spots with a decent story to go with it.

Lottery Ticket(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: %
Nothing great about this movie, but I found it easy to watch, and amusing enough.

Robin Hood(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
[notes]

MacGruber(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 30% (-utter stupidity)
Had a few very funny parts (and I mean very funny) and a bunch of awkwardly unfunny parts. This movie is utter stupidity and I couldn't recommend it to anybody. But I kinda enjoyed it. By the way, the movie starts slow with strangely few jokes.

Salt(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
[notes]

Resident Evil: Afterlife(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: %
Silly action sci-fi but it puts a smile on my face.

Tron: Legacy (2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70% (+mythology)
So much less interesting than I hoped, despite passable story and action. A sense of wonder or amazement is completely lacking. A very hollywood/by-the-numbers movie.

Takers (2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50%
Plenty of bad acting and heist movie cliche, but I enjoyed the fast plotting, slick directing and TI's comically bad acting.

Death At A Funeral(2010):B-/C+ (6/10)
Though it seemed like an ensemble piece, it ultimately felt like a Chris Rock vehicle. His character is the clear dramatic focal point and also has the most punchlines. Rock does a better than expected job, only embarrassing himself (via poor acting) once or twice. Martin Lawrence, on the other hand, is wasted. Very few jokes, and the material he has isn't very good. It's mostly irritating and/or uncomfortable. Still, I laughed a fair bit and the movie doesn't overstay its welcome. There's a lot going on, and some of it is pretty good. Be warned, the movie's first act is its funniest. Kevin Hart only has one scene but it's a good one.

Unstoppable(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 60%
Despite its perpetually moving plot, I was bored at times. Loved Denzel's acting, and much of the other actors' acting, except for Chris Pine's.

Repo Man(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
I liked the allegorical sci-fi story at the heart of the movie. Forrest Whitaker was well cast and was a highlight for me. However, I did not like some of the plotting. The movie was overly gory as well. And I had mixed feelings about the ending.

The Book of Eli(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: %
Didn't dislike it, but I wanted to like it so much more. Utterly underwhelmed by the whole affair.

Predators(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 60% (+mythology)
Good beginning and end. 2nd Act (middle) ultimately didn't amount to much. Fishbourne has one good scene.

Grown Ups(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
A pleasant experience with very little story.

Daybreakers(2010): C-/D+ (4/10)
Appeal: 40%
N/A

Saw 3D (2010): D (3/10)
Appeal: %
I don't think anybody involved in this move really gave a shit about it. That's how I felt leaving the theater after. And I've been a fan of the series, until now.

Cop Out(2010): D-/F+ (2/10)
Appeal: %
Mostly garbage. A few laughs.

[title](2010): ? (?/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

MOVIES FOR KIDS

[title](2010): ? (?/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

MOVIES TO SEE
-Casino Jack and the United States of Money
-The Ghost Writer
-Brooklyn's Finest(Poorly Reviewed)
-Why Did I Get Married Too?
-Kick-Ass
-How To Train Your Dragon
-Jonah Hex(Poor Reviews)
-The Karate Kid(Good Movie)
-The Last Airbender(So bad I have to see it)
-Despicable Me(Solid Reviews)

MOVIES OF GENERAL INTEREST
-Alice in Wonderland
-Edge of Darkness
-Youth in Revolt
-Sex In The City 2